Fermilab opened its doors once again for their 16th annual Family Open House.
Mr. Freeze Show
The Mr. Freeze cryogenics show was definitely a hit at the event. The packed auditorium watched as Mr. Freeze did multiple experiments and demonstrations using liquid nitrogen.
The presentation was one of many science projects at the event.
“We have high school groups submit hands-on science ideas for kids that are younger and we approve them, give them suggestions and then they kind of run with it,” said Fermilab Education Program Leader, Amanda Early. “They build the activities themselves, they explain the science behind them.”
Science Activities
Kids put their science hats on to experience some of those activities, including Newton’s Third Law striker game, the Gravity Accelerator, and learning about static electricity.
The free event aims to teach the community about physics while having fun doing it, which is one reason people decided to come out.
“There’s a lot of activities that introduce kids to science and we wanted to bring our son, Isaac, to see all the activities so that he could learn about what’s going on here and learn about different parts of physics because we’re both physicists,” said Chicago resident Maria Chan.
“For one, I love science and second I’ve always wanted to have a job that involves science and I want to work at Fermilab,” said Batavia resident Marissa.
“We also went to that room over there where the scientist said some stuff about what they were doing on the computer,” said Oak Park resident Finlay. “I wasn’t really listening because I was looking at stuff,” said Oak Park resident Evelyn.
Meeting Fermilab Staff
The crowd of around 2,500 people also met Fermilab’s scientists and engineers to get a closer look into the world of physics.
Creating that scientific spark in the younger generation is one of the laboratory’s goals.
“We want them to stay connected with us, we want them to work here. We want them to be the future of the experiments at the lab,” said Early. “And that’s why we’re open to the public, that’s why we love sharing what we do.”
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
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