FunFest creates excitement
about physics
By Emily Baldauf
Staff
Writer
Early Saturday morning a
young boy watched as Purdue student Jing-Yen Shiau made a magnet float
in mid-air. The boy looked up with an intrigued look.
"Is it magic?"
he asked.
"Between Magic and Reality"
was the theme of the 13th annual Physics FunFest that attracted children
and adults of all ages to the Purdue campus Saturday morning.
The program, sponsored by
the department of physics, was designed to give Purdue students and
faculty who are excited about physics the opportunity to share their
interest with school-aged children.
"We’re attempting
to foster the curiosity and wonder about nature that people share,"
said Dennis Harp, physics outreach coordinator. "We enjoy working
with people and stimulating students' curiosity."
The program offered two different
shows, as well as many demonstrations designed to intrigue people to
learn more about physics.
"Everybody seems to
be having a good time — a lot of them seem to be wowed by stuff,"
said Josh Guffin, president of the Society of Physics Students and a
junior in the School of Science. "It’s all about trying to
get more people excited about physics because we want people to get
interested in what we like so much."
New to the program this year
was the set of hands-on demonstrations that gave participants the opportunity
to participate in the activities while learning about the magic of physics.
The demonstration subjects varied from "water miracles" to
"the hall of mirrors" to "spiral springs."
Shiau, a junior in the School
of Science, demonstrated the magnetic properties of superconductors
to an intrigued audience Saturday.
"I’ve personally
had a lot of fun because I love to teach physics," Shiau said.
"I like to use simple terms so people will like physics, not just
understand physics."
Karen Sayward, a 7th grader
at Klondike Middle School, got more out of the program than the 60 extra-credit
points her science teacher will give her for attending. Sayward said
that she thought the demonstrations were really interesting and she
thinks she learned a lot from the fun day.
"My favorite was the
vacuum and pressure demonstration, especially the marshmallow man,"
Sayward said.
Another aspect of the Physics
FunFest was the two live shows presented by faculty members of the physics
department. Each show used magic tricks, demonstrations and audience
involvement to teach the attendees about the magic of physics.
One of the presentations
also featured a high-tech laser light show put on by Great Lakes Chemicals.
The laser show not only entertained but also explained the history of
lasers and described how a laser works.
For Leah Bush, a 5th grader
at Murdock Elementary, the day was not only about learning physics;
it was about having fun with her dad and brother.
"I went last year, and
it is a good way to learn science," Bush said. "It was all
fun, and it is good to see how things work, but it wasn’t boring
like school."
Leah’s father, John
Bush, doesn’t think this will be the last year that he brings his
children to the Physics FunFest.
"I like exposing the
kids to science and nature," John said. "I think it stimulates
their interest and curiosity."
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