The Denisonian

Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: News

Members of DCS set up a demonstration involving changing the color of flames when fire is sprayed with different chemicals. NERD set up visual and tacticle illusions.

"Nerds," chemists and children alike celebrated as science took center stage at The Works, an interactive children's learning center, in Newark last Thursday night (Oct. 22). Two Denison scientific clubs, Neuroscience Education and Research at Denison (NERD) and Denison Chemical Society (DCS), put on scientific demonstrations in the museum's first ever science night for kids.

The Works Museum is an interactive learning center where people of all ages can learn about technology, chemistry and engineering, according to the center's website. The center has show rooms and an interactive activity room with different displays that teach kids about science.

DCS and NERD, along with other organizations outside of Denison, set up tables in a back room of the museum to put on display shows of their own.

The NERDs had interactive demonstrations to show children how their brains confuse words and colors. They also had a PowerPoint showing 3D images of Mars. After the presentation, different NERD members explained to the children about how 3D images work. NERD also displayed optical and tactile illusions, and provided tasty, gummy brain candy that kept kids coming back.

While the NERDs' various displays and activities dealt with fooling the mind, DCS's activities were about experiments and reactions. One DCS experiment dealt with making slime. By mixing simple polyvinyl alcohol with borax and stirring the two, one could cause the solution to harden, creating slime. Different colored dye was added to children's slime to give the clear solution the final zing.

Another very popular display by DCS involved making fire shoot out and change colors. DCS members took different spray bottled filled with solutions mixed with metals. The experimenters sprayed the fire, and when the solution touched the flame, it would change color. These flaming tests had many kids looking amazed when they realized fire sprayed by copper isn't brown.

Several Denison students said that they had fun and enjoyed the opportunity to show kids how cool science really is.

"It's rewarding to use what little knowledge I may have, figure out something beforehand, then inspire others through my understanding so they can get meaning from it," said freshman Nathan Forrester, a member of DCS.

Both groups were contacted by e-mail by staff members of The Works to help out, and they answered "yes" without a second thought.

"We get to help educate people in the community as they learn more about chemistry," said senior Stephanie LaCount, president of DCS.

Senior psychology major and biology minor Jenna Kelly, vice president of NERD, said, "We've always been in contact with The Works. They contacted us, and they asked if we could bring demos. So we brought mental illusions and 3D images of Mars. This is the first time NERD is doing it. The event gets kids more excited about neuroscience."

Kids laughed and played as they watched science happen before their eyes. Parents joined in the fun, watching fire change colors and experiencing their brains become confused right before their eyes. And everyone learned something new, especially about how much brain candy a few kids can go through.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools