Science Demonstrations and Activities Provided by the
National Museum of the USAF and the Air Force Research Laboratory
Energy Bike
An “Energy Bike” is used to teach energy consumption and energy conversion. This provides students with a way to understand and compare the amount of energy required to power an electronic device like a cell phone, or different kinds of light bulbs, with the amount of energy they are able to produce by pedaling a bicycle.
Optics
This demo will introduce students to geometric, or ray optics, and their applications to cloaking technology. Students will look through a cloaking device to see that stealth technology can cause objects, such as airplanes, spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum! It is an exciting way to introduce wave properties and light phenomena.
Little Bits
This is a demo that introduces students to circuitry and electronics. It can be used as review of
electricity, current, energy, and circuits. Little Bits are small, open source, modular electronic
components that snap together to form more complex circuits. Little Bits are easy-to-use electronic
building blocks that empower students to create. The Bits snap together with magnets, no soldering, no
wiring, and no programming need. Each component does something different and can easily be
connected to another with a magnetic snap.
Snap Circuits
Snap Circuits are a fun way to learn and explore basic principles of electrical engineering. Learn by designing and testing a working circuit.
Super Structures
Students use engineering concepts to construct bridges and skyscrapers. Engineering concepts include forces, design, and efficiency.
Coin Cell Battery
A battery stores chemical energy and converts it to electrical energy. In the coin battery, two different metals, called electrodes, are stacked. One metal is more reactive than other, creating an electrical potential difference, called voltage. Electrons move from one metal to the other through the salt vinegar, an electrolyte solution. The movement of electrons creates an electrical current, which can be used to power an LED or sound a buzzer.
Straw Rockets
Students construct straw rockets to discover the effect of the fin placement on the flight. The stability of
an object moving through a fluid is dependent not only on the magnitude of the forces (thrust, drag, lift,
and Weight) acting on it but also the location through which they act.
Launching Straw Rockets
The liftoff to the straw rocket demonstrates Newton’s Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When raising the mass rod of the launcher to set a height and dropping it, the rod exerts a force. The action of the pressurized air results in the reaction of flight for the straw rocket placed on the end of the tube. Students can test variations in force, trajectory, fin size and shape, and nose cone mass.
Scanning Electron Microscopes
Microscopes will be used for families to see different bugs, plant life, and other awesome things that microscopes can depict for the human eye! SEMEDS is unique program that brings local students and their teachers to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) to operate state-of-the-art scanning electron microscopes in a real life laboratory setting.
Van de Graaff generator
A Van de Graaff generator produces static electricity by separating positive and negative charges from each other. This is a fun way to show students that opposite charges attract and the opposite charges want to get together so much that they will even jump through the air to do it. If someone is touching the dome, the charge collects on him or her too. The charge spreads out all over them, including their hair. Since each hair is covered with the same kind of charge, each hair wants to get away from the others, and begins to spread out (and stand up).
Virtual Reality Demonstrations
The NMUSAF demonstrates the technology that provides immersive experiences in virtual environments such as navigating through the International Space Station or riding a roller coaster through canyons, or flying an airplane.
Flight Simulator Demonstrations
The NUMSAF provides demonstrations that allow visitors to feel what flying an aircraft is like with interactive flight simulation stations. The aircraft can range from a basic propeller aircraft to an advanced fighter jet.
Web Based Smart Board STEM Interactive Activities
The NMUSAF STEM Learning Nodes are equipped with Web capable Smart Boards that allow visitors to learn by doing. Popular experiences include learning how to construct an efficient flying aircraft, the factors that affect trajectory, the concepts of weight and balance, and many more.
Wind Tunnel Demonstrations
This FLO Visualization Tunnel demonstrate aerodynamics. Students can place an object (airfoils, geometric shapes, model airplanes, and more) in the wind tunnel and turn it on while directing fog through the tunnel. They can watch as the airflow runs across the length of the object, providing a great visual learning experience. The wind speed of the tunnel can also be adjusted to test and discuss different variables.
Science Demonstrations presented by local LEGO Robotics League Teams
FIRST LEGO League Junior (ages 6-10)
LEGO WeDo 2.0 Core Sets and tablets will be utilized to give students a hands-on opportunity with programming. The WeDo 2.0 allows students to take a LEGO model and then make it interactive by building their own code in the programming software.
FIRST LEGO League (ages 9-14)
A 4’ by 8’ competition table with LEGO Mission Models will be in action and a program information table will be available for parents and participants. Two local teams will be invited to participate, one demonstrating their robot on the robot game field and one demonstrating their INTO ORBIT Season Project.
FIRST Robotics Competition (grades 9-12)
A laptop with videos of past games and robots and a demonstration of a T-shirt throwing robot (which is very similar to the FIRST Robotics Competition robots will be provided. The robot is about 120 lbs. with a CO2 controlled Gatling gun. T-shirts will be launched to the families that are attending, and an explanation will be provided on how the robot works.
Science Demonstrations and Activities to be presented by Colleges, Universities and Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education
3D Printing - Keychains
Clark State Community College will demonstrate how to create 3D printing key chain
Autonomous Vehicle and other table demos
Ohio State University
Bone Repair Design Challenge
Ohio State University
Students investigate a physical property of materials called “anisotropism”, which means “having different properties in different directions” by considering human bones which are very strong in one direction, but weak in another. In this design challenge, participants make a model of a bone out of a paper roll and measure how many “tuna cans” the bone will support. Then they make another bone and break it by tearing it halfway through in the middle. Using only 2 grams of given materials, the challenge is to repair the bone and see how many cans one can get the “repaired” bone to support.
Augmented reality
University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI)
Interactive demo that utilizes the static displays. (Show components under the aircraft skin, expand the engine, react to "gremlins", etc.)
"Chicken Cannon"
University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) illustrates how aircraft canopy design is tested for strength and the engineering processes involved during development.
3D Printing Design Activity
Wright State University
This demonstration will introduce students to entire chain of additive manufacturing and benefits through design. Student will get hands on experience with computer modeling software to customize the design of their choice. The design will then be transferred to a polymer 3D printer and fabricated onsite.
Quantum Dots Demo
Wright State University
Learn how to control light particles that you can't even see. This Demo gives attendees the chance to see how nanoscience can be used to change the world around us. Due to their small size, the way that quantum dots interact with light deflects our normal expectations. Guest will also learn a little about lasers, semiconductors and even quantum mechanics.
3D Scanning/printing
Youngstown State University
The YSU team will present an interactive 3D scanning and printing demonstration.
Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education
Come have fun exploring how an electrical circuit works by building a valentine for a loved one. Children will color and assemble a small 5x7 inch greeting card, that lights up with an LED and a battery. Children will take the card with them to let someone know that they are the light of their lives.
Science Demonstrations and Activities in the
National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF)
NAHF's permanent Learning Center
NAHF will feature normally on hand STEM related activities, including NASA trainers that assist visitors in landing the Hubble spacecraft, several simulators that demonstrate aircraft take-off, flying and landing and an interactive exhibiting the Bernoulli Principle.
Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
The COSI "Science Spot" traveling science exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to play, explore, and learn about science together as a family.
National Aviation Heritage Alliance Activities;
Air Camp
Air Camp will demonstrate how lifting bodies propel themselves into space by helping visitors use straw rockets, as well as test drag forces by building sails for visitors to test in Air Camps' own wind tunnel.
Champaign Aviation Museum
Champaign Aviation Museum will bring a "touchable" Norton Bombsite for visitors to see and learn how Allied forces incorporated the world's first computer to measure ground speed and direction to enable greater accuracy in bombing from high altitudes.
Aviation Trail Parachute Museum
Aviation Trail Parachute Museum will bring parachutes for visitors to sample as well as use toys to illustrate how gravity and air resistance are affected by the use of a parachute.
Oakwood High School Energy Team
The Oakwood High School Energy Team will have an Energy Bike, Infrared Cameras, and will rotate Circuit Activities, Sound Demos, Light Demos, and Dry Ice demos.
Interactive Animal Encounter presented by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Get an up-close look at a Cheetah, Penguin, Kangaroo, Sloth, Armadillo and Palm Civet!
Note: Events and Demos subject to change.