ONLINE ONLY: Physics and astronomy open house shatters expectations

Spectators saw a flower shatter like glass and learned how to use a banana as a hammer after it was dipped in liquid nitrogen during “Ninja Physics,” a session presented by the IU Physics and Astronomy Club on Saturday at the 2008 Physics and Astronomy Open House.

“Did you see that?” asked Greenwood resident Cole Phillips, who has attended the event for the past four years. “That was amazing.”

Students, staff and faculty from the physics, astronomy and geology departments helped put on the open house. All Indiana high schools, area middle schools and the general public were invited to the event.

More than 1,000 people came to this year’s open house. It featured an indoor and outdoor “Exploratorium,” where physics and astronomy exhibits and demonstrations took place.

Susan Brown has been the purchasing coordinator and assistant to the chair of the outreach committee for the past 20 years in the Department of Physics.

“The open house is a way to show off science in an accessible way,” Brown said. “It makes science more inviting than in a formal classroom setting.”

Inside Swain Hall West, individuals could participate in different activities involving acoustics, electricity, color, magnetism and mechanics. The outdoor experiments were organized by the physics and geology departments and included dry ice bowling and using a seismometer to measure movements in the earth’s crust.

“People enjoy seeing things blown up,” Brown said.

Brown also emphasized that the open house is a way to get students interested in the astronomy and physics departments.

Tours of the Kirkwood Observatory, IU Cyclotron Facility and Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute occurred throughout the day. Contestants in a physics contest were asked to form a hypothesis and perform an experiment. They received prizes depending on how accurate their findings were to the hypotheses.

High school senior Hillary Taylor attended the open house while on a visit to IU.

“It’s been interesting seeing science in a way you only see on kids’ television shows,” Taylor said. “Maybe I will study it if it’s always this fun.”