Home

Welcome to Marin Science Seminar.

We’re Back! Marin Science Seminar sessions and internships are back as of September 2022. We still meet at Terra Linda High School,  but in a new area:  the first floor Innovation Hub. Stay tuned and sign up for our newsletter to be the first to find out when new info. comes out. 

Since 2008 (with a hiatus during the COVID pandemic from Fall of 2020 through Spring of 2022), the Marin Science Seminar (MSS) has been providing free science events for teens & community in Marin County, California. The seminars include a presentation with question and answer period and are open to all. It takes place on scheduled Wednesday evenings each  semester at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael.

Speakers are STEM professionals, graduate students, and student researchers. Topics presented are in an area of the speaker’s expertise, geared to interested high school students and the general community.

We also offer science journalism and videography internships to Marin County high school students.

The Marin Science Seminars were founded and are run by Alfia and Art Wallace. They are supported by the San Rafael School District, and Terra Linda High School’s Academic Excellence Committee.

Current Calendar

Fall 2024 schedule Flyers in B&W and Color: [B&W F24] – [Color F24]

Subscribe to our newsletter to be informed when new events are scheduled and when the internship application period is open. An archive of previous talks 2008 – present can be found here: MSS Calendar Archives (opens a new tab/window) 

All Terra Linda HS seminar dates are Wednesdays from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Terra Linda High School’s Innovation Hub, unless otherwise noted.

Download the extra credit form here.

FALL 2024

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

  • TBA: Application period for Spring 2025 internship opens, pending availability.
  • TBA: Online Spring 2025 Marin Science Seminar Internship applications due (pending availbility)

An archive of previous talks 2008 – present can be found here: MSS Calendar Archives (opens a new tab/window)

WINTER – SPRING 2025

WONDERFEST COLLAB  This Spring we continue collaborating with Wonderfest: Bay Area Beacon of Science to help promote more free, mind-expanding science experiences in Marin.  Check below for upcoming events April - June.

JANUARY

  • 29: “Auroras and Solar Storms” with Laura Peticolas Ph.D. of Sonoma State University

FEBRUARY

  • 5: “Myths of Astronomy” with Thomas Targett Ph.D. of Sonoma State University
  • 12: “TBA” with Michaela George Ph.D. M.P.H. & Brett Bayles Ph.D. of Dominican University, San Rafael

MARCH

  • 12: “TBA” with Jackie Galvez, Ph.D. candidate, UC Berkeley

APRIL – Extended Schedule and Collaboration with Wonderfest (Tuesdays)

  • 2: “Medical Simulation Workshop” with Derrick Duarte & Karrina Mock C.R.N.A.s, VAMC SF

MAY

  • TBA:

MSS Calendar Archives

Contact

There are several ways to keep on top of what’s happening at Marin Science Seminar (and science events in Marin and the San Francisco Bay Area). Read below for how to get news from us, and to see a map of where we meet.

  • Our Contact Form: Use this to make suggestions, get on our email list, or to contact us for whatever reason.
  • Join our Email Newletter  by filling out our contact form. We only send out emails about seminar sessions, internships, and occasionally about other free science education events in Marin and the Bay Area. We don’t share your information with anyone, and you can easily unsubscribe from the bottom of any of the emails.
  • Join the Marin Science Seminar Facebook page.
  • Watch past sessions on Vimeo
  • Follow us on Instagram  (@marinscienceseminar)

Continue reading “Contact”

Interns

Fall 2024: The application period for the Fall 2024 semester is now closed. Applicants must have submitted their application and scheduled a Zoom interview by Monday, September 9th. Zoom interviews must be completed by 2 pm on Saturday, September 14th to be considered. Download the info. flyer here.

If you are a Marin County, California student in grades 9-12 and would like to be considered for an internship , please read the requirements below and submit your application (link to apply below).

Explore science & technology. Meet a wide variety of STEM professionals.  Gain experience for your resume and college applications. Develop a portfolio. Learn about many areas of science.

Application Requirements

  • High school student in Marin County, California
  • Must be able to attend and assist at six (6) Wednesday evening science seminars at Terra Linda High School, San Rafael per semester. (Fall 2024 dates: 9/18, 9/25, 10/9, 10/30, 11/13, 11/20; See calendar to check the schedule. 7 pm – 8:45 pm)
  • Read the internship requirements above and below.
  • Apply online before deadline. (Fall ‘24 deadline is Monday, September 9th by 10pm.)
  • Zoom interview before deadline (Fall ’24 Zoom interview deadline is Saturday, September 14th, by 2pm. If you wait until the last minute to apply there may not be a time slot available for your Zoom interview, so apply sooner rather than later. )
  • Applicants will be subscribed to the MSS newsletter, which they can unsubscribe from, should they choose, using the link at the bottom of any newsletter.

Fall 2024 Timeline

July 17: Fall application period opens
September 9 (Monday): Deadline to submit MSS internship application online and to schedule a Zoom interview.
September 14, 2pm: All internship Zoom interviews must be completed by this time.
September 14: Internship decisions emailed out by midnight.
September 18: First science seminar of 2024

Basic Internship Requirements

  • Zoom orientation (1 hr), Zoom tutorial for specialty internships (1 hr), Zoom wrap-up (1 hr)
  • Attend and assist at six science seminar sessions, 7 – ~8:45 pm (12 hours)
  • Complete and hand in an extra credit sheet during each session
  • Basic internship = 15 hours

Specialty and School-to-Career (StC) Internships

  • Students who would like to build a science-related online portfolio can extend their internship with science journalism, videography, art, and social media contributions. (See next page.)
  • Public school students can use the time spent on specialty internship tasks to apply towards Marin County Office of Education’s School-to-Career internship, which requires extra paperwork and commitments. Students can earn 1 credit per approved 18 hours spent in the internship, capped at 3 credits (54 hours). 

INTERNSHIP DUTIES: All MSS interns must attend and assist with the  6 Wednesday evening science seminars per semester during which they meet the speakers and assist with various logistical duties. Session dates can be found on our calendar. Sessions take place at Terra Linda High School’s Innovation Hub during the school year. Interns arrive the evening of each session at 7 pm and are free to leave once Alfia or Art has confirmed that breakdown is completed (generally by 8:45 pm). Interns take notes using this form during the sessions. One hour Zoom orientation for all interns. Specialty internships have additional duties and Zoom meetings during the school year. More details on internship types and requirements below. If interested, please start your application online and we will contact you to follow up.  Students should use their own email and contact info to apply.


Internship Types & Requirements

Casual Track: AV/Event Planning/Art/Mixed: Develop event-management and/or social media management skills. Training provided. Must attend Zoom orientation and assist in person at all six sessions.  These types can also be done on project track (see below) if desired, which requires more time and work.

Application procedure: Fill out online application. Zoom interview.


Project Track: The following require additional application materials and internship requirements.

Science Journalism: Develop a science journalism portfolio. Blog on seminar topics, interview presenters via email. Receive training and feedback from a qualified mentor.   Journalism interns assist at live seminars and attend six additional Wednesday or Thursday evening Zoom meetings per semester. Zoom orientation and wrap-up. Journalism interns participate in additional Zoom meetings during the semester.

Application procedure: Fill out online application.  Zoom interview.

Videography: Develop a science-related videography portfolio. Record, edit, and post 2D (and optionally 3D) video of sessions. Create and post teaser videos. Videography interns assist at all live seminars, a Zoom orientation and wrap-up. Videography interns may participate in additional Zoom meeting during the semester depending on progress.

Application procedure: Fill out online application. After being contacted by email, select and submit two separate  samples of video that you have created (need not be science related, YouTube/Insta ok, editing only ok). Zoom interview.


Casual or Project Track:

Art/Photography: Develop a science-related art/photography portfolio. Take photos at sessions, create art related to session subject matter. Must provide three art samples (need not be science related) and must be able to attend and assist at the sessions. Application procedure and requirements are the same as for Casual if applying for Casual Track. If applying for Project Track, speak with Alfia about what that would entail.

Marin County School-to-Career Internship: Marin Science Seminar internships are potentially applicable to the MCOE StC internship which, when successfully completed, appears on a public school student’s official transcript (1 credit per 18 hours, max 3 credits). Students must apply separately for this internship at their school’s College and Career Center. Requirements are more time-intensive You can get StC internship application materials online or from your school’s School-to-Career representative, to whom they will need to be submitted. Your MSS mentor will also need to fill out forms and sign off on hours for the MCOE StC internship.

Marin County School-to-Career Partnership Info. (including names and emails of school reps)

Marin Science Seminar has been offering internships since 2012. Our past interns are now students at or graduates of Brown, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CalTech, Chico State, Harvard, Humboldt State, MIT, Northwestern, Sacramento State, Samuel Merritt, Scripps College, Seattle University, Sonoma State, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara,  UC Santa Cruz, University of Colorado – Boulder, and Wesleyan. 

 Start your application online now. 

Speakers

Since 2008 over 130 unique speakers have presented to local youth and community at the Marin Science Seminar. These speakers are STEM professionals and students who present on their particular area of expertise or study. If you’re interested in presenting, contact us here.

MSS Speaker Guide: This guide lets you know about the details of a Marin Science Seminar presentation including how to tailor your talk to a high school audience. Download .pdf (updated for 2024)

Below is an list of MSS speakers, which is alphabetical by last name. Each includes a link to their MSS speaker page. Those in bold are slated to present in the current academic year. Continue reading “Speakers”