Science Day Draws Large Crowd to Taylor Hall

Visitors of all ages broaden their horizons

WOOSTER, Ohio — Seven-year old Noah Bosler-Kilmer and his three-year old brother, Gabe, needed a little encouragement from mom and dad to attend The College of Wooster’s Science Day on Saturday afternoon, but once they got there, they had a great time and learned a lot. Noah enjoyed making fossil impressions with Crayola clay, while Gabe thought that looking through a telescope was cool — even better than the ice cream made by liquid nitrogen.

The Bosler-Kilmer brothers, who were escorted by their parents, Joel and Vicki, were among an estimated throng of 400 attendees Saturday afternoon in Taylor Hall.

“It’s our way of reaching out to the community and giving people a chance to experience science,” said John Lindner, professor of physics at Wooster who helped to organize the event with the various science clubs on campus. “We wanted to provide a positive experience in the sciences for elementary school students, and everyone else who came.”

In all, seven different departments — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, neuroscience, physics, and biochemistry/molecular biology — participated in the event. Some made presentations while others did demonstrations. Matt Damon, a junior physics major from Glenshaw, Pa., who was one of several students working the holography display, said it was “a great way to get kids involved in science.”

Steve LoGiudice and his wife, Megan Wereley, brought their daughters, Emma and Hannah, as well as the girls’ cousins, Sydney and Evelyn. “We were here last year and had a great time,” said LoGiudice. “It gets the kids excited and shows them that science can be fun.”

Not all of the visitors were children or parental chaperones. Several were more “seasoned” scientists, including John Musselman, a former physics major from the Class of 1958, who made the trip from Brecksville with his wife Twyla because he wanted to see how science was being shared at his alma mater. “It was very interesting,” he said. “The idea (of science day) is a good one.”

Perhaps the most popular participant was “Izzy,” a five-foot long, 25-year old iguana who resides in Mateer Hall. While he declined to comment about the event, he appeared happy to have a chance to stretch his legs and show others what life is like in his neck of the woods.