Students at Roosevelt Elementary were blinded by science with the Great Color Caper assembly program held April 2 at Roosevelt Elementary. This high-energy, multimedia, educational program took place over four assemblies when more than 700 students in grades kindergarten through fourth were amazed by lasers, light and color.
Students were able to participate in the educational program presented by the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. The program included an explanation of how white light reflects energy while black absorbs energy and explained what scientists do with lasers. When students were asked to offer uses for laser, shouts of eye surgery, security systems, CDs and bar codes came out of the audience.
The Great Color Caper involved the fictional bad-guy who covered a fictional city called ''Spectropolis,'' in a red balloon. The experiment demonstrated how a laser couldn't break a clear balloon until a black mark was drawn on it to attract the light. Students cheered when the clear balloon was broken by the green beam of light.
Article Photos
Hubbard Community News / Kathleen Evanoff
Fourth-grader Marissa Grande assists a scientist from the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh with a demonstration of ultra-violet light. The center visited Roosevelt Elementary School early this month to present one of the more than 60 road programs. Over the course of four assemblies, more than 700 Roosevelt students were awed by the Great Color Caper.
Additional experiments included a description of the color wheel and the effects of PH to determing acidity and alkalinity.
Included in the event were interesting and educational demonstrations and experiments that used fun and facts to teach the scientific principles behind light, energy, reflection, pigments, and color perception. The demonstration arrived at the school in a spectrum colored van customized with glass and paints by PPG facilities from around the world. PPG Industries created the van with bumpers that change color with the light; metallic blue wheel covers; and window glass that featured different colors and light-reactive properties, including infrared-absorbent and infrared-reflecting technologies that help cool the van's interior.
Carnegie Science Center's Great Color Caper is one of more than 60 Science on the Road programs delivered to more than 225,000 students a year, offered in a five-state region surrounding Pittsburgh, and is one of three large-scale assembly programs. The program was brought to the school with the support of Shop 'n Save grocery store. For more information about the Carnegie Science Center programs, go online to www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org.