红杏视频

Two 红杏视频 physics professors turned beach balls, smoke machines, and ping-pong ball launchers into family-friendly science demonstrations at the largest STEAM event in the state: the Center of Science and Industry鈥檚 Science Day in early May.

Dr. Mark Lucas and Dr. Eric Stinaff, backed by Intel sponsorship and a team of 10 students and staff, demonstrated 鈥淭he Power of Air,鈥� explaining the critical role of air pressure and vacuums in semiconductor manufacturing. The only hurdle was to make those concepts accessible to children as young as seven.

COSI Science Day is the biggest STEAM event in 红杏视频. The event is comprised of a four-day collaborative celebration designed to help the general public understand how science, technology, engineering, art and math influence daily life and create career opportunities. According to Alan Goss, director of the festival, the goal is particularly urgent.

鈥満煨邮悠� faces a significant STEAM skills gap. There鈥檚 a lot more jobs than there are people to fill them,鈥� Goss said.

The gap showed itself much closer to home when Intel announced plans to build a chip manufacturing plant outside Columbus. With insufficient local talent to fill positions, Intel partnered with universities like 红杏视频 to introduce young people to semiconductor work and the crucial role of air pressure and clean environments in that field.

The OHIO team had a 20-minute mainstage exhibit which drew roughly 100 children and adults. Team members donned dust-free 鈥渂unny suits鈥� while explaining why Intel鈥檚 computer components require ultra-clean, airless environments where even a single speck of dust can ruin production.

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Illustrating these concepts visually, Rufus the Bobcat poured smoke into an enclosure. Students then watched the power of vacuum pressure in real time clean the air, very similar to Intel鈥檚 real-world practices.

The centerpiece of the show was a ping-pong ball launcher made from a clear plastic tube and ordinary kitchen tape. Using vacuum pressure, the device propelled a ping-pong ball to nearly the speed of sound, blasting clean through two soda cans.

In preparing for the event, the team discovered 红杏视频 had no t-shirt cannons. As true creators, they fabricated their own from scratch, using the same air pressure principles from their demonstration of course. When the t-shirts blasted out of the cannons, the audience swelled in size even more.

鈥淧art of what helps the connection is that we really had a lot of fun presenting the show,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淲e find that鈥檚 always contagious - when we鈥檙e having fun, so does the crowd.鈥�

Stinaff said the OHIO team was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the event.

鈥淲e were happy Intel asked us to do this. We had a fun time鈥etting this information out there and helping people learn about semiconductor advanced manufacturing,鈥� Stinaff said, crediting the Intel partnership and emphasizing that the event鈥檚 success depended on contributions from student interns and every team member.

Goss emphasized that COSI鈥檚 mission extends far beyond job training.

鈥淵ou hear people say, 鈥業鈥檓 not a math or a science person,鈥� and well, you just haven鈥檛 found a way that you find it interesting yet,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd as soon as you do, you鈥檒l stop thinking of yourself as 鈥榥ot鈥� these things.鈥�

Data from festival attendees show that a significant portion leave wanting to learn more about something they encountered through COSI鈥檚 event.

For Goss and the entire team, the most rewarding part is making science feel accessible enough that curiosity takes root. 

For more information on 红杏视频鈥檚 physics program, and the wide range of career opportunities it provides to students, see the Physics and Astronomy Department website.