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Rochester Chapter Promotes Science with the Science Demonstrations Handbook The University of Rochester Chapter of the Materials Research Society (URCMRS) has nearly completed three years promoting grassroots education. Our primary goal has been to promote for school children an interest in and awareness of science. To this end, we have organized three science days, called "Material World," at the university on an annual basis and participated in several K-12 educational outreach programs.1'2 The core of these events consisted of demonstrations and hands-on activities. In an effort to communicate our experience to other university chapters, URCMRS members have compiled a Science Demonstrations Handbook.
Geometrical Bubbles An entertaining hands-on activity to form unique cubic and triangular bubbles. Equipment and Materials • 10 pipe cleaners • Deep container of soapy water • A straw Procedure 1. Use six pipe cleaners to form a cube. 2. Dip the cube in the soapy solution and pull out. 3. The soap film forms a complex structure with a small square film toward the middle of the cube. 4. Puff a little air into this square to form a cubic bubble as shown in Figure 1. 5. Take three pipe cleaners and bend each one into a "V". Use this to construct a pyramid. 6. Dip the pyramid in the soapy solution and pull out. 7. Blow a little air into the center point of the film structure. A pyramidal bubble is formed as shown in Figure 2.
The first chapter provides important aspects to be considered while organizing a science day, followed by a complete description of URCMRS's latest science day. The bulk of the handbook is a collection of demonstrations and hands-on activities divided into separate chapters for physics, chemistry, and optics activities. Although a large number of these have been drawn from previously published sources, some are unique URCMRS demonstrations. To facilitate the use of the book, each experiment is initially concisely described followed by a point-wise list of materials and equipment, caution, and procedure. In some Discussion cases, a discussion section provides lesson 1. The bubbles try to attain the shape of tips to be tailored to the audience and particleast volume, i.e., a sphere, but have to ipants (see sidebar). Additional book and adhere to the "bubble rules". internet resources relating to science 2. In the 1800s, Joseph Plateau develdemonstrations has also been included. oped the "bubble rules". Every cluster Although most of the activities are of bubbles follows these same rules: geared toward school children (K-12), • Six films meet in a point. they can be easily modified for any age • Four lines meet in a point. group. Graduate students have found sev• Three films meet in a line. eral of the demonstrations to be exciting. We have incorporated most of these activities in our science days at the university and in demonstrations at local schools and museums. Additionally, most of the activities described rely on a low budget. A sig- enthusiastic past and present URCMRS nificant portion of th
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