More than 40 NSU students and alumni volunteered at Welleby Elementary School in Sunrise for the annual Science Alive! event on Mar. 20. The school-wide gathering featured an evening of interactive experiments and scientific demonstrations geared toward children and their families.
During Science Alive!, Welleby’s classrooms are transformed into science labs, each showcasing a different experiment led by students from NSU’sFarquhar College of Arts and Sciences, NSU’s Health Professions Division, and NSU’s Oceanographic Center, as well as alumni and friends. More than 450 children and family members participated in the community event, Welleby’s largest of the year.
Interactive demonstrations at this year’s Science Alive! included
“Blobs in a Bottle”
Using the concepts of density and states of matter (liquid and gas), participants created their own lava lamps.
“Brain Dough”
To explore their five senses, participants held sheep brains and eyes, and then pressed dough into the shape of brains.
“Color-Changing Cabbage”
Participants learned about acids and bases through a natural pH indicator: cabbage juice. When mixed with lemon juice, the concoction turns bright pink. Cabbage juice also turns baking soda green.
“Science in a Necklace”
Students created necklaces filled with sodium polyacrylate, crystals found in disposable diapers. The experiment demonstrated what happens when a super-absorbent polymer meets water.
Emily Schmitt, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator of biological science at NSU’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, organized the event along with teachers and administrators from Welleby. This marked the fourth consecutive year NSU students brought the community together at Welleby in celebration of science.
See More Science
For more information on Science Alive! or to view photos from the event, visit www.facebook.com/NovaScienceAlive.