Saturday, May 10, made for an incredible day at the Saint Louis Science Center with SciFest: The Great Outdoors Expo! The Science Center campus bustled with excitement, welcoming over 2,730 enthusiastic guests to discover a deeper appreciation for the great outdoors through hands-on STEM experiences. This free, all-day event (made possible through the generous support of BJC HealthCare) brought together more than 200 STEM professionals from diverse organizations, creating countless opportunities for guests to engage with experts passionate about outdoor life, activity, work, and play. From landscape architects to wildlife biologists, plant researchers to meteorologists, the range of professionals sharing their knowledge sparked curiosity in guests of all ages.
Highlights from the Day
SciFest: The Great Outdoors Expo featured an impressive array of activities across each level of the Science Center. Guests explored everything from geology and earth science demonstrations to birds of prey and wildlife habitats with organizations like the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the Nature Institute, World Bird Sanctuary, Wildlife Rescue Center, and more. The Endangered Wolf Center engaged guests with an activity using animal paw prints, scat, and wildlife biologist skills to explore and evaluate outdoor habitats. With the help of a live house rabbit, Missouri House Rabbit Rescue helped educate guests on the differences between wild and domestic house rabbits. Outside in the GROW Gallery, the morning weather balloon launch from Mizzou Meteorology drew a crowd eager to see real-time weather data collection in action. Attendees had the opportunity to view live data collection and discover how weather is tracked and studied.
Together, Congo Apes, Living Earth Collaborative, and Washington University demonstrated how researchers study plants and animals in Africa; meanwhile, the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at WashU invited guests to create “strat columns” to see how geologists study environments and sea level changes over time. Energy Stage hosted captivating presentations throughout the day, including “Pollinators and the Great Outdoors” from Friends of the Rainforest and “Exploring the Night Sky” with the St. Louis Astronomical Society. Guests also learned about sun and outdoor safety, the night sky, and even dark matter from expert presenters. Capping things off, the Science Center team wowed the audience with a live science demonstration on stormy weather.
Popular hands-on experiences included designing paper rockets with Boeing, practicing hockey skills with the St. Louis Blues, building flashlights out of drinking straws to explore LED technology in outdoor gear with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and even meeting young dairy calves with Prairie Farms. The variety of activities ensured something exciting for every interest and age group.
Looking Ahead
Thank you to all the organizations, STEM professionals, guests, and families who made The Great Outdoors Expo a success, as well as to BJC HealthCare for making this event possible and helping to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and STEM innovators! Be sure to join us at the Science Center for our upcoming SciFest events: Play and Creativity Expo in August 2025 and Sci-FEAST in November 2025. Learn more about SciFest here.
