1. Acids and Bases. By John Kepple

What is an acid? What is a base? What could you do to tell if something was an acid or a base? Are all acids dangerous? Can you drink an acid and survive? What happens if acids and bases are mixed? We will do some experiments and see some demonstrations to try and answer these questions.

2. The Three States of Water. By Burt Kosier

What are the three states of water? How do we convert water from one state to another? We will explore some surprising things that can happen to water, and possibly other subtances such as liquid nitrogen or frozen carbon dioxide. We will think about how changes in the state of water cause the differences in climate between planets Mars and Venus, and our own Earth.

3. How Broken Bones Mend. By Tammy Joseph

What does a broken bone really look like? How will it grow back together so it doesn't hurt any more?

We will observe a life-sized model of a tibia and a femur, bones in your leg. The tibia will be broken and we will see how the doctor would align the bone and then hold it in place with a real cast. We will also see actual X-ray photos of bones that are broken bones, and bones that have healed. We'll find out what the doctor does if the bone won't remain aligned with a cast alone. Finally, we will see what an artificial total knee joint replacement looks like.

4. Microbes -- Seeing Invisible life. By Joan Slonczewski

How do bacteria grow so fast? What do they look like? Where do microbes come from? Microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, are living organisms too small to be seen without a microscope. Some bacteria make us healthy, but other kinds make us sick. Microbes grow and multiply so fact that they make "colonies" containing a million cells or more, which we can actually see. We will observe bacterial colonies in sealed plates, including kinds that help you digest your food, as well as harmless relatives of the kinds of bacteria that give children strep throat or food poisoning. We will use math to figure out how bacteria grow so fast. We will expose petri dishes of nutrient medium to different sources of microbes -- fingers, air, soil, or drinking water -- and see what grows.

5. Gravity and Friction: How Things Fall, Slide and Roll. By Laura VanWormer

How does gravity make things fall and slide? How does friction affect how fast things slide? How do balls roll down a slope? We will test the effects of gravity and friction on objects such as books and shoes sliding down an inclined plane. We will observe balls rolling down a slope, testing the effects of weight of the ball and angle of the plane, and try to predict the results.

6. Whales: How Scientists Study the World's Biggest Mammals. By Nick Houston

What do we know about whales? How do scientists observe creatures that live in the depths of the ocean? How can you tell one humpback whale from another? (Clue: "It takes a whale's tail to tell a tale.") Scientists have to identify each individual whale in order to study migration patterns, feeding habits, and family history. We will practice whale identification based on photographs of the tails of humpback whales. We will find out what scientists have learned about how whales live.

7. Medicine: How Doctors Use Science. By Tracy Schermer, M.D.

How do doctors use science to heal wounds and cure illness? We'll discover some surprising things. Note: Dr. Schermer is on call for emergencies, so there will be a slight chance of cancellation.

8. The Sound of Music. By Mary Kepple

How do musical instruments make sounds? How do the length and thickness of strings affect the kind of sound they make? We will use a strobe light to observe the shape of a vibrating string. Bring all the questions you ever wanted to ask about musical sound. Note: class will meet in music room.

MAGNETS. Table 1, Bonnie Armstrong. We will explore how magnets work. How strong is a magnet? Can magnets actually repel each other? What patterns do magnetic fields make? We will use electric currents to generate magnetism, and to find out what things block magnetic force.

GRAVITY. Table 2, Inese Sharp. We will discover some surprises about gravity. Does gravity pull harder on bigger objects, or do all objects fall at the same speed? Why? We'll make a "center of gravity" out of a potato. We'll build a paper scale to weigh a paper "space creature."

INERTIA AND MOTION. Table 3, Kevin Burt. Crash! We'll demonstrate that moving cars have inertia. How do unbalanced forces make things move? How does the size of a balloon affect the air pressure inside it? We'll build a paper helicopter, an air car, and a floating ball.

WATER FUN. Table 4, Susan Givens. Why do bubbles rise in liquids? Does salt make objects float better? How does a heavy boat float? We'll make a paddle boat and a rising bottle. We'll learn a "magic trick" to pick up a glass of water beneath a piece of cardboard.

SOUND AND MUSIC. Table 5, Marcie Steen and Cindy Brown. We'll make a bottle organ to show how the height of an air column makes a sound high or low. What affects the pitch of stringed instruments, or the note that a flute makes? We'll make a straw flute to play.

LIGHT AND COLOR. Table 6, Donna Scott. What colors are actually "hidden" within white light? How can different colors blend together? Does light always move in a straight line? We'll use a light microscope to look at tiny living creatures otherwise too small to see.

BUBBLES. Table 7, Jennie Farmer. We'll use straws and string to blow a big "super bubble." How can a bubble "stand" in one place? Why does light make rainbows in a bubble? We'll make a machine in which an ordinary soap bubble does work to make an object rotate.

 Additional Science Expo volunteers:

Joanne Beatty, Kathy Bomba, Cindy Beggs, Tony Camisa, Will Foster, Joe Gucanac, Penny Hollibaugh, Heather Howard, Sam Johnson, Dan Laskin, Jean Legg, John Legros, Pat McCarthy, Sandy Mizer, Kim Owens, Souri Phaphouvaninh, Cindy Pruett, Laura J. Robinson, Mary Samuel Ellen Sheffield, Allison Shor, Stuart Schott, Donna Simmerman, Annalisa VanHook, Brandy Wade, Nancy White, Erica Woolf

Thanks also to:

-- Vicky Lambert as teachers' representative for Science Day, and to all the teachers and staff of Wiggin Street, for inviting us into their classes and hosting the luncheon for volunteers.

-- the Wiggin Street students for their posters and their enthusiasic participation.

-- the Friends of Wiggin Street for financial support.

-- Kenyon College for donation of materials and instruments.

We apologize for anyone we missed. Thanks for pitching in and making our first Wiggin Street Science Day a success!