Abstract:
With the desire to capture children's imaginations and interest in the field of science, "Science Day on the Greenway" was created as part of an Honors College thesis project. As an outreach program, this event aspired to educate the community in the three main branches of science (chemistry, biology, and physics), especially children grades K-8th. This event incorporated many hands-on science experiments that used common non-toxic household chemicals and was set-up along a half-mile span of the Cardinal Greenway in Muncie, Indiana. The experiments that involved chemistry included, Oobleck (an activity demonstrating phase changes), Gluep (to introduce polymerization), Candy Molecules (which exhibit molecular structures), and Bath Bubblers (to show a chemical reaction). Various speakers also attended "Science Day on the Greenway" to educate the participants on native plants, wildlife, and leaf structures. Based upon community response, this event proved to be a success and will hopefully be reproduced annually.AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Dr. Marcy Towns for her undying commitment to our Honors Thesis project. Without her constant encouragement and optimism, our event would not have been as successful as it turned out to be. Her experiences in past outreach programs were truly insightful and helped in the planning of our project.We would also like to thank Beth Campbell for all of her help during the planning process and her guidance regarding the needs of the participants as well as the volunteers. Without her helpful hints, the preparations for our event would not have gone as smoothly.Further gratitude goes to the Ball State Chemistry Department. Without their funding, we would not have much of an event.I would like to personally thank my partner, Loc Dang, for the help he provided with this project. It could not have been completed alone. His genuine love for children, generosity, and creative ideas helped this project come to a successful completion.
