SciFest: The Great Outdoors Expo

Welcome to The Great Outdoors Expo!

Discover a deeper appreciation for the great outdoors and prepare for the upcoming solar eclipse at our all-day, free event!

Engage with STEM experts and organizations related to outside life, activity, and work.

Be sure to visit the Planetarium for special Space and eclipse-related activities including solar telescope viewing (weather permitting)
 
Check out a variety of free activities and features like these:

- Solar eclipse model making
- Fossil identification
- Outdoor safety preparedness
- Baseball pitching and hitting analysis
- Animal identification and exploration activities
- Chimpanzee termite mound “fishing”
- Bottle rocket and weather balloon launching
- Flight traffic control and aircraft weather radar activities
- Agriculture science and technology
- Portable first aid kit assembly
- Animal encounters with goats, rabbits, chickens, aquatic invertebrates, and a dairy cow
- Nature-related demos and interactives
- Compass building and magnetic field testing
- Skateboarding demos and science
- Special presentations on birds, outdoor citizen science, and NASA missions
- Outdoor-themed food and drink specials
- Giveaways and takeaways, including eclipse viewing glasses (while supplies last)
 
Special Presentations at Energy Stage

10:15 AM – Science Storytime

11:15 AM – One Million Acts of Science
Come one and all and see how everyone can make observations and contribute to upcoming citizen science projects.
Emma Giles, Manager of Public Outreach and Programs, SciStarter

12:15 AM – Wild Bird Rescue and Rehab
Find out what to do if you find a baby bird outdoors, and why birds are important for a healthy planet for all of us.
Denise White, Director of Administration, Wild Bird Rehabilitation

1:15 PM – Global projects and Impact as a NASA Flight Technician
Meet a NASA JPL Flight Technician and learn about work NASA is doing not only in space, but around the world.
Jenna Cadwallader, Flight Technician, NASA JPL

2:15 PM – Forest Park Owls: Hiding In Plain Sight
Find “owl” about the Great Horned owls living right here in Forest Park from an award-winning naturalist who has been studying them for the last 18 years.
Mark H.X. Glenshaw, Naturalist

3:15 PM – Our Changing Earth
Discover how our environment is affected by the Earth’s atmosphere and explore the power of sunlight!

Share your SciFest experiences with #SciFestSTL

The Great Outdoors/Eclipse Expo Partners and Activities:

FIRST FLOOR
- See how technology and baseball come together to provide live pitching and hitting data and analysis with Gateway Grizzlies Baseball
- Engage your creativity with outdoor architecture, sculpture, and art with Laumeier Sculpture Park
- Take home a specially curated pollinator seed pack and learn more about local conservation efforts with Great Rivers Greenway
- Create a portable first aid kit you can take with you outdoors with Saint Louis County Department of Public Health
- Learn the difference between rabbits out in the wild and domestic house rabbits, and meet and pet rabbits with Missouri House Rabbit Rescue
- Complete a bird bookmark craft and explore a variety of touchable bird nests with Wild Bird Rehabilitation
- Find out more about wilderness first aid and how to deal with common outdoor injuries with Saint Louis University School of Medicine
- Engage in hands-on demonstrations showing how electric vehicles work and why they are good for the environment with Gateway Electric Vehicle Association
- Participate in a “magnetic” fishing game with Bass Pro Shops
 
LIFE SCIENCE LAB
- Discover what it takes to be an air traffic controller with Greater St. Louis Flight Instructors Association (GSLFIA)
- Learn something new about aircraft airborne weather radar operation with Southwestern Illinois College Aviation Programs
 
GROW GALLERY
- Meet, pet, feed, and brush goats while learning about livestock care with Naeger Goat Farm
- Explore soybean protein and oil analysis, agriculture technology applications, and more with Benson Hill
- Build a compass to observe Earth’s magnetic field, and explore the physics of rainbows with Washington University Physics Outreach
- Visit the Mobile Dairy Classroom, complete with a live dairy cow presented by Prairie Farms, St. Louis District Dairy Council, and Southwest Dairy Farmers
- Try an iced coffee sample made with locally-produced milk, and learn more about dairy farming with Prairie Farms Dairy
- Visit with a variety of aquatic animals and observe chicken feeding and social behavior with Lincoln University
- See a tornado in a box, view live data collection during a weather-balloon launch, and learn more about atmospheric science with Mizzou Meteorology
(weather balloon launch at 2pm, weather permitting)
 
LOWER LEVEL
- Participate in a Mammals of Missouri activity with MDC/Powder Valley Nature Center
- Fossils are everywhere in Missouri! Participate in fossil identification with Eastern Missouri Society for Paleontology (EMSP)
- Test your skill at Chimpanzee termite mound “fishing” with Washington University in St. Louis, Congo Apes
- Learn how to properly apply a tourniquet and see an x-ray demo with SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
- Get a close up look at eggs, skulls, bones, feathers, etc., from birds that use the nearby Mississippi flyway with Audubon Center at Riverlands
- Learn how doing simple things like taking a picture or playing a video game can contribute to real local science research projects with One Million Acts of Science Presented by SciStarter
- Engage in activities related to light pollution and proper lighting strategies with DarkSky Missouri
- Match animals with habitats with Missouri Master Naturalist-Great Rivers Chapter
 
SECOND FLOOR
- Check out a variety of animal tracks and scat, and learn something new about recycling electronics to reduce outdoor environmental impact with Missouri Kids Unplugged
- Spin the Sun Safety Prize Wheel to see how animals and people can stay safe from Sun exposure with BJC Healthcare
 
PLANETARIUM
- Construct solar eclipse cups with AIAA/LSI
- Find out what an eclipse looks like from the Moon, and other eclipse, Moon, and Space facts with St. Louis Space Frontier
- Learn how to fold a parachute and how rockets and planes work with WURocketry at Wash U
- Launch bottle rockets with SLU RPL (Rocket Propulsion Lab)
- Engage in astronomy activities and use a telescope to see the Sun with Missouri S&T Astrophysics
 
OMNIMAX® THEATRE

11:00 PM – EXTREME WEATHER
Tickets required. Member benefits apply.
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1:15 PM & 3:45 PM – The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness
Tickets required. Member benefits apply.
Get Tickets Now