Caltech, JPL and Carnegie Observatories Bring Science to Pasadena Students at Annual Fest – Pasadena Now

Some of Pasadena’s most prominent research institutions — Carnegie Observatories, Caltech, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory — will set up exhibitions for K-12 students and their families at the annual PUSD Science Fest on Saturday, March 7, at John Muir High School Early College Magnet.

The free event, organized by parent volunteers through the PTA Council of PUSD, runs from noon to 4 p.m. and draws on the city’s concentration of scientific organizations to give district families direct access to hands-on STEM activities.

The fest will span five exhibitor categories — scientific research, engineering, environment, medicine, and education and careers — according to the event’s website.

More than 20 organizations are listed as exhibitors for 2026, according to the PUSD Science Fest website. Carnegie Observatories, headquartered in Pasadena, will bring an inflatable planetarium with scheduled shows. Caltech’s OCTO Research Group, which studies ocean and ice sheet dynamics, and the university’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach are also exhibiting. JPL’s SunRISE Mission team will represent NASA’s robotic space exploration program.

Local institutions round out the lineup. Pasadena City College’s Laser Technology Program and MESA program will be there, along with the Pasadena Department of Public Works, the Pasadena Public Library, and the Altadena Library District. Southern California Edison and LA County Public Works’ STEAM Outreach Program are among the exhibitors from outside the city, as is the Griffith Observatory Foundation.

Several exhibitors focus on expanding access to STEM for underrepresented students. She.Codes, a student-led organization, works to close the gender gap in technology fields, according to the event website. The event’s stated aims include developing a positive STEM identity in girls and students of color, according to goals set by PUSD leadership posted on the Science Fest website.

The festival grew from a single-school science night that Dr. Warren Skidmore, an astronomer at the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory and a PUSD parent, started around 2010. It expanded to a district-wide event held at John Muir.

The event is open to all ages. No tickets are required. Doors open at 11:50 a.m. John Muir High School Early College Magnet is at 1905 N. Lincoln Ave., Pasadena. More information is available at pusdsciencefest.org or by emailing pusdsciencefest@gmail.com.

Whether the 2026 edition matches or exceeds the scale of previous years will become clear on March 7. The exhibitor list is still being updated, according to the event website.