By Peter A'Hearn, CASE Past President

The 2024 California Science Education Conference in Sacramento is right around the corner, November 8-10. Of course, the meat and potatoes of the conference are the workshops and short courses and the exhibit hall, where we science educators share ideas and information.

But what I really look forward to the most are the events that bring a sense of community to this far-flung state of amazing and passionate science educators.

The events you can attend this year to find, nurture, and grow your community are:

• Affinity Groups: Affinity Groups are groups of professionals who would like to meet based on their identity to create community, support each other, reflect, and share information and resources. Personal identities can include race, gender, sexual orientation, language, nationality, physical/mental ability, socio-economic class, family structure, religion, location, or other personal identities. All Affinity Groups are created at the request of our members, so create one or join one!
• Science Behind the Sound Reception: Bring your old friends, or come and make new ones at this Friday night ticketed event. Contribute sounds of the conference that you and your colleagues record. Our Keynote speaker, Victor Minces, together with DJ Brody Logan Hess will curate the sounds of the conference into a dance party mix. There will also be opportunities to play with interactive demonstrations on the physics of sound. This happy hour event includes food and drink ticket tickets, so come ready to shake your booty!
• Saturday Night Pub Crawl and Trivia: Sacramento has some great nightlife. Join your fellow science educators to explore some of the funnest bars and show off your knowledge as well—a great event for connecting with new friends. What happens on the Pub Crawl stays on the Pub Crawl. (definitely true of last year in Palm Springs)
• The Science in Your Beer Field Trip:  Did you know the pH scale was invented at a brewery? Get on a bus to visit the Sudwerk Brewery and the U.C. Davis Brewing Program to learn about the science behind everyone's favorite beverage! Learn the chemistry of converting malt to sugar and the biology behind yeast population growth. Learn about the biochemistry of beer flavor. And make some friends around a pint!

I hope to see you all in November. I’d love to buy you a drink!

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