Science Day at U. wows students

Starting out the event on the right note, Adam Beehler wowed science enthusiasts by showing how flames will dance to the vibrations of music.

"Physics tries to explain how things work — from the hinge on your door to the sound of your car horn," said Beehler, a physics lecture demonstration specialist for the University of Utah.

The 21st annual Science Day at the U. is meant to not only wow self-proclaimed science geeks but also get high school students on campus and show them what the college experience can be like for a science major.

Approximately 700 high school students and 175 parents from as far away as St. George and southern Idaho attended the event Saturday. Six kids won a drawing for a $500 scholarship to be used if they end up attending the U.

Kenny Johnson, 15, a sophomore at Brighton High School, said his favorite workshop showed how to relight a candle by igniting the smoke that trails back to the wick.

"I like to see how things work, be able to break it down and have an equation that explains it," said Johnson, who plans on majoring in physics at the U.

Some students are still trying to decide whether to major in science but said they enjoy the subject regardless.

Eliza Ipson, 17, a senior at Granger High School in West Valley City, said, "It's really fascinating learning how the world works and learning why stuff does what it does."

Phyllis Freed, 17, a senior at West High School in Salt Lake City, said her favorite workshop was about how crystals are formed.

Jim DeGooyer, public relations specialist for the U.'s college of science, said, "It's just magic when they come here. Many of the students have never visited a college campus before."

DeGooyer added there is "always a job demand for a work force trained in math and science — even in slow economic times."

Another workshop detailed tracking earthquakes. "We do have a high earthquake hazard," said Paul Roberson, earthquake information specialist for the U.

"While we don't have as many earthquakes in Utah as areas like California, we have a large amount of the population that lives close to a fault that has historically, or through geological time, had big earthquakes," Roberson said. "That puts a lot of people at risk and a lot of infrastructure and buildings at risk."

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