Outreach Volunteer Opportunities

To register for and/or explore current STEM outreach volunteer opportunities please check the events page!

Maker Faire

Maker Faire San Diego is an annual event held at Balboa Park in October that brings together thousands of students, educators, and organizations to relay the ideas of combining creative arts, technology, crafts, and science into inventions. AWIS-SD Outreach Committee members, alongside other Makers, present a series of engaging hands-on activities, demonstrations, and projects to promote the interest of participants in pursuing a STEAM career. It’s a great chance to learn more about the MAKER movement and meet others in the diverse fields of STEAM! Visit http://sandiego.makerfaire.com/ for more information!

ChemExpo

ChemExpo is part of the American Chemical Society (ACS) San Diego chapter's annual celebration of Chemistry Week. ChemExpo is held in October at San Diego Miramar College and is attended by hundreds of middle and high school students, plus parents and teachers. The AWIS-SD Outreach Committee organizes and presents hands-on experiments designed to “wow” the students with chemistry's diversity and ubiquitous nature. It’s a great opportunity to promote interest in chemistry and connect with the chemistry community. Information about this and other events hosted by the San Diego ACS chapter can be found at http://www.sandiegoacs.org/events/.

San Diego Science Festival

Every year in March, the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering invites students and their families to engage in a celebration of careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at PETCO Park. The goal is to encourage and inspire students of all ages and backgrounds to pursue STEM education and careers by connecting them with scientists, educators, and engineers. The AWIS-SD Outreach Committee along with many volunteers introduces hundreds of attendees to STEM through activities like making Oobleck! Help us inspire the next generation of scientist and engineers! For more information, visit the festival website: http://www.sdsciencefestival.com. For volunteer opportunities, contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

STEM in Your Backyard

STEM in Your Backyard is a series of local events held across San Diego to reach out to children who want to learn more about STEM and have fun. These events are held throughout the year. The AWIS-SD Outreach Committee participated in the event at the Logan Heights Library this year and joined many other volunteers from other organizations to interact with participants and teach them about science! For more information, visit: https://www.lovestemsd.org/stem-your-backyard and contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more volunteering opportunities!

Undergraduate Career Panel: Exploring Careers in Science and Engineering- a day for undergraduate women

This is an afternoon or evening event geared towards undergraduate women. The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for undergraduate women to interact one-on-one with female scientists and engineers. This is a small event with approximately 30 undergraduate women and 10-12 AWIS panelists. The event consists of a panel discussion followed by a sit-down meal where the girls can ask questions about careers in the sciences and interact informally with our panelists. This event has been a great success in the past and we are always looking to improve it. We need volunteers both to be panelists as well as help out on the day of the event. Please contact outreach@awissd for more information about dates and times.

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is an annual conference held at the University of San Diego (USD) in March. Approximately 600 sixth- to tenth-grade girls from throughout San Diego County participate in several workshops throughout the day in small groups, escorted by two female college mentors. This is a great opportunity to have fun and motivate young women to pursue science, math, and technology! The AWIS-SD Outreach Committee organized and presented a Crime Scene Forensic Workshop in which students learned about the science behind DNA, fingerprint and liquid/solid analysis, and more! Please visit the EYH website for more information: http://www.eyhsandiego.org.

Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF)

During the spring, the AWIS-SD Outreach committee selects its own award winners during the Professional Organization section of the annual Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (www.gsdsef.org). Recruited volunteers, often AWIS-SD members take some time out of their day to judge and evaluate science and engineering projects submitted by middle school and high school girls from San Diego and Imperial Counties. Projects range from topics about medicine to technology to animals and plants (in all areas of STEM). A banquet is held for the AWIS award winners, their families, and their advisors to celebrate their achievements. This is an opportunity to interact with some really enthusiastic, young scientific ladies. To volunteer as a judge, contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Sally Ride Science Festivals

The Sally Ride Science Festivals (www.sallyridefestivals.com) occur in a variety of locations throughout the country. Several organizations and companies put together hands-on activities at booths for the girls (5th-8th grade) to explore many different areas of science. In addition, there are focused activities for girls in break-out sessions. The Outreach Committee has participated in Sally Ride Science Festivals at UCSD, CSULA and UC-Irvine by providing a booth with hands-on activities. See the Events Calendar to volunteer for upcoming festivals in our area.

Dare to Dream STEM Career Conference: Exploring Careers in STEM

This one-day event is held at San Diego State University and is geared toward high school (11^th and 12^th) and community college female students who are looking for more opportunities to network and engage in the STEM community. The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for young women to interact one-on-one with female scientists, engineers, teachers, and researchers. The event consists of different workshops focused on mentoring, networking, self-promotion, internships, and resume writing. This event has been a great success in the past and we are always looking to improve it. If you are interested in becoming a panelist or volunteering on the day of the event, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the dates and times.

Science Olympiad

Get involved with an international nonprofit (http://www.soinc.org ) that is devoted to improving the quality of science education, creating a passion for learning science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. Science Olympiad builds tremendous enthusiasm for science even among students that may not otherwise find it interesting. That may be because it is a "team sport" with the students receiving positive feedback for academic prowess from their peers. Science Olympiad is a tremendous opportunity to nurture future scientists and a very concrete way to make a difference. Besides, it's fun! There is something for everyone to do, regardless of level of commitment. The San Diego regional competition (http://www.sandiegoso.org/index.html) is held in February.