Join in the excitement by organizing an event to provide opportunities for families and curious minds to participate in science activities throughout Central Florida. Events can range far and wide and should include fun inspirational experiences for everyone!
Some programs can be specifically for kids and families, and some just for adults. Sample events include conversations with a scientist or engineer, behind-the-scenes Q&A tours, craft demonstrations, a nature walk with a scientist or science trivia at neighborhood bars. Almost anything is possible.
How Does Hosting a Discovery Day Event Work?
Submit your event proposal and get a sneak peek at the required form info at the bottom of this page.
We will check your submission to make sure the event meets our selection criteria.
We approve your event as an official Discovery Day event (or we’ll follow up if your proposal needs to be modified).
Selection Criteria
Events should take place in Central Florida prior to the #SparkSTEMFest between February 1-15.
Science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics should be a significant component of the event.
Events should be fun, interactive, experiential, and meaningful, with a focus on drawing connections to STEM.
Host accepts all responsibility for the event, including venue, organization, content, staffing, etc.
Event should be accessible to the general public. Free events are encouraged (or free with admission) or ticketed to cover production costs only.
Host agrees to promote the event as a part of #SparkSTEMFest using the guidelines we’ll provide.
Host agrees to provide attendance, photos, anecdotes, and feedback to Orlando Science Center within 14 business days after the event.
Orlando Science Center reserves the right to reject any event for any reason.
Applicants will receive notification of acceptance or regret as soon as possible or by December 31.
Promotional Support
To assist hosts, the STEM Spark Fest organizers will:
Promote events on the Orlando Science Center website and as part of the online calendar.
Promote with Facebook events and targeted emails (provided event details are provided in enough time).
Provide an Event Host Marketing Kit with promotional materials, signage, #SparkSTEMFest branding templates and logos for use in digital and print media.
Application Form Sneak Peek
Your Contact Info (Name, Email, Phone) – This is so we can reach you and will not be public.
Proposed Event Title – The more exciting the better! Make it catchy, thought-provoking, mysterious, or even funny! This is how it will be used in publication.
Event Description – Make it sound fun! The first sentence should describe what the attendee can expect to learn from your presentation. Subsequent sentences should offer more details about what will be covered and why the reader should attend. This will be used in publication so check for spelling and grammar.
Event Type – Choose from our list of categories (Hands-on, Performance/Film, Open House/Tour, etc.).
Organizer(s) – Please list any organizations (including your own) that you would like credited for this event.
Photo Upload – Include a fun picture or logo (at least 1920x1080 jpg to be used as the featured image on your event listing.
Target Audience – Choose from: 21+ Only, Adults, Families (Adults and Kids Together), Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College Level, or All Ages.
Is this presentation available in English, Spanish or both?
Topic - Choose as many topics as relevant to your activity.
Specify your event date(s) and times – Must fall within February 1-15 to be included on the form.
Event Venue – Please be specific with the location.
Pricing Structure – We encourage offering free or reduced cost events to help cover your operational expenses. Be sure to include ways to purchase tickets in the event description if this is a condition of your event. Include estimated attendance and maximum capacity.
Ticketing and Registration - If your event requires registration/ticketing, how will you handle it? Consider a ticket for free events as a way for guests to RSVP. This will help capture attendance.
Event Website – Please be aware that you will need to provide Orlando Science Center with a link to redirect guests to your website or Facebook event to access registration information.
Social Media – Provide handles to be included in event listing and used by our marketing team to cross-promote the event as part of Spark STEM Fest.
4-Day Celebration of All Things Science at Orlando Science Center's Spark STEM Fest
Presidents Day Weekend - February 17-20, 2023 Presented by UCF Office of Research
Otronicon has evolved with Spark STEM Fest coming to Orlando Science Center! When Otronicon debuted in 2006, Orlando Science Center knew they had something special. Over the years, this event engaged thousands with exciting STEM lessons wrapped in an unforgettable package. As Otronicon grew, they discovered that there was real educational power with connecting the public to industry through exclusive opportunities and innovative partners. This collaboration combined with a desire to ignite curiosity, inspire innovation and build community has become the foundation for the all-new Spark STEM Fest, which premieres Friday, February 17, and continues through February 20, 2023.
Spark STEM Fest builds on Otronicon’s success with capturing the public’s imagination through a fast-pasted, multi-day celebration, but focuses on the entire STEM field, not just technology. Presented by UCF Office of Research, Spark STEM Fest resides at the crossroads of inspiration and engagement, stimulating fascination with STEM careers, encouraging meaningful interactions between the public and STEM professionals and creating dreams of a bright, new future.
This 4-day event features multiple exhibitors, workshops, and dynamic demonstrations, led by STEM experts to engage visitors of all ages, including the following eye-popping opportunities.
World Renowned Juggler and Engineer Greg Kennedy weaves science, engineering and art gracefully into a live show illustrating the physics at work during his kinetic creations. This show makes physics approachable through relatable stories and captivating demonstrations.
Learn about the Artemis Program and other current and upcoming NASA missions launching from our own backyard on the Space Coast. Act as an engineer in KSC's Exploration Ground Systems program and work with your team to build your own Mobile Launcher tower that can withstand the winds experienced on the launch pad.
Unlock the possibilities waiting for you in the world of coding! Led by Disney programmers and engineers, workshop participants will design their own software while discovering the essentials of computer science and software design.
Get hands-on with expert-led workshops! Learn how to code like a pro, get flight lessons from Lockheed Martin or dive into the science of sharks. You’ll leave these workshops with a newfound skill and insight into different STEM careers.
Ready Player One? Race down Rainbow Road or join the Super Smash Bros Tournament during Spark STEM Fest with Powder Keg Games! Visitors can enter for a chance to win cash prizes and be proclaimed champion as they compete in various video games tournaments.
From LITERALLY cool liquid nitrogen demonstrations and foam explosions to animal encounters and meet and greets, enjoy shows and presentations from the creative minds behind our most popular events like Mess Fest, Astro Fest, and Science Night Dead.
Flip for science by enjoying this live acrobatic show that is the perfect blend of education and fun! Watch as the duo from WeFlip teach basic science concepts and then demonstrate how they put them to work with acrobatics! They climb five stacked chairs and test Newton’s Second Law by dropping objects from great heights!
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to have fun with physics! Join the UCF Department of Physics to explore the physics behind energy conversion and storage. Don't worry if you aren't a physics whiz - these pros will help ignite the spark of curiosity in visitors of all ages with hands-on demos and easy-to-understand concepts. The Department is led by Dr. Joshua Colwell, who has led experiments that have flown on the Space Shuttle, suborbital rockets, parabolic airplane flights, and been performed on the International Space Station.
If it can be dreamed, it can be measured, and if it can be measured, it can be realized, says the digital geniuses from FARO, an imaging company that imagines a better, more insightful and capable world through 3D digital means and measurement technologies. Explore their vision as they share how they created a full life-sized a scan of our famous T-Rex Stan.
John Collins is a master paper airplane builder and has amazed audiences on Conan O’Brien and shared his secrets with Wired Magazine. He has studied both origami and aerodynamics to design planes that set world records. He will be showing guests how to build many of his designs, including the one that broke the Guinness World Record by flying 226 feet 10 inches.
We have all now seen amazing projection mapping on a building and seen it change before our eyes to become something or be somewhere else. What if this object that we were projecting on was moved? What if the movement was not predicable? See demonstrations of dynamic projection mapping on a moving object and learn its secrets, thanks to the experts at 7thSense.
Discover all about sharks, our ocean and how you can help protect both with the passionate marine biologists from Minorities in Shark Sciences. They will display shark jaws, skin, skeletons and other specimens plus hosts games and activities to learn more about sharks and marine conservation. Check out shark dissections at scheduled times throughout the event.
Check out a full schedule of Spark STEM Fest events!
Experience Spark STEM Fest - without the kids during Science Night Live!
Looking for a more grown-up way to interact with exhibitors, community partners, or thought-provoking guest speakers? 21+ are invited to a very special Science Night Live featuring Spark STEM Fest!
SNL is your ultimate destination for a get-together with science-minded friends or a fun date night out. This is your chance to experience our biggest event of the year in a casual, engaging atmosphere that is available for adults only. Science Night Live proves that there’s no age limit on curiosity!
Spark STEM Fest Hours: February 17 - 20, 2023, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
General Admission: Spark is free for OSC members, $24.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors and students, and $18.00 for youth (ages 2-11).
SCIENCE FOR ALL - General Admission Access Program: If you have an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) or WIC card with a State-issued photo ID matching the name and state as the card, you qualify for a $3 admission per person for up to six individuals.
