[Image above] Pictured from left: Derek Miller, OSU graduate student; Mark Mecklenborg, ACerS director of membership, meetings and technical publications; Mark Hornak, OSU graduate student; David Riegner, OSU graduate student; and Tricia Freshour, ACerS membership services manager. Credit: ACerS
This post comes to us from Tricia Freshour, ACerS membership services manager, who was on location at the 2015 Technology and Engineering Showcase held during the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio, August 9.
Going to the fair in the summer always brings back warm childhood memories. It means carnival-style games, riding those nostalgic rickety Tilt-a-Whirl rides, indulging in delicious fried food, and… materials science?
Well, that last one—materials science—applies at least to the crowd at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio, on August 9.
The American Ceramic Society and Ohio State University’s Materials Science and Engineering department teamed up to participate in the 2015 Technology and Engineering Showcase, organized by the Ohio Technology and Engineering Educators Association.
Fair-goers in town from all parts of the state and beyond were drawn to the exhibit to learn about the world of materials and better understand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Ohio State graduate students—Derek Miller, Mark Hornak, and David Riegner— demonstrated their passion for STEM outreach by performing experiments, including demonstrations on superconductivity, glass fibers, and shape memory alloys.
ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors’ materials science teaching kits—tailored systems that contain instructions and materials for some of the experiments performed live at the event—were also on display and available for purchase. (Visit ACerS website to learn more about the kits and how you can purchase your own!)
Members of the crowd were also able to see and touch ceramic body armor and a NASA space shuttle tile and learn more about how this technology impacts space exploration.
The ACerS team was on location to cover the event. Check out some of the highlights below, including a video of the glass fiber pull experiment in action!
Derek Miller (left) and Mark Hornek explain how ceramic body armor works to eager young fair-goers. Credit: ACerS
Mark Hornek (left) and David Riegner torch a NASA space shuttle tile to demonstrate its heat resistance. Credit: ACerS
Closeup of the superconductivity experiment demonstrated by OSU materials science and engineering students at the showcase. Credit: ACerS
Credit: ACerS; YouTube