Events

"Ask the Expert" Night at School 46

Nate Genung and Katie Leach were invited to perform demonstrations at School 46 "Ask the Expert" Night on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Kindergardners through third graders presented science fair projects to parents and friends, while we wowed them with explosions and fire! Onlookers watched Alka-Seltzer cannons and marshmallow methanol cannon explode and dollar bills survive under fire.

Science Fair at School 19

Rochester YCC members were again invited to perform demonstrations at the School 19 Science Fair held on Wednesday, May 21, 2008. The following are descriptions of the demos that we performed.

Incredible Carbon Dioxide by Lisa Carlson and Naomi Lee
What’s small, invisible, and all around us? Pre-K and Kindergarten students will learn about one of the world’s most important gases: carbon dioxide! Students will have colorful, fizzy fun making carbon dioxide from baking soda and vinegar. Then they’ll use this new knowledge to make a classroom volcano. We’ll also make Alka-Seltzer cannons (they pop open with a bang!) and our scientists will use a special color-changing chemical to detect carbon dioxide in the air that we breathe out. For a grand finale, the scientists will use frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) to make a classroom fog machine!

Explosions! by Katie Leach and James Morris
Second grade students will have a blast learning about one of the most exciting topics in chemistry: explosions! Students will help out with fizzy experiments like Alka-Seltzer cannons and baking soda and vinegar volcanoes. We’ll also show students the methanol cannon, which can be used to launch marshmallows across a room. Ever wonder how elephants brush their teeth? The scientists will make elephant toothpaste using a special explosive chemical reaction. For a grand finale, students will observe the burning dollar demonstration, where a trained chemist literally has money to burn!

CSI: Rochester by Leslie Ofori and Derek Ryan
Fourth grade students find themselves at the scene of the crime: someone in the classroom has scribbled on a priceless painting…but who’s guilty? To solve the mystery, fourth graders will learn about chromatography, or the science of “color writing”. The sleuths will use their new knowledge of chromatography to analyze marker samples taken from the crime scene, by using chromatography to separate the different colors that make up black marker ink. The investigators will share their evidence at a mock trial and identify the criminal!