NMC Celebrates a Successful ScienceFest Discovery Day!

NMC Celebrates a Successful ScienceFest Discovery Day!

The New Mexico Consortium (NMC) had a fantastic time participating in Los Alamos ScienceFest Discovery Day on Saturday, September 24, 2026, at the Fuller Lodge lawn. This year’s event brought together families, community members, and local organizations for a day of hands-on science, learning, and fun centered around the theme, “It’s All Elemental.”

The NMC booth was busy throughout the day, with kids lining up to try their hand at our carnival-style bean bag toss game. The activity was a huge hit, and participants enjoyed choosing from a variety of NMC-branded prizes and giveaways.

Discovery Day also gave us a wonderful opportunity to connect with the community. Many familiar faces stopped by to say hello, while others visited to learn about NMC for the first time. Staff shared information about NMC’s research, education, and collaborative programs and handed out flyers, brochures, and plenty of NMC swag.

Next door, the New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute brought some distinctly New Mexican science to the celebration. Kids learned about capsaicin (the compound responsible for the heat in chile peppers) by building models of the molecule using toothpicks and mini marshmallows. Another popular activity gave children the chance to create chile pepper keychains using red and green beads.

Visitors to the Chile Pepper Institute booth could also learn about the history and science of chile peppers in New Mexico, explore what makes different varieties unique, and discover what gives some peppers their heat. Chile pepper seeds and plants were also available for purchase.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booths, played a game, picked up a prize, learned something new, or simply came over to say hello. We enjoyed seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and sharing a little more about NMC with our community.

ScienceFest Discovery Day was a great success, and we were thrilled to be part of another fun celebration of science in Los Alamos!

Learn more about the NMC at: https://newmexicoconsortium.org/