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Santiago Canyon College event makes science fun for younger students

June 3, 2025

To some, the mere mention of “science” may bring up feelings of frustration, intimidation or even boredom. They don’t realize that science can be fun, even playful.

The more than 2,000 people who attended the 18th annual Community Science Night, a colorful assortment of hands-on activities, live demonstrations and interactive exhibits on April 25 at Santiago Canyon College, would happily concur. The engaging presentations invited all attendees — particularly elementary and middle school students — to celebrate the wonders of biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and engineering. The activities were led by instructors from SCC and the Orange Unified and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School Districts.

“It’s a big circus and playground of science,” said Jeff Wada, SCC professor of chemistry. “The event really excited so many students and other little kids. At the end of the evening, when the families were leaving, they were either super excited to share with their parents what they played with or learned, or they were sad that the night was over.”

Chemistry Professor Jeffrey Wada performs “magic” with marshmallows during the Chemistry Magic Show at Santiago Canyon College’s Community Science Night on April 25, 2025. (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications)

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“We exposed a large number of students to many different sciences and gave them different kinds of experiences that they may not have at their schools or their homes,” said Rochelle Greenwald, a teacher on special assignment for the Orange Unified School District specializing in Career Pathways and STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). “Things like engineering-design challenges, using microscopes, observing animals, trying out robotics and more. They may not even know they’re interested in science until they’ve tried it.”

The exhibits, activities and demos, more than 50 in all, took place in Santiago Canyon College’s Science Center, Humanities Building and Gym, along with a few at outdoor locales on campus. They included:

• Push Car Derby – By building cars out of a LEGO Essentials kit to see which could be pushed the farthest, students learned about friction and force.

• Let There Be Light – Students explored the properties of light: how a light bulb contains a rainbow of colors, what happens when a beam of laser light is trapped in water, and more.

• Plushie Museum of Paleontology – Young kids played with new cuddly friends, in the form of stuffed dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.

• Magma-nificent Experiments – Future geologists discovered how trapped gases cause eruptions through several hands-on experiments that simulate the explosive power of volcanoes.

• Stuffie Stage – Students used clothespins and sticks to build platforms, at least 6 inches tall, to hold one of a variety of stuffed animals.

• Chemistry Magic Show – A comedic demonstration – featuring Dr. Solid, Dr. Liquid and Dr. Gas – explored the three phases of matter.

Wada, who wrote and performed in the latter exhibit, ran it with another SCC chemistry instructor and a student volunteer. “At this year’s event, we had over 200 SCC students who helped out,” he said. “They all talked about the event the following week. It helped reaffirm their interest in science. … In fact, I’ve had students who’ve said, ‘I started college because of Community Science Night.’ I’ve even had those who’ve told me, ‘I signed up for your class because I saw you there when I was younger.’ ”

Santiago Canyon College and the Orange Unified and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School Districts partnered with several community organizations and companies that hosted their own room, booth or table, said Community Science Night’s chair, Angela Daneshmand, SCC associate professor and chair of Earth sciences. They included the OC Health Care Agency, The Cooper Center, Bricks 4 Kidz, the Environmental Nature Center, the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, Bio-Rad Laboratories and Amigos de Bolsa Chica, among others.

Wada noted that the event started 18 years ago through a grant that Santiago Canyon College received to benefit STEM-major students. Part of this grant involved a push to get elementary and middle school students in the community excited about science.

Wada also sang high praise for Daneshmand, who led the event’s planning committee. “She does an amazing job corralling so many different resources and people,” he said. “It’s like herding cats, as she often says. But she makes it all run.”

“Everyone likes to give me all the credit,” Daneshmand said, “but the event wouldn’t be the success it is without the energy, creativity and commitment of so many faculty, staff and students. It’s truly a team effort, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support.”

Greenwald, who also served on the event’s planning committee, noted that not just young students enjoyed the evening. “The kids had a great time, and sometimes it’s the parents who have more fun than the kids! … I hope that this event continues to grow and change each year, because it’s just about the best thing we can give to our students and the community.”

Santiago Canyon College event makes science fun for younger students Orange County Register

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Santiago Canyon College event makes science fun for younger students

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