The El Paso Science Festival is set to make its second appearance on April 5-6, promising to turn the El Paso Convention Center into a hub of scientific exploration and discovery. After a successful inaugural year with over 10,000 attendees, the festival, in collaboration with The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the El Paso Community Festival, among other sponsors, is preparing to up the ante with more than 100 interactive exhibits, engaging science demonstrations, and a speaker series. Headlining the festival is none other than NASA astronaut José Hernández, who gained further prominence from the 2023 film "A Million Miles Away."
"We want people to leave the festival with the knowledge that a future in science is within their grasp and that UTEP is here to support them every step of the way," UTEP's College of Science Dean Robert Kirken stated, as obtained by UTEP. Indeed, UTEP's support of the festival is a testament to its commitment to fostering a community engaged in scientific pursuits. The event not only aims to inspire the young but also reassures adults that their children's dreams are well within reach.
Enrique Gomez, the festival’s co-director and founder with roots in UTEP's College of Science, knows firsthand the power of education and inspiration, having charted his path from UTEP to a career with IBM at NASA. “The idea for the El Paso Science Festival came from wanting to create an environment where kids catch the spark of inspiration to dream big and adults can see that their kids’ dreams are possible,” Gomez said, as per UTEP. His vision for the festival is deeply rooted in his journey from dreaming in Juarez to making those dreams a reality in the space program.
The birth of the El Paso Science Festival was a transformative process that began to truly take shape in 2014 after Gomez joined UTEP's College of Science Advisory Board. It was there that a challenge to engage more local students in science morphed eventually into a tangible project. “Once Dr. Wilson and Dean Kirken heard our team’s proposal in mid 2023, they became the festival’s first sponsor and threw their full effort behind the endeavor through seed funding, access to volunteers and by representing a significant number of the booths present at the festival," Gomez explained, as noted by UTEP.
