Hundreds of San Francisco Bay Area girls in grades 5-8, along with their parents and teachers, will join Astronaut Sally Ride on a journey of scientific discovery, as the Sally Ride Science Festival returns to NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007. The event will be held in NASA Research Park and various buildings at NASA Ames. News media representatives are invited to attend the festival.

Designed to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in math, science and engineering, the festival runs from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. PDT, and includes an inspirational talk by Ride, the first woman in space, and an interactive street fair with science experiments, food and music. The event also will feature dozens of local female engineers and scientists who will share their stories and host a series of workshops. Previous festivals focused on a variety of topics, including chemistry, marine biology, forensic science, astronomy, veterinary medicine, engineering, geophysics, computer science, neurobiology, aviation, medicine, and planetary science.

Attendees can pre-register on the Internet at www.SallyRideFestivals.com or by phone at 800-561-5161.

Festival Schedule

11 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. PDT: Check-in, Lunch, Street Fair

1 p.m. – 2 p.m. PDT: Featured Talk

2:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. PDT: Discovery Workshops, Street Fair, Free Drawing

News media interested in attending or interviewing Ride should contact Jonas Dino at 650-207-3280 or 650-604-5612.

Sally Ride Science™, founded by astronaut Sally Ride, is an innovative content company dedicated to fueling young people’s interests in science, math, and technology. Northrop Grumman Foundation is a national sponsor for Sally Ride Science Festivals.

As part of NASA’s commitment to the next generation of explorers, NASA Ames is collaborating with Sally Ride Science to sponsor and host the science festival at the NASA Research Park.

To pre-register and see a detailed schedule of events, a complete list of workshops and more information about the Sally Ride Science Festival at NASA Ames, visit:

http://www.sallyridefestivals.com/