About Us

Advancing Interest in STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

The Kern County Science Foundation was established in 1987 as a public, non-profit, 501(c)(3) partnership between Shell Oil Company and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office to promote Science in the county, and to create the annual Kern County Regional Science Fair. The first Fair was held in 1988. In each of the years since the first Fair, the Foundation has proudly organized and sponsored this annual Kern County event, and has sent hundreds of deserving students on to the State Science Fair, where they have consistently done very well.

In the years since that first Fair, the Foundation's influence on the community has grown and it now organizes and/or sponsors numerous events and activities as it pursues its Mission to promote STEM to the youth of the county. Included in this long and ever-changing list of things for our students are MATHCOUNTS, Middle School Math Field Day, Physics Olympics, AP Calculus & Statistics Contest, GEMS (Great Explorations in Math & Science), rocketry, science clubs, summer science camps, and even a Rubik's Cube Competition. For teachers, the Foundation sends interested science teachers to Livermore National Labs for hands-on training with real scientists. It provides funding to purchase essential laboratory and experiment equipment for schools to use in giving students more than just a look at STEM, and through GEMS provides experiments in a box to be used by elementary school teachers. The Foundation recognizes qualified students who choose to pursue a college degree in a STEM related program with generous scholarships, awarding over $100,000 to students over the years. It also provides grants to support projects that align with our mission of supporting STEM in our local communities and advancing youth interest in STEM in Kern County.

The Foundation is managed by the Kern County Science Foundation Board. The Board consists of representatives from the major business sectors, including oil & gas, agriculture, and medical, plus government entities such as the Department of Agriculture and Department of Defense, and key academic sectors, including CSUB, Bakersfield College, Kern High School District, and Taft College. Read our Mission, Vision, and Values.

Generous contributions from businesses, organizations, and individuals in the community make all of this possible.