Hold on to Your Lunch

It's time for the annual Utah State University Physics Day, when more than 6,800 budding scientists descend on Utah's Lagoon amusement park for hands-on learning experiences, academic competition and fun.

 

Friday, May 20, from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., physics students from middle and high schools throughout the Intermountain West will explore such basic physics concepts as gravity and centrifugal force, all while enjoying the thrills of northern Utah's überplayground.

 

"The purpose of Physics Day is to motivate students' interest in science and to relate abstract concepts to familiar examples in a fun way," said J.R. Dennison. "What better laboratory to entice young people than an amusement park?"

 

Dennison, event chair and professor of physics at Utah State University, said area students are building accelerometers and learning physics principles for a day of measuring g-forces, counting rotations, calculating maximum acceleration and, hopefully, not losing their lunches.

 

Last year's event drew more than 4,000 participants from 100 schools from Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. For those in attendance more than $50,000 in prizes and awards will be given to contest participants, including four-year scholarships to Utah State for high school students competing in the Physics Bowl competition.

 

Other activities include the new Sky Drop Contest as well as the classic G-Forces Contest, Demonstration Design, Ride Design, and Logo Design contests.

 

Event participation has steadily grown since it was initiated by Utah State's Physics Department in 1990. The department sponsors the event, along with 13 other governmental and higher education organizations. Sponsors include: Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory – West, Boeing, Lagoon, Mathsoft Engineering and Education, Moog Aircraft Group, NitroCision, Marie Putnam, Thiokol, U.S. Navy, USU College of Science, USU Office of Recruitment and Enrollment Services, Ron and Susan Warnecke, Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium and Idaho NASA Space Grant Consortium.

 

The main gates at Lagoon open at 9 a.m. and rides are open from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

 

For more information about Physics Day, contact Ali Siahpush, program manager, INL, (208) 526-8708; or Dennison at (435) 797-2936.