Fermilab attracted to RTHS physics students

Rochelle Township High School students present magnetic fields at Fermilab open house

Posted 2/20/17

Hub students' experiment catches eye of open house guests

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Fermilab attracted to RTHS physics students

Rochelle Township High School students present magnetic fields at Fermilab open house

Posted

AURORA –– More than 2,000 kids and parents at the Fermilab Family Open House on Sunday, Feb. 12 were intrigued by an experiment created by four Rochelle Township High School physics students.

Joshua Bunger, Ben Chavini, Lexy Lemar and Paige Myroth took up the challenge to design an experiment demonstrating how magnetic fields and electricity are related to each other.

Fermilab is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics research. A U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science lab, Fermilab operates under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC. The DOE Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the country, working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

RTHS physics teacher, Scott Campbell explained schools from around the region were invited to form a team of up to four students and have the students design a simple and engaging experiment for younger kids to do in order to learn a specific principle in physics.  These designs were submitted to Fermilab, and the selection for the open house was made to include certain schools based on the quality and appropriateness of the design.

The physics carnival included interactive exhibits by Myroth, LeMar, Bunger, and Chiavini from RTHS and teams from Illinois Math and Science Academy, Quincy Notre Dame High School, Carl Sandburg of Orland Park, Christian Life High School of Rockford and Northside College Prep in Chicago.

The RTHS student’s experiment included homemade electric motors made out of wire, paper clips and batteries; a demonstration of how you can manipulate the direction a compass points by placing it near an electric circult; and a very interesting magnetic car experiment, where a car made of nothing but a battery and some magnets moves through a coiled wire all by itself with no motor or other forms of propulsion.

New this year to the open house was a show called Dynamic Forces, featuring Fermilab scientists Jamie Santucci and Andrew Dalesandro. It explored everyday forces and electromagnetism. Jerry Zimmerman, better known as Mr. Freeze, demonstrated the cool effects of liquid nitrogen. There were also about a dozen scientists on hand to answer questions.

Campbell added, “The schools that were represented at Fermilab were some of the top schools in the region for math and science. I don't know exactly what their selection criteria was but that puts Rochelle in some pretty rarified air.”

Campbell offered the challenge to the seven students enrolled in AP Physics C, a physics with calculus class. This is the first year RTHS has offered the challenging science class.

Many of Fermilab’s experiments were controlled from the Remoter Operations Center although there were operators at each station all talking about the work they do. Next door, a panel of lab employees presented an interactive talk about their day-to-day jobs.

New this year was a guided bus tour of the Fermilab site, allowing tourists to learn about the lab’s rich history of scientific discovery and its promising future. Highlights included numerous experimental sites, a visit to a bubble chamber, a historical trip through the Fermilab Village and, of course, a chance to view the lab’s herd of bison.

Also new was a virtual tour of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, the future home of Fermilab’s flagship, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. Tours were given of the Linear Accelerator and Main Control Room.

“The Family Open House was a great opportunity for kids of all ages to experience science in an up-close and fun way,” said Campbell. “We hope the event inspired children to pursue science as an interest and as a career; to think of science as something approachable and enjoyable.”

Visit Fermilab’s website at www.fnal.gov. Follow Fermilab on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fermilab and on Twitter @Fermilab. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.