NOAO Office of Public Affairs and Educational Outreach

Fun Fest 2006

A half-dozen members of the NOAO outreach office and an equal number of much- appreciated volunteers banded together this Wednesday-Friday to host three booths at the 4th annual “Funfest” at the Tucson Convention Center, sponsored by Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF).

The mayhem inherent in dozens of loosely controlled groups of teachers and students roaming a vast cement-floored exhibit hall, all seeking a few moments of science-related diversion before their buses depart, is probably familiar to anyone who works in public outreach. But the scene never fails to both energize and exhaust.

The energy comes from the steady flow of interested reactions (“oooh, neat!” “cool!”) that emanate from the kids during our demonstrations of the power of reflective mirrors and lasers, and the spooky effects of luminescence. The exhaustion comes from the fourth or fifth straight round of trying to present the same talk or demo with the same enthusiasm and scientific fidelity as the first time, and the frantic effort to restock materials before the next group or the next day’s early start. [Thanks, Connie!]

It was also enlightening how many 3rd and 4th graders seemed perfectly familiar with the gruesome homicide investigation techniques of TV shows like “CSI,” which we appropriated in spirit for one chemi-luminescence activity aimed at slightly older kids. I suppose the ultimate message of “police use scientific techniques to catch bad guys” is a valuable one. Perhaps the astronomical corollary might be, “astronomers use telescopes to catch dangerous space rocks and comets before they hit us.”

Hey, maybe Hollywood could try that one out. Wait, I guess they already have, a couple times—and yet we still only spend a few million dollars per year on the topic. Kitt Peak is contributing through projects like Spacewatch and a sky survey led by Bob Millis of Lowell Observatory that has found more than half of the known Kuiper Belt Objects.

We’d be interested to hear about any special approaches out there to the joys and pitfalls of science fairs.

Posted by Doug Isbell at 11:34 AM