Over 20 scientists from the NSF-funded Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM) collaborated with New Jersey’s Liberty Science Center on the traveling exhibit Strange Matter, developed by the Materials Research Society to teach materials science to the curious minds of young children and their families.
Every weekend, huge crowds flocked to the Liberty Science Center, and large numbers were treated to demonstrations by Princeton scientists on the amazing properties of materials in our everyday life. PCCM faculty and their students performed interactive shows throughout the day to accompany the Strange Matter Exhibit. The scientists taught children and their families about polymers and magnets and foams. The exhibit was thousands of square feet of hands-on activities to feed children’s curiosity for science and all things “weird,” but the real showpiece was the demonstrations by Princeton researchers. Professors such as Prof. Richard Register, Prof. Jay Benziger, Prof. Paul Chaikin, Prof. Craig Arnold and many others, along with their students, donated their time to dazzle audiences with polymers and magnets and other examples of the incredible ways science can change our lives.
Children now know one of their favorite toys is a polymer. |
Prof. Dave Srolovitz gathers volunteers to represent monomers to illustrate how they form a chain called a polymer. |
Wide eyes and smiling faces abound when the Princeton scientists perform their amazing demonstrations. |
The PCCM faculty and the Liberty Science Center showed children that the thrill of discovery is within their reach if they work at it. This is the ultimate goal – to inspire children to learn and achieve, to realize that they have the potential to become brilliant scientists, too. This incredible partnership was a product of the collaboration between Princeton Center for Complex Materials faculty, Outreach Director Dr. Dan Steinberg and the talented staff at Liberty Science Center, especially Joan Mara and Elizabeth Romanaux. The Strange Matter Exhibit is made possible by the generous support of the NSF, Alcan, Dow, Ford Motor Company Fund, Intel® Innovation in Education and the 3M Foundation. Local support is provided Fleet, Ford Motor Company and Picatinny Arsenal.
This page was updated on 10/15/04 by Shannon Swilley and Dan Steinberg; any comments should be sent to sswilley@princeton.edu
