JHU physics fair appeals to kids

This past Saturday marks the 11th annual physics fair, an event put on by physics graduate students as well as undergrads showcasing physics to the Baltimore community. The atmosphere was lively – food was served while families and children enjoyed great weather and fun activities. Through the use of live demos, games, and interactive activities the physics fair aimed at getting kids to associate math and science with positive experiences, not just the challenges that are associated with learning it.

Stadia Carter, who brought her friend’s child Noah to the event, saw it as a great way to keep kids engaged with science as they summer months approached, “The more they do stuff like this the more they get interested in school. Events like this make [Noah] want to do stuff like this in the future.” There was a wide range of activities for kids of all ages to enjoy and maybe even learn from at the same time. As I walked around I saw kids exploring charge using a vandagraph generator, launching bottle rockets demonstrating the effects of pressure, and leveraging a catapult to launch objects hundreds feet into the air.

“They’re Learning physics while they don’t know they’re learning physics,” said Rocio Oliva in an interview with The News-Letter. She, along with Amanda Hernandez and Ayesha Shibli are freshman volunteers with Refugee Action Project, an after-school program run in conjunction with local refugee resettlement agencies. The physics fair presented a great opportunity for the kids to try something different than what they’re used to at school. “It’s important for any institution to be a part of its surrounding community. Johns Hopkins is a part of Baltimore, not just a thing that exists in Baltimore,” said Brooks Kinch, a 1st year physics graduate in an interview with The News-Letter. “This is a chance to expose kids who have no other way to expose kids to science until they get old enough to learn about it in school and by then it’s not as fun.”

In addition to the individual booths the fair provided a number of activities and contests to kids of all ages. Younger children were filling out a scavenger hunts as they went to different activities so that they could enter to win prizes. Middle and High Schools students squared off in “Science Bowls,” where they put their science knowledge to the test with trivia questions and challenges. Winners were eligible to a host of prizes and science books, some of which were written by Hopkins faculty. “[Events like this] are critical to foster more interest in science,” said Zack Dugan, a 4th year physics graduate student studying astrophysics, “Especially with

America slacking compared to the rest of the world in science”. By exposing the community to the awesome power of science, perhaps some of Hopkins’ brightest minds can inspire young scientists of the future.