Steve Snyder – CEO, Fleet Science Center

San Diego’s Scientific Future

With industry leading companies and world-class research institutions, our region has a unique place in the world of science and technology. Work emanating from San Diego has and continues to change the world. But are we really doing all we can to grab the opportunity that our scientific past affords us?

Dr. Steven Snyder is the CEO for the Fleet Science Center in San Diego, CA. Since taking on the role in 2013, he has brought ambitious science experiences to San Diego, like “ILLUSION,” which made its North American premiere at the Fleet, and “Taping Shape,” opening in January 2016. He expanded the Fleet Inquiry Institute to teach the inquiry method of science learning to more than 1,000 local educators a year. Most significantly, Snyder redefined the Fleet’s role, taking it from a science center in Balboa Park to a community organization dedicated to helping all San Diegans achieve their place in our shared scientific future. To that end, he brought science into the community with unexpected programs like Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar, which brings 50 scientists to 25 bars all over San Diego County every quarter. And he launched 52 Weeks of Science, which leverages the wealth of local science and technology resources to bring science events directly to neighborhoods. He is a member of the ASTC Finance Committee, a trustee of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership and a Steering Committee Member for the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering. He is also a science advisor for the giant screen film Secrets of the Universe.

Dr. Snyder graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and took his Ph.D. in Physics in 1996 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.