Reach for the Stars STEM Festival 2025

Come join us for a terrific day exploring STEM science and STEM careers! We are having our "Reach for the Stars STEM Festival" from 9:45 am to 3:30 pm (check-in starts 9:00 am). REGISTER NOW for the best choice of interest track (your preferred track may fill up).

The event will include:

1. Inspiring keynote talk by an amazing woman scientist: Dr. Julianne Pollard-Larkin, Service Chief Medical physicist in M.D. Anderson's Thoracic Radiastion Oncology Clinic.

2. A selection of hands-on exhibits in the street fair

3. Two hands-on workshops led by women scientists, physicians or engineers

4. A panel discussion by women scientists about the challenges and opportunities of their profession in your selected track.

5. Outdoor box lunch

Each teacher or parent can register up to 10 girls (the groups must all choose the same track, and a parent or designated adult must register and stay in attendance). Each group of girls selects one of four tracks: A. Space science and astronomy B. Medicine including Space Medicine and biosciences C. Physical Science: Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science or Math or D. Engineering and Robotics. Each group of 25 girls will have a designated "Guide". If a girl needs to leave for any reason, the chaperone must check out with the Guide before leaving. Each girl will receive a souvenir backpack and refillable water bottle.

REGISTRATION IS LIMITED to 200 girls. If you cannot afford the registration fee, contact us at [email protected] and we will provide a special sponsored registration, thanks to our sponsors Rice University, Babs Foundation, and Discovery Dome. Masks are optional. If your girls can't agree on which track they want, please split them into two groups (register each group separately, but each group will need its own chaperone to stay with them). Each girl and chaperone must agree to fill out a survey afterwards so we can see what they learned and how we can make it better next time.

Before you sign up your group, get from each girl:

1. Cell phone and email (the chaperone can use theirs if the girl does not have one)

2. Interest track A/B/C/D (all girls in a group must choose the same track - if they want two different tracks, you will need another chaperone and register the girls in the second track separately).

3. Lunch selection: Turkey with cheese / poboy / tuna / vegan (falafel with tahini) or "no lunch requested" (note no substitutions please)

4. Minor release form: (not needed for registration but required before participating) . Download from https://space.rice.edu/ReachForTheStars/pdf/ReachForTheStars_Release_minors.pdf and https://space.rice.edu/ReachForTheStars/pdf/Parent_Guardian_Emergency_Contact_Sheet.pdf and have parents fill out (email to [email protected] and also bring along).

More details: https://space.rice.edu/ReachForTheStars/

PARKING:

The closest parking for participants is the "North Lot" (between entrances 20 and 21. and the "North Annex Lot" (Enter 20 but turn right (west) into the parking lot. Use your credit card to enter and the same one to exit. No parking on any Rice street (some allow 10 minute drop off only.) Parking also available near Entrances 1 and 2 off Main St. Parking fees are not included in the registration price - please carpool or use busses. Free bus parking - contact [email protected]. Or ride Metro Redline to the "Hermann Park/Rice University" stop.

SCHEDULE: (Each block is a workshop, or a panel, or time in the exhibits. See schedule below).

9:00 - 9:45: CHECK IN (YOU MUST PREREGISTER - NO WALK-INS)

10 - 10:45: BLOCK 1

11-11:45: BLOCK 2

11:45-12:30 LUNCH

12:30-1:30: KEYNOTE (Keck 100 or outdoors if weather permits)

1:45-2:30: BLOCK 3

2:45-3:30: BLOCK 4

3:30 - 4: Check out and return to vehicles

LOCATION: Brockman Hall for Physics (Google map link.)

Enter entrance 20 or 21 and park in the "North Lot" (paid parking all day $12). Cheaper parking (but a longer walk) in Greenbriar lot (entrance 16). Chaperone must stay with girls all day. Check in at the portico of Brockman Hall for Physics. Events will be on the north side of campus. Area map of the Rice Campus

Detail of the campus map. Check in at Brockman Hall for Physics to get your map for the day. Park in North lot (between entrance 20 and 21) and walk with the girls to the registration. No children left unattended AT ANY TIME. Parking fees NOT INCLUDED in registration.

Schedule for this year's event. Items in orange are in Brockman Hall for Physics. In blue are in Herman Brown Hall. In yellow are in Keck 100, and in green are in the graduate commons. Please go to the page https://space.rice.edu/ReachForTheStars/2025/ for more details and permission forms.

Host or Publisher Rice University Physics & Astronomy Department