AUBURN - When Carrie Miles entered the National Science Center's Mobile Discovery Center, she had no idea she was about to embark on a hair-raising experience.
Standing on a plastic stool at the front of the trailer, Miles placed her right hand on a large metal ball. With the flip of a switch, her long, blonde, curly hair began to stick straight up, an effect of static electricity. Her fellow eighth-graders in the packed van applauded.
When the Discovery Center's van visited West Middle School, both students and teachers were immersed in the excitement and education behind the world of hands-on science.
The 18-wheeler is staffed by U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Navell Davila and Sgt. First Class Robert Salek. The two men are technically stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., but spend 200 to 250 days traveling around the country encouraging math and science education.
“We travel from the East Coast to the West Coast and try to visit as many schools as we can,” Davila said. “If we can get kids excited about math and science, then maybe one day they will decide to pursue a career in that field.”
The Mobile Discovery Center is more than an expandable trailer, it is a theater, classroom and exhibit hall. The complete 50-minute program includes a high-definition show and interactive science demonstrations.
The Discovery Center is the only federally-funded innovative and traveling education program, and Davila hopes that its modern technology engages students so they don't look at it as just another boring class. A number of science experiences are performed explaining how sound, light and electricity work.
“Who is willing to sacrifice their body for science?” Davila asked the group sitting in the gray bench-style seats.
Davila told students that if they volunteered, he would reward them with an “IQ pencil” - a GO ARMY engraved pencil Davila said would raise students IQs at least 1 percent. A few hands rose unsteadily, and Davila called on Zachary Clark.
Clark showed his classmates what real light and ultra-violet rays could do, while there was no electricity involved, Clark said he still learned a few things - like ultra violet rays cannot penetrate glass.
“It was pretty cool,” Clark said. “It made me like science more then I used to.”
As students lit up light bulbs with their hands and used long light rods as light-savors, Davila said the experiments conducted are not magic, but science at work.
Students laughed as Davila broke a piece of glass using a strobe light.
“The kids really get excited about math and science, and I think that says enough,” Salek said.
When the Discovery Center's van visited West Middle School, both students and teachers were immersed in the excitement and education behind the world of hands-on science.
The 18-wheeler is staffed by U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Navell Davila and Sgt. First Class Robert Salek. The two men are technically stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., but spend 200 to 250 days traveling around the country encouraging math and science education.
“We travel from the East Coast to the West Coast and try to visit as many schools as we can,” Davila said. “If we can get kids excited about math and science, then maybe one day they will decide to pursue a career in that field.”
The Mobile Discovery Center is more than an expandable trailer, it is a theater, classroom and exhibit hall. The complete 50-minute program includes a high-definition show and interactive science demonstrations.
The Discovery Center is the only federally-funded innovative and traveling education program, and Davila hopes that its modern technology engages students so they don't look at it as just another boring class. A number of science experiences are performed explaining how sound, light and electricity work.
“Who is willing to sacrifice their body for science?” Davila asked the group sitting in the gray bench-style seats.
Davila told students that if they volunteered, he would reward them with an “IQ pencil” - a GO ARMY engraved pencil Davila said would raise students IQs at least 1 percent. A few hands rose unsteadily, and Davila called on Zachary Clark.
Clark showed his classmates what real light and ultra-violet rays could do, while there was no electricity involved, Clark said he still learned a few things - like ultra violet rays cannot penetrate glass.
“It was pretty cool,” Clark said. “It made me like science more then I used to.”
As students lit up light bulbs with their hands and used long light rods as light-savors, Davila said the experiments conducted are not magic, but science at work.
Students laughed as Davila broke a piece of glass using a strobe light.
“The kids really get excited about math and science, and I think that says enough,” Salek said.
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