Put a balloon over the mouth of the flask and cold gas from the fizzy mixture will make it inflate.<\/p>\n
Holguin was one of dozens of educators, researchers, student engineers and community groups participating in the fifth annual Southeast San Diego Science and Art Expo, hosted at EIS. On the institute\u2019s two outdoor patios and throughout its labs and classrooms, kids and parents gathered around interactive stations featuring robotics demonstrations, silk-screen printing, 3D modeling and reptiles.<\/p>\n
Helena Ortiz, 4, grinned as she cradled a 12-foot yellow Burmese python named Cora, with help from her mom, Emily Ortiz. Cora is cared for by the EcoVivarium Reptile Sanctuary and Museum in Escondido, and was one of several reptiles kids could interact with.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe loves all kinds of animals,\u201d her mom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not going to bite you,\u201d Helena advised the next child in line.<\/p>\n
The goal of the annual event, organizers said, is to make STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) accessible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to call it deconstructing science,\u201d said Beto Vazquez, director of STEM engagement and community outreach at UC San Diego\u2019s CREATE initiative. \u201cLetting people know that they\u2019ve been doing science all along, they just didn\u2019t realize it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kainon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-SCIENCE-EXPO-_004.jpg\")
Kainon Maxwell makes a paper rocket during the second annual Southeast San Diego Science & Art Expo at Elementary Institute of Science. (Sandy Huffaker \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Vazquez, one of the expo\u2019s lead organizers, said the event was also about bringing resources directly to families, \u201cso coming out to the community to be of service with the community and partnering with the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That partnership includes ongoing collaboration with EIS, a nonprofit that offers free after-school, weekend and summer STEM programs for youths from local schools that feed into Lincoln High School.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can learn different science subjects, like chemistry. They could learn engineering. They could learn robotics. They also use art to learn about the science,\u201d said Sandra Lebron, director of education at EIS. \u201cSo they are engaging in different STEM hands-on science all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside the ESI\u2019s auditorium, Vazquez led a talk and demonstration on the science of tortillas, combining history and chemistry to explain the evolution of corn, the role of nixtamalization \u2014 cooking dried corn in an alkali solution \u2014 to preserve maize and the physics behind flattening tortilla dough.<\/p>\n
Art and culture were woven into the event as well. Two lowriders from the Vieja Escuela car club \u2014 a 1964 Chevrolet Impala owned by Julio Trujillo and a 1963 Impala Super Sport owned by Felipe Figueroa \u2014 were there to demonstrate engineering and hydraulics, but also represent a decades-old tradition rooted in community pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cHollywood has tied (lowriders) to gangs, but it really has nothing to do with gangs,\u201d Trujillo said. \u201cIt\u2019s the opposite. We do events for the community, fundraising.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a nearby table, Joe Hernandez of Mas Paz Leather offered kids the chance to stamp their initials onto leather keychains.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m stoked for kids to have this experience \u2014 making something with their hands,\u201d he said. \u201cThey get to actually see the letters come out. The kids love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"L,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-SCIENCE-EXPO-_003.jpg\")
Carter Jach, from Robogenesis, shows Violet McGovern (r) a robotic paper airplane launcher during the second annual Southeast San Diego Science & Art Expo. (Sandy Huffaker \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
![\"Niki](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-SCIENCE-EXPO-_005.jpg\")
Niki Luna,17, from Lincoln H.S., shows Garry Maxwell a robot during the second annual Southeast San Diego Science & Art Expo at Elementary Institute of Science on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (Sandy Huffaker \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n