Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Everything is in place, all that's needed is a SPACE!

Tucson is spilling over with science geeks and science stuff; but for now, what happens in our laboratories, workshops, backyards, garages, and kitchens stays in laboratories, workshops, backyards, garages, and kitchens. This leaves the public and, most of all our kids, in the dark. All that's needed is a community space, a science playground, where things are allowed to happen. What exactly is happening in the vacant buildings around town, anyway?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

In the News: Creating a Science Center

Our own Kip Perkins and our colleagues at Creative Machines are featured in this Tucson Weekly article discussing our drive to bring a new kind of science center to Tucson.

We look to build on the successes of the Physics Factory and Creative Machines, and find inspiration in the achievements of like-minded projects in other cities.

This is a bold, exciting and challenging undertaking, and one that can only succeed by harnessing the energy, ideas, support and generosity that we find in this great community and everywhere we've traveled as an organization.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Friday 23 October On Campus for Daughters' Day

We have been presenting an annual science event for Daughters On Campus Day long enough that I've forgotten when we started. Came about through dogs, specifically me taking my dogs to the same park that Holly Altman takes hers to, and Holly thinking The Physics Factory sounded like something teenage girls would like. And she was right, every year the Daughters have given us rave reviews.

This year we got something extra: a new volunteer! Shelby Graham from Sunnyside High expressed interest in working with us, so I pointed her to our web site and told her to try to make Saturday's event at Mini Time Machine. We encourage would-be volunteers to get the full experience as soon as possible, since it's not always the easiest organization to be part of.

Saturday 24 October Big Stuff at Mini Time Machine

Our second day at this cool little museum. Zack and I arrived on the early side and were greeted by Andrea and Julian who were volunteering for the afternoon. What with the extra time and the extra help (Dolly also arriving), setup went very smoothly.

Our new volunteer Shelby also showed up despite earlier fears of not getting a ride. She jumped in helping kids with hands-on stuff like jumping rings and Kip's laser-spirograph, did very well for her first day. Zack is no longer the new kid on the block, and has become very adept with the flame tube.

Another great thing about having lots of good people: I got time to go look around at the museum for a while! Getting big ideas about creating 3-way collaboration with nanoscientist Brian Leroy at UA. (Brian is normal size, he just studies small things.)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Haunted shows at the Mini-Time Machine Museum

Feeling like some Halloween physics tricks and treats? Please join us from 1-4pm on Saturday October 24 and October 31 at Tucson's wonderful Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures for their HalloWEEn Festival.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

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