October 20, 1995: Volume 35, Number 4

Kids wanted at colloquium

Faculty and staff are welcome at Tuesday's Faculty Colloquium, of course.

But save the seats down front for the kids.

Chemistry's Charlie Scaife, whose "science roadshows" last year made him something of a celebrity with the elementary school set, is doing his "hands-on science" for Union faculty and staff and their elementary-age children. The talk is Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 4:30 p.m. in the Reamer Campus Center auditorium.

"I try to use surprise to the hilt," Scaife told a Wall Street Journal reporter who covered his trek. "That's what hooks kids on science."

For years, Scaife said, he had been seeing signs that youngsters weren't being exposed to the wonders of science. So he used his sabbatical to address the problem, traveling to dozens of elementary schools throughout the Northeast to promote science with hundreds of students and their parents.

At Tuesday's colloquium, Scaife will be doing some of the experiments that proved to be big hits during his tour. Among them, removing iron bits from fortified cereal using a magnet, skewering balloons without popping them, and boiling water in a paper cup. Scaife invites youngsters to participate in the experiments and then explore the science behind them.

<< Previous Story Committee formed to review...

Next Story >> Big Brothers/Sisters to...