IU professor defies logic at WonderLab

Laying down on a bed of 1,000 nails, John Maloy prepared to have a cinder block broken over his chest. The Monroe County Community School Corporation superintendent helped participate in the highlight event at WonderLab's "Science Night Out."\nDuring the experiment, IU physics professor Rick Van Kooten threw an apple at the bed of nails to demonstrate they were real.\nMaloy laid down on the bed of nails in front of a crowd of 400 people. Van Kooten placed a cinder block on Maloy's chest and stood over him with a sledge hammer. The audience counted down, "Three, two, bam!" The laws of physics held up -- Maloy escaped without a scratch on him.\nThe experiment was one of many showcased at the Science Night Out, where the adults, not the kids, got to explore science through exciting hands-on activities. Featured at the event were science projects including making a kaleidoscope, making a beeswax candle and a physics demonstration that included pulling a tablecloth out from a table setting.\nIn a crowded room, lights sparkled and colorful balloons of fish, ladybugs and hummingbirds floated through the air. While some were busy experimenting, a silent auction was taking place. Various businesses and corporations donated gifts of everything from a fall yard spruce up by Abell Nursery and Bender Lumber to Belleek Fine China donated by Sharon and Robert Rout.\nA live auction also took place after dinner. Jimmy Dean Coffey, a local auctioneer donated his time to auction off larger items, including artwork, a General Electric refrigerator and IU basketball and football tickets.\nHalf of WonderLab's budget is earned through fund-raising efforts and all proceeds from Science Night Out will directly benefit WonderLab. The business has grown and in the last 10 years WonderLab has served over a quarter of a million people from all over southern Indiana, WonderLab executive director and IU physics professor Catherine Olmer, said.\nOlmer also attributes WonderLab's success to the commitment and passion provided by Bloomington's previous mayor, John Fernandez. Fernandez found a way to provide the land for WonderLab, Olmer said. An award was presented to Fernandez for making WonderLab a reality. \n"(It's) the best part of Bloomington," Fernandez said. It shows that a small group of people can make a difference and all it takes is one person with a vision, he said.\nDebra Kent, a mother and founder of WonderLab, took her vision to the community who helped to make WonderLab happen. Kent had her vision in 1994 and 10 years later WonderLab allows people of all ages to explore science.\nMore than 6,000 people have volunteered at WonderLab, putting in over 66,000 hours of service. Each year 400 to 500 of these volunteers are IU students. Several dozen of these students are interns or part-time staff.\nIU senior Cassie Wright is a student at the Hope School of Fine Arts. She started out as an intern over the summer for WonderLab, but is now part-time staff. She believes working for a small non-profit organization has given her a wide variety of skills. She has done everything from making small signs to doing the graphics for all of the signs for Science Night Out. She also designed the front cover of the new phone books. Wright works about 10 hours a week and she plans on going to graduate school and teaching graphic design someday. \nOlmer said WonderLab serves the community in its commitment to learning and education. \n"The best part of my job is seeing the faces of the children," she said.\n-- Contact staff writer Jill Brooks at jimbrook@indiana.edu.