Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 2, 1993 TAG: 9304020259
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
AS BELOW, SO ABOVE
Shannon Namboodri calls her area of the classroom the "Gee Whiz Station." Why?Just look at the fifth-graders' faces when she makes a magnet float and spin over a superconductor with the aid of liquid nitrogen. Or when she brings out a metal that remembers its shape with heat so that no matter how you twist it, a flick of a Bic will make it straight again.
And she has a gloppy, slippery play dough (cornstarch and water) that won't stick to your hands if you hold it right.
"It looks like liquid ice cream!" exults Devin Trussell, stirring it with a spoon.
"We wanted to use things that would get kids excited about science," said Namboodri, a Virginia Tech graduate student.
Namboodri started planning "Science on Wheels" in August with a $500 grant from Corning, and Tech students started carting their experiments into the classroom a few months ago.
So far this year, her group has had 18 sessions with fifth-graders, answering questions and stimulating conversation. "We want to give them something they can go home and talk about," Namboodri said. And with a little luck, "they may go home with more interest in science."
The program has won praise from elementary-school teachers. And it has won Namboodri a Graduate Student Service Award, to be presented this afternoon as a part of Tech's Founders Day.
"We get a charge out of doing this," Namboodri said. And the pupils learn a bit about chemical reactions.
At Joe Lee's station in the art room at Margaret Beeks Elementary, pupils jump back when he adds vinegar to baking soda to create a bubbling mess of water and carbon dioxide.
"Can he drink it?" Randy Lovern asks, pointing to a classmate who is too scared or too savvy to try it himself. In perfect proportions, Namboodri said, the mixture would leave just water. But this mixture is not perfect, and it still smells of vinegar.
At Lauren Shea's station, pupils crowd around a battery, trying to guess which materials will conduct its energy.
Michael Morton pulls off his watch and attaches the conducting clips to the strap. No energy; the light bulb's dark.
He tries it on the metal part and creates light.
When Shea turns away to explain the reason, Morton grabs her hand and hooks the clasps to her ring.
Of all of the stations, perhaps Doug Fleming's is the class' favorite. He dips lettuce into liquid nitrogen so that when it falls, it breaks. He dips marshmallows into the same smoking substance - then puts crunchy treats into open palms.
Namboodri, who is studying materials science and engineering, hopes to teach when she graduates, though her interest primarily is in college students.
Her project focuses on the elementary schools, she said, because it's fun and because that's where her group can make the most impact. "The middle schools have science classes, and we thought we'd give them a taste of it right before they'd go, so that maybe they'll be excited when they get there," she said.
Report after report says America needs more people with science backgrounds, especially upper-level science. "If we can get a few more people interested at the lower level, then maybe a few more will be interested at the higher level," Namboodri said.