SciFest 08 For Schools
Thursday, October 9 - Secondary Schools
Students and staff choose from a wide range of specially designed presentations and subjects. Programs include hands-on workshops, demonstrations, presentations from leading scientists and OMNIMAX® films. School programs are $10 per student and include one session and an OMNIMAX® film. One chaperone is required for every 10 students. Chaperones are free. Pre-ordered box lunches are available. To make reservations for school groups, call Jill Willhite at 314.289.4439. For more information about the sessions, please contact Jessica Castiglioni at 314.289.1427 or jcastigl@slsc.org.
Hurricane in the Bayou
10am - 10:45am in the OMNIMAX® Theater
Experience the power of Katrina and the reality of a hurricane in this emotional and music-driven film. From the producers of Everest, shot in the midst of Katrina, watch as the people of New Orleans make a musical journey and search for help to restore the vital wetlands of Louisiana and give hope for the future.
Chromo Keying: Putting You In the Scene
10am - 10:45am and 11:15 - 12pm
Chromo keying is a technique for making a color in an image transparent revealing another image behind it. It is also referred to as "color keying", "green screen", or "blue screen." It is used to put meteorologists in front of weather maps and to make actors appear in dangerous locations or in places that don't actually exist. In this workshop, scientists from the University of Missouri will put you in the scene using chromo keying.
Robot Revolution - From Concept to Finish Line
10am - 10:45am and 11:15 - 12pm
Enter the revolutionary world of robotics! Students will form teams to design and build their own robot using robotics equipment designed by the Society of Automotive Engineers and presented by Paul Freiling, FIRST Robotics Coordinator, Saint Louis Science Center. Many scientific concepts will be covered including mechanics, electronics and design. These future engineers will need to integrate math and science into their robots to compete in a robot competition.
Physics of Acceleration and Speed
10am - 10:45am
Are you tired of doing physics with a pen and pencil? Is it difficult for you to visualize cars rolling down valleys and up hills? Ever wish you could borrow equipment from MIT or Cambridge when trying to wrap your brain around physics concepts? If so, come interact with college level equipment and Saint Louis Science Center Staff to help tailor a physics session to your needs.
Meet the Gene Machine
10am - 10:45am
An interactive drama and discussion event comes from the UK. A chat show host is interviewing a scientist who has invented a machine that can read genetic profiles. Presenter, Claire Dimond, Cheltenham Science festival, UK, introduces basic genetics as well as raising the social and ethical issues surrounding genetic testing. Students grade an array of features (such as hair color, obesity and criminality) on a spectrum between ‘very genetic’ and ‘not genetic at all.’ They also explore issues of confidentiality, ownership, consent and the wider implications of genetic testing.
Busting Beauty Myths
10am - 10:45am
Are beautiful people happier? Do physically attractive people have more or better friendships? If we believe the media, the answer would be "yes." Using the results from years of research, Nichola Rumsey, Professor of Appearance and Health Psychology, and Director of the Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England brings fresh light on a subject which can be a source of much unhappiness amongst teenagers. Just how important is appearance in our day to day lives and the impressions on others?
Plant Transformation and Beyond
10am - 10:45am and 11:15am - 12pm
Join scientists from Monsanto for a hands-on comprehensive experiment demonstrating explant selection, explant isolation, agarose gel cultivation, and a mock plant transformation. Students will examine and dissect an 8 ft corn plant while learning about the physiology of corn plants, the molecular biology of genes, and agrobacterium. We will also discuss how plants grow from the lab to the farm. To reinforce the lesson while adding a bit of fun, each student will make and take home a home hand woven craft made from corn leaves.
Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe with the Hubble Space Telescope
10am - 10:45am and 11:15am - 12pm
During SciFest, NASA is flying a Space Shuttle mission to save the Hubble. Find out why we are willing to risk the lives of astronauts to extend the life of this amazing tool. Learn how you can get free access to astonishing Hubble images via your computer. Find out how high school students just like you are becoming the first humans to see and classify newly-discovered galaxies and learn how you can participate in this quest.
Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey
11am - 11:45am and 4pm - 4:45pm in the OMNIMAX® Theater
This thrilling film is an exploration of the sights and sounds of continents and cultures, guided by the internationally acclaimed performers of the sensational stage show STOMP.
Drinking and Brain Changes
11:15am - 12pm and 12:30pm - 1:15pm
People are always saying, “Don’t drink and drive”, but is it really that big of a deal? Archie Fobbs, Collections Manager from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center will help you decide between what’s truth or myth. You will see and experience what happens to your brain when you choose to say “Yes!” to drinking.
How You Will Go to the Moon (to Save the Earth!)
11:15am - 12pm
Students in High School today will be among the first humans to return to the Moon. Learn the mysteries of the Earth-Moon system and how secrets uncovered by the Apollo Program may hold the key to saving our own planet. You’ll never look at our nearest neighbor in space the same way again after experiencing this event.
Touch Your Brain
11:15am - 12pm and 12:30pm - 1:15pm
You are such a brain! Our brains are responsible for everything we perceive, learn, remember, think, and do. Come hold a real human brain and observe differences in the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes with Washington University neuroscientists from Dr. Erik Hertzog’s lab. Experience firsthand how we learn while seeing the world through prism goggles.
The Long Road to a New Medicine... the Who and the How of Drug Discovery
11:15am - 12pm
Put on a lab coat, play the game of drug discovery, testing and manufacture. Prepare to be surprised – the journey from idea to pharmacy shelf has many interesting turns and twists and involves a surprising number of career options. Scientists from Pfizer will be on hand to provide the inside scoop and answer your questions as you head down the path to the discovery of new medicines.
Forces of Nature
12pm - 12:45pm in the OMNIMAX® Theater
It is one thing to contemplate the immense power of nature, another to experience these forces firsthand. Forces of Nature showcases the awesome spectacle of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tornados as scientists try to understand how these natural disasters are triggered.
Chromatography in Action
12:30pm - 1:15pm
Dial M&Ms for Murder! Be a forensic scientist in a crime scene investigation! Forensic scientists can use analytical techniques to elucidate the facts in a crime scene. Join Scientists from Pfizer to use analytical chromatography to determine the properties of dyes from common objects. Each participant will need to determine which dyes were present at the scene and use this information to prove the innocence of their client.
The Science of Tasty Food
12:30pm - 1:15pm
Learn how food scientists work to develop products that not only taste great, but also look good and feel nice on your tongue too. Led by Science Center staff, students will uncover the chemistry secrets of some of their favorite food through hands-on activities. They will experiment with sodium alginate and lecithin, test for proteins, and coagulate milk as they discover the science behind the yum.
Mysteries of the Great Lakes
1pm - 1:45pm and 3pm - 3:45pm in the OMNIMAX® Theater
It takes a drop of water nearly 400 years to travel from the headwaters of Lake Superior to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Along the way, the water passes nearly 30 million people who live along 3,000-plus miles of coastline. It is a dramatic journey through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
Dinosaurs Alive!
2pm - 2:45pm in the OMNIMAX® Theater
Dinosaurs Alive is a global adventure of science and discovery – featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the Triassic Period ot the monsters of the Cretaceous “reincarnated” life-sized for the giant-screen. From the exotic, trackless expanses and sand dunes of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert to the dramatic sandstone buttes of New Mexico, the film will follow paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History as the explore some of the greatest dinosaur finds in history.
An Illuminating Experience
2pm - 3pm
Photosynthesis is the most important biological process on earth. It liberates oxygen and consumes carbon dioxide, transforming the world into the living environment we know today. Join scientists from the Danforth Plant Science Center in a hands-on workshop for students to explore how plants capture light energy, convert it into chemical energy and assimilate carbon. The impact of greenhouse gases and global warming on agriculture and the use of new plant biotechnologies for food and biofuel production will all be topics for discussion. This program designed with home-schoolers in mind.
A Tale of Three Teams
Opening Presentation of SciFest 08
Thursday, October 9
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Reservations for this free event are required by calling 314.289.4424.
When you are interested in science, you have to explore – and your explorations can lead to seeing science from many different perspectives. There is no better way to open SciFest 08 than with the remarkable story of three teams who joined together to give scientists and citizens a new view of science on the edge. Included in the event, is a special screening of Everest in the OMNIMAX® Theater at 6pm. Click here for more information.