Día de la Ciencia - Science Day | Princeton Center for Complex Materials

Learn. Explore. Play! In this family-oriented free bilingual program, PCCM invites the public to explore science with Princeton University researchers. With many table-top activities focusing on materials science and nanoscience, families interact with Spanish and English speaking scientists and engineers who study and manipulate materials on the nanoscale. Join us and discover what our scientists are doing with computers, polymers and even diamonds! Join Princeton University's scientists and engineers to learn more about the exciting new research currently going on in materials science. Visit the many table top activities and demonstrations, engage the scientists and engineers, ask plenty of questions (either in Spanish or English!), and have fun with your entire family. Free and open to the public.

Stay tuned for information on Día de la Ciencia 2025!

Día de la Ciencia - Science Day 2024

In collaboration with the Princeton Public Library, PCCM held Día de la Ciencia/ Science Day on Saturday November 2nd, 2024 at the library. This bilingual STEM event for the public featured fun interactive STEM demonstrations led by Princeton University faculty, graduate students and postdocs, Princeton High School students and other members of the community. The event was well attended, with 120+ children and their families participating. Many Princeton University departments were represented, including Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Physics. Check out the picture gallery below for the highlights!

Photo Gallery of Dia de la Ciencia - Science Day 2024

Amazing interactive re-creations of Joseph Henry’s experiments! Demonstrations were led by high school students and Princeton University undergraduate students (group led by Prof. Michael Littman).
Who doesn’t love a little acid-base chemistry! The Chemistry Graduate Student Organization led hands-on chemistry activities.
Princeton High School students taught attendees how to build chemical structures. Everyone who stopped by this table got to take home their structures!
Making hydrogel beads from seaweed extract is always a good time! Grecia Garcia Elizalde (ODBI grad student) and Jacob Votava (CBE grad student in the Davidson lab) led this squishy activity!
The amazing world of polymers! Prof Rick Register and members of his research group shared their polymer expertise with the attendees!
We learned about polymers and polymer recycling with the graduate students and postdocs in the Stache research group!
Soap films can dazzle the crowd! Attendees learned about surface tension and capillarity in a series of activities led by Dr. Fernando Temprano-Coleto, a postdoc in the Stone lab.
Graduate students and postdocs in the Stone lab explored phase separation, surface tension, fluid pressure and quirky polymer flow behaviors… yes, polymers can climb up rods!
Prof Shayegan and the members of his research group were both electrifying and magnetic at Día de la Ciencia when they taught attendees about electricity and magnetism!
Slime, catapults and marshmallow structures, oh my! Women in CBE led various fun STEM activities.
Its crystal clear! Prof Saien Xie and graduate students in the Xie group made learning about crystals a blast!
It was a full house as members of the public showed up to learn about science and engineering at Día de la Ciencia!
Graduate students in the Thompson lab taught us all about the polarization of light!

Dia de la Ciencia - Science Day 2022

The 2022 event was fantastic! Numerous families attended and the children engaged in table top demonstrations with Princeton scientists!

Dia de la Ciencia 2022 large crowd — Terrific turn-out for Dia de la Ciencia 2022 at the Princeton Public Library.

Tabletop demos with children and Princeton scientists. — Lots of hands-on activities and demos at Dia de la Ciencia 2022.

Prof. Sujit Datta (3rd from left), Princeton postdocs and grad students with children. — PCCM's Prof. Sujit Datta (3rd from left), Princeton postdocs and grad students conduct an experiment with children participants.

Child participant and researcher. — Princeton scientist demonstrates electricity and magnetism to a young participant (Dia de la Ciencia 2022).