COW Science Day organizers look to inspire a new generation
If you start with a handful of horseshoe crabs... mix in some liquid nitrogen... and add a healthy supply of “flubber,” what do you get?
Well, organizers of the annual Science Day at The College of Wooster are hoping for a recipe that will inspire a new generation of students. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held Saturday, April 21, from 1-4 p.m. in Taylor Hall (308 E. University Street).
“We want to show young children that science can be fun and cool,” said John Lindner, professor of physics at Wooster, “It is our hope that some of them will grow up to support and do science, perhaps long after they’ve forgotten the details of our demonstrations.”
Participants will have an opportunity to make a comet, touch a real brain, and experience a range of other hands-on demonstrations by Wooster students and professors designed to give visitors of all ages a chance to explore different applications of astronomy, biology, chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, neuroscience, and geology.
The presentations include colored holograms and an air-dry clay fossil station. Other demonstrations will feature an “electric-glowing pickle light bulb” and a merry-go-round-like bicycle wheel gyroscope. Participants will also be able to create their own “flubber” from Borax, glue and water, and sample an unusual, but tasty snack — liquid nitrogen ice cream. The event will span all four levels of Taylor Hall this year to accommodate the wide variety of interactive experiments.
Science Day was created with younger generations in mind, but is open to all ages. After starting the Wooster Physics Outreach Program, an award-winning project of the Physics Club in which students perform science experiments in local elementary schools, club members realized their demonstrations weren’t accessible to home schooled children. Hoping to reach a wider audience, they hosted the first Science Day four years ago — renewing a tradition that had begun many years earlier. Last year, more than 400 people attended the event.
This year’s program is being organized once again by the Physics Club, which will stage seven demonstrations. Members of the Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Geology, Neuroscience, and the Astronomy Club will also direct different presentations and activities in Taylor Hall.
“For many of our students, (Science Day) is one of their first times to publicly demonstrate their love of science,” said Lindner.
Science Day is sponsored by funds from the Student Government Association and Campus Council. Additional information is available online at http://www3.wooster.edu/physics/outreach/scienceday/, by phone at 330-263-2478 or via email at jlindner@wooster.edu.
Well, organizers of the annual Science Day at The College of Wooster are hoping for a recipe that will inspire a new generation of students. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held Saturday, April 21, from 1-4 p.m. in Taylor Hall (308 E. University Street).
“We want to show young children that science can be fun and cool,” said John Lindner, professor of physics at Wooster, “It is our hope that some of them will grow up to support and do science, perhaps long after they’ve forgotten the details of our demonstrations.”
Participants will have an opportunity to make a comet, touch a real brain, and experience a range of other hands-on demonstrations by Wooster students and professors designed to give visitors of all ages a chance to explore different applications of astronomy, biology, chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, neuroscience, and geology.
The presentations include colored holograms and an air-dry clay fossil station. Other demonstrations will feature an “electric-glowing pickle light bulb” and a merry-go-round-like bicycle wheel gyroscope. Participants will also be able to create their own “flubber” from Borax, glue and water, and sample an unusual, but tasty snack — liquid nitrogen ice cream. The event will span all four levels of Taylor Hall this year to accommodate the wide variety of interactive experiments.
Science Day was created with younger generations in mind, but is open to all ages. After starting the Wooster Physics Outreach Program, an award-winning project of the Physics Club in which students perform science experiments in local elementary schools, club members realized their demonstrations weren’t accessible to home schooled children. Hoping to reach a wider audience, they hosted the first Science Day four years ago — renewing a tradition that had begun many years earlier. Last year, more than 400 people attended the event.
This year’s program is being organized once again by the Physics Club, which will stage seven demonstrations. Members of the Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Geology, Neuroscience, and the Astronomy Club will also direct different presentations and activities in Taylor Hall.
“For many of our students, (Science Day) is one of their first times to publicly demonstrate their love of science,” said Lindner.
Science Day is sponsored by funds from the Student Government Association and Campus Council. Additional information is available online at http://www3.wooster.edu/physics/outreach/scienceday/, by phone at 330-263-2478 or via email at jlindner@wooster.edu.
Published: April 11, 2012
