The fourth annual Science Extravaganza at J.W. Reason elementary school in Hilliard was a booming success.  427 attendees, including hundreds of kids of all different ages were present at the event, each one of them excited to dive into the world of science.  To make them better fit the part, they were all sporting miniature yellow lab coats.  Rob Pyatt, a STEAM Factory member and Assistant Professor-Clinical in the Department of Pathology, was responsible for organizing the event, all in his spare time.  Rob worked with volunteers from sponsoring organizations and from the school to put on the Extravaganza. 

Exhibits were able to be found all over the cafeteria, gymnasium and in the hallways of the elementary school.

There were atomic milkshakes, made with ice cream mix and little frozen ice pellets of dry ice.  They were actually very delicious, and the kids definitely loved them, too.  There was the chance for kids to learn about how their DNA works by doing a taste-test of bitter and sweet substances and create colorful bracelets in the pattern of DNA.  The static electricity station (pictured above) allowed children see how static worked - while making their hair rise in the process.

Some of the exhibits were presented by organizations like The Ohio State University, Columbus State, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, NBC4 and NASA.  One of NASA’s exhibits showed kids how robotics worked, while the NBC4 exhibit featured tornado tubes to illustrate how vortexes (tornados) form.  However, the most fascinating exhibit of the entire night was, in my opinion, the human brain that was on display.  There was a full-size brain, brain matter and a brain stem that children and their families were able to pick up and touch.  Children power-walked over to this station to have the chance to see and touch a human brain up-close and personal.

Three siblings were present, Barrett, Braiden and Brooks Bower (pictured above).  Barrett, the youngest of the three boys, told me that his favorite part of the night was being able to touch the human brain that was on display.  When Braiden, the oldest boy was asked about his favorite part of the Extravaganza, he enthusiastically said “the insect exhibit!”  This exhibit allowed kids to hold different types of insects - including a giant millipede.  All evening I saw kids excitedly picking up the large millipede and let it crawl all over them.  I salute these kids, as I am not that brave.

This event was truly amazing, and it will continue to inspire the growing number of children and their families, year after year, to explore the world of science.  We can’t wait to see what Rob and his team will do next.

- Elly Norris