STEAM Family Day

STEAM Family Day

Join us for STEAM Family Day at NHM! This one-day event is an opportunity for youth ages 8–18 to participate in STEAM and craft activities, meet STEAM professionals, and explore future career paths in a fun and engaging way! Visit us at NHM to be a part of this exciting STEAM celebration! STEAM Family Day celebration will include:

Fun Activities

• STEAM Fair: Meet and interact with local STEAM-based organizations.
• STEAM Presentation Stage: Listen in to presentations and interviews highlighting scientists and science communicators from various backgrounds. 
• Raffles: Join us for giveaways of STEAM gifts throughout the day.
• Research & Collections Tables: Chat with NHM’s own R&C department over specimens and collection items.

STEAM Resources Fair | Foyer

Meet and interact with local STEAM-based organizations:

• Lorquin Scholars is the youth chapter of the Lorquin Entomological Society, founded in 2023 to encourage young people to study and appreciate insects. Cole Cramer and Connor Hsu, co-founders and leaders of the Lorquin Scholars, are high seniors with a shared passion for entomology and insect biodiversity. Both attended the UC Davis Bio Boot Camp for three summers and have become active youth leaders in entomology through outreach, education, and hands-on field experience. Through the Lorquin Scholars, Cole and Connor organize hikes, insect surveys, and educational outreach programs that introduce younger students and families throughout Southern California to the important roles insects play in ecosystems. Their work includes teaching insect identification, field collecting techniques, and science communication, while helping foster curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. In addition to leading outreach efforts, they conduct independent fieldwork, maintain curated entomology collections, and explore insect diversity through direct experience. They have also attended national professional conferences and represented youth voices at scientific meetings, museum events, and public education programs. Through their work, Cole and Connor hope to inspire the next generation of entomologists.
• Columbia Memorial Space Center is igniting a community of critical and creative thinkers. Every exhibit, workshop and event is designed to spark curiosity, nurture creativity, and empower learners of all ages to imagine what's possible.
• The Los Angeles Zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), is dedicated to providing exemplary animal care and wellbeing. As a trusted leader in local and global conservation efforts, the Los Angeles Zoo is saving wildlife and connecting Angelenos to the natural world by delivering diverse learning opportunities and creating unforgettable experiences. The lush 133-acre campus and its passionate and dedicated team welcomes all to be inspired by the Zoo's vision to create a just and sustainable world where people and wildlife thrive, together. Saving Wildlife. Enriching Our Communities. Creating Connections to Nature. 
• Heart of LA SciArts: Heart of Los Angeles’ Scientific Arts Program (SciArts) provides students from fourth grade to high school with free after-school Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM) classes. Using a hands-on approach, we encourage students how to ask questions, experiment, create, and problem-solve. SciArts is grounded in Maker-style education, using DIY projects to help students learn and use STEAM-based skills to solve design problems, boosting their analytical thinking, resilience, and self-motivation.  
• SACNAS UCLA Chapter: The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) at UCLA is dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented students in higher education and in science. We are open to undergraduates, graduate students, transfer students, community college students, post-docs, faculty and staff of any major or program who share a common concern about equal access to education, who has interest in outreach and/or is in need of opportunities in academic leadership and participation.
• Nova Community Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art studio in Los Angeles. We offer art classes, workshops, open studio access, and guest programming at our studio in Atwater Village. Nova is committed to providing arts education, access to materials and equipment, and a platform of creative expression for the community.
• Karmarelo specializes in 100% handmade felt pennants— lovingly illustrated, screen printed, and sewn by Karla Jacome. Creating a pennant is a multi-step and technical process. It all begins with the artwork, often inspired by Karla’s love for nature and urban ecology. Finished illustrations are manually separated into layers of colors for the screen printing process. By exposing mesh screens coated in light-sensitive emulsions to UV light, stencils of the image are revealed. After printing a design one color at a time, the final step is sewing the finishing touches. Every pennant represents where chemical science and the arts collide!
• Nature Nexus Institute is a local non-profit that focuses on access to nature through habitat restoration and free programming at our local greenspaces.
• Heal the Bay: For more than three decades, we have been a strong and trusted advocate for the Santa Monica Bay. But a healthy Bay requires a healthy LA. We protect the coastline, restore our waterways, and enact clean water policy to protect public health.
• Wildwoods, in partnership with STEAM Family Day sponsor, LADWP, will host a hands-on water footprint activity and a table top aqueduct demo.

STEAM Stage | Otis Booth Pavilion

Come and listen to inspiring conversations with STEM professionals who have all taken different journeys to arrive where they are today!

Full Lineup:

• 12:30 pm | Hip Hop Science Show: Join us and the Hip Hop MD, Maynard Okereke, as he bridges the gap between entertainment and science.
• 2 pm | Women in STEM Panel: Join us in conversation with industry professionals as they share their pathways into science.
• 3 pm | Live Animal Presentation: Scamper in for a presentation with the Wildlife Learning Center. 

Spring 2026 STEAM Family Day at La Brea Tar Pits: