Davis Middle School’s fourth annual Science Extravaganza on Feb. 11 came early this year, but the event still brought an explosion of energy from its more than 200 attendees.
To make up for a slow February, the middle school’s administrators moved the Science Extravaganza a couple months earlier, avoiding conflict with events that occur during the busier springtime, seventh grade science teacher Buffi Gudakunst said. With the help of Hillsdale College’s American Chemical Society, Michindoh Conference Center, and the Hillsdale High School robotics “Team 5676,” Davis Middle School held a successful event.
“We still had a lot of projects for the kids to display, and we had great attendance,” said Gudakunst, who organized the event.
The Science Extravaganza allowed students to present the work from their classes to their parents and those in the community. Each student selected at least two pieces from the year to put on display, though some chose to showcase even more.
“That gives the kids a sense of pride. They want to do well on something because they think, ‘Oh, I can use this in Science Extravaganza,’” Gudakunst said. “It encourages them to do well on it.”
Eighth grade twins Jennifer and Jessica attended the Science Extravaganza at their school. Jessica said she was proud to show the good grades she has earned throughout the year to her parents.
Workers from Michindoh brought amphibians and reptiles for the students to look at, touch, and hold. The high school robotics team demonstrated their technological savvy as they controlled robots to drive about classrooms.
ACS held several different demonstrations for the students and their families from explaining how a glow stick works to setting a dollar bill on fire and watching it not burn.
Jennifer said the chemistry portion was her favorite station of the evening.
“I thought it was neat because the college students could go deeper into chemistry,” Jennifer said.
The most popular attraction, according to Gudakunst, was the “exploding balloons” demonstration, a staple at the Science Extravaganza that reviews the scientific method and puts a flame to hydrogen-and-oxygen-filled balloons.
“The kids like the hydrogen balloons because they make a big boom,” Gudakunst said. “You can hear it through the entire building.”
New to this year’s event was the “nylon rope trick.” The polymer demo creates nylon as the students pulled the substance by tongs from a Beaker.
“You just keep unwinding and unwinding it until you pull out this big string of nylon,” ACS Adviser Associate Professor of Chemistry Christopher Hamilton said. “It can take up to 10 minutes to get all that nylon out of the Beaker.”
ACS Co-Adviser Associate Professor of Chemistry Matthew Young did the “rainbow connection” demonstration, which the students watched in awe as six Beakers of clear liquid became colored and then turned back as Young changed the different acid-base indicators between the two pH extremes.
“It sort of comes off as magic,” Young said. “It’s always fun to do demonstrations before kids because while college students have their own enthusiasm, it usually doesn’t match the enthusiasm of middle schoolers.”
That eagerness, especially in response to questions the students posed to the audience, is something ACS President senior Zoe Norr loved about putting on the shows.
“They’ll just call out answers, and they’re not afraid of being wrong, which is a wonderful thing,” Norr said.
Young agreed, adding he was impressed by the students’ astuteness.
“The students were really engaged, and I was impressed by how sharp they were,” Young said. “We got students yelling out the correct answer for the majority of the questions. They were really following a majority of the ideas.”
Gudakunst said the energy the demonstrations brings to the students makes them excited about their education.
“To me, it says, ‘Look where you can be. This could be you standing there doing these demonstrations in a few years,’” Gudakunst said. “It puts college and science, it makes it look more real or reachable for them.”
Norr said that example is what she hopes ACS provides to these young students.
“It’s good to have a role model, especially in college students because they look to older people to emulate anyway, so if we can serve as that good role model, that’s what we want to do,” Norr said.
Hamilton said the Science Extravaganza also allows ACS to work as more than a club about ideas but a branch for outreach, as well.
“People don’t always think, ‘Oh, they’re the chemistry group. How do they give back?’” Hamilton said. “You’re helping with the education in our local community and also helping kids get excited about science.”
Gudakunst noted it is more than a beneficial experience for the middle schoolers, too.
“I think it’s a benefit for the students at the college to teach and demonstrate what they are learning and know,” Gudakunst said. “It’s reinforcing their learning, as well.”
Ultimately, the Science Extravaganza allows for various parts of the Hillsdale community to gather for the benefit of the education of young people.
“The other thing the outreach can do is make positive outreach between the college and local schools,” Young said. “We have a lot of talented students so to get them out in the community gives them the chance for them to enrich the lives of these kids.”