featured sunday presentation:

Light bulb.Amazing Chemistry - morning feature presentation

Get ready to explore, learn and be amazed by a variety of chemistry demonstrations that include “Metals that Burn”, “Fireworks in a Dish”, “Water, Water—Where Did it Go?”, “Shake, Float, Sink and Separate”, “The Black and Yellow Oscillating Reaction”, “The Lemon Shell Game”, “The Disappearing Packing Peanuts Race”, “The Blue Bottle”, "Fire-eating and Sword-Swallowing Balloons", "Light from Black", "The Mad Scientist Movie Set from the Grocery Store", “The Magic Mushroom”, “Shrinking Balloons, Frozen Balls and the Handy Banana Hammer”, and “The Final Test: Is it Hydrogen or Helium?”
Sandra Koster, Ph.D., Chemistry, UW-La Crosse
Jeff Bryan, Ph.D., Chemistry, UW-La Crosse

program descriptions:

Angry Birds Eggstravaganza!
The angry birds are trying to figure out a safe contraption to get their eggs safely launched away from the evil pigs, and need your help. Explore the physics of collisions by building a protective case for an egg and using a giant slingshot to launch it into the air. Test out different designs to see which eggs survive the crash landing!
Jennifer Docktor, Ph.D., Physics
Megan Litster, Ph.D., Physics

Movie Production through Computer Programming (offered twice in Session 2)
Learn the basics of computer programming by writing, directing and filming a movie script. Construct a virtual 3D world involving dancing figure skaters, singing frogs and polar penguins. Using programming script, direct and record a movie using a virtual camera.
Kenny Hunt, Ph.D., Computer Science
Jeffrey
Bagget, Ph.D., Mathematics

Nature Journaling
This hands-on session focuses on observation through nature journaling (science, math and art). A nature journal might include sketches of animals and insects, pressed flowers, notes copied from a book, nature-inspired poetry, photographs, and so on.
Tim Gerber, Ph.D., Biology

Rollercoasters!!!
Have you ever wondered how a roller coaster can go upside down or make a barrel roll? Why does the start hill have to be so high above the ground? In this program you will learn about the scientific principles that govern roller coaster design, and use them to build your own model roller coaster!
Seth King, Ph.D., Physics

There’s WHAT in my Food?!?
The word “microorganism”, or microbe, often makes us think about germs that make us sick. However, we are surrounded by many microbes that are harmless or even helpful in some way. Explore how beneficial microbes are used to make foods we eat every day! Learn how other microbes in our food cause harm and ways we can prevent it.
Marisa Barbknecht, M.S., Microbiology

What Does Random Mean?
Do you ever wonder what people mean when they say things like "random", "chance" or "odds"? Learn about probability, and how it applies to our world, with examples ranging from coin flips and random walks to lotteries and particle movement! Specifically, we will explore the patterns that can emerge from the seemingly aimless movement of tiny particles of matter suspended in a fluid.
Eric Eager, Ph.D, Mathematics

What in the World is Wrong with Carmen San Diego?: A Diagnostic Case Study
When something is wrong with your body, how do you figure out what it is? Everyday doctors use diagnostic medicine where they do a series of tests based on symptoms and can "diagnose" what is wrong with you. Once you know the diagnosis, treatment can begin, but where in the world do you start? Explore human and anatomy and physiology is this case study.
Rebecca Werren, M.S., Biology
Leah Morgan, M.S., Biology

When Light and Matter Collide, There’s Chemistry!
From the colors we see in a rainbow to glow-in-the-dark toys, light-matter interactions are the source of these phenomena. We will investigate what matter is and how light can be reflected, absorbed and even emitted from matter. An investigation of some common household items with unusual light-matter interactions will be investigated.
Kendric Nelson, Ph.D., Chemistry

Return to top of page.