University shares science with kids

Kneeling in the grass in a green shirt, white shorts and with a striped mitten on her hand, a girl slid a chunk of dry ice down a miniature bowling alley into six empty 2-liter bottles. \nThis scene was one of many that greeted visitors of the Physics and Astronomy Open House Saturday. More than 100 people, ranging in age from elementary schoolers to adults, gathered throughout the day to participate in experiments that showed how science works and how it relates to everyday life. \nGraduate student Chris Volz, who volunteered in the acoustics room, said the open house was meant to interest people in science, specifically physics and astronomy.\nWith both an indoor and outdoor exploratorium, the participants were able to experience different aspects of science. Outdoors, a merry-go-round challenged riders to throw a ball to each other while in motion and a leaf blower demonstrated how Bernoulli’s Principle, which explains how planes fly, kept a ball floating three feet above the blower. \nIndoors, there were several rooms of exhibits, including he the Electricity and Magnetism Room, the Mechanics Room and the Light and Color Room. These rooms had various demonstrations, including how transformers work, how to vibrate salt into different shapes and how to make a squawking chicken out of a wet sponge.\nThe astronomy department had a room that simulated driving on Mars, where the participants could first attempt to drive a rover in a baby pool filled with rocks then drive another while watching a TV screen as the rover drove in the pool behind them. \n“I would hope for them to get a perspective of what people do at NASA,” graduate student Brian Brondel said. “People don’t know what goes into getting a Mars picture. It puts them in the driver’s seat.”\nBloomington resident Alice Lindeman attended the open house because she wanted to give her 11-year-old son, Henry, and his friend, Reilly Bierhaus, a chance to learn and play at the same time. \n“I came last year, and this is just a great hands-on experience for the kids,” Lindeman said. “I wish I’d had opportunities like this when I was a kid.” \nLindeman said she knows the children are learning because when asked questions, they were able to answer even as they continued to do activities like pulling a sheet from under a set of dishes.\nBierhaus, 12, wasn’t even concerned about what he was learning as he ran up to Lindeman after successfully pulling the cloth out without knocking over any dishes. \n“I did it perfect the last time!” Bierhaus said.\nTwo lectures were held throughout the day. Astronomy professor John Salzer gave the lecture “Out There and Back Again” in the morning, and biophysics professor John Beggs gave a talk titled “Brainstorms.”\nThe IU Physics and Astronomy Club held its own demonstration lecture, “Swain of the Dead: Zombie Physics.”\nTours of the Kirkwood Observatory and the IU Cyclotron Facility were also given several times during the day.