We are doing our annual Homeschool Science Day at U.S.U. on Thursday, March19, 2009. Everything is not finalized yet but I wanted to give everyone a heads-up so that they can plan accordingly, especially since it is the same day as the Anthropology fieldtrip (oh, the irony). A more complete email with the final list of tours will go out a day or two before sign-ups start.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Science Day, once a year we arrange for professors in various science departments on campus to open their doors and allow homeschoolers to come in and learn about what they are doing. It is a great opportunity to see the campus, interact with professors, find out more about science, and see all kinds of neat things. Science Day involves touring labs with delicate equipment and special safety hazards. For this reason, tours are limited to school age children (age 5 and up). In addition, some labs have even more strenuous age requirements.
YOU HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THE TOURS. There are limit s as to number and age on some of them. Even if there are no limits, weneed to have a count of how many people will be there. There are multiple things to do each hour and you will have to choose. Some tours overlap, so you will have to bear that in mind as you sign up for things. Most tours are 45 minutes to 1 hour, unless otherwise noted. (Anatomy is a notable exception: it is 2 full hours.)
The sign-ups will start some time next week, probably Thursday, February 19. I will let you know the exact date when I get everything finalized. I am telling you all this so that you can check back regularly. There are tours that fill up very fast. This is your fair warning.
In addition, I’m going to give a day’s head start on sign-ups to those that are doing a Science Fair Project. This will be somewhat on the honor system, but if you are doing a Science Fair Project(and you can sign up at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CV-HS/database) you will be allowed to register for tours a day early.
Now, here is a preliminary description of what is available on that day. We have not finalized everything so there maybe more added.
1-3pm: Anatomy.
The Anatomy lab will have pig eyes and kidneys to dissect. This will be run like a regular U.S.U. Anatomy Lab. It is a hands-on dissection lab. (Limit: 25, ages 9 and up only)
1pm: GeologyDepartment.
A brief tour of some of the interesting displays in their building (including dinosaur bones and gems) and then a demonstration of some geology related topic.
1pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm: Engineering.
The Engineering Department gives tours of their department to provide an overview of the field and to see the interesting thingsthat are going on in research.
2:30pm: PhysicsDepartment.
This is an absolutely fabulous “show.” They have all kinds of interesting demonstrations of the laws of physics appropriatefor all ages. Since it will be in a large room and not a lab, they are not as strict about the age limit.
2:30pm: USDA Poisonous Plants Lab.
This lab does research on plants that are poisonous to livestock, wildlife and humans. They work specifically to come up with ways to identify and control their harmful effects. Please note: this lab is not on campus. It is at 1150 E. 1400 North. There is plenty of parking there and they can accommodate a fairly large group.
4pm: Robotics Lab.
This lab is involved in Assistive Robotics-- robots that aid visually impaired students. You will see their lab and also ademonstration of the current robot prototypes. (Limit: 20)
4pm: USDA Bee Research Lab.
This lab does research on diseases of bees, particularly solitary native and non-native bees. Please note: this lab is not on campus. It is at 1425North 800 East. There is parking there in front of the lab.
In addition, we are finalizing times for tours in Mechanical Engineering, and possibly Entomology and Biochemistry. There is a lot of time and energy that goes into setting everything up and I want to give an especial thank you to Jen Tillitson who has done a lot of the calling and coordinating.
This is a really fun event. We are very fortunate to have such a great resource in our community. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me.
Thanks!
Kami Huntzinger
755-3217
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