A couple of the "Falcon Tube" rockets used
during the chemistry experiments
On the November 3rd, 2012, CSU Channel Islands had its fourth Science Carnival for the local kids in grades K-8 and their families. As it has since 2009, the science carnival displays science to the attendees as a fun and applicable subject to study during their potential undergraduate studies. The goal of the science carnival is to help local students find a passion and interest in the sciences, no matter which discipline it may be.

Dr. Phil Hampton founded the science carnival in 2009 with hopes of creating a community outreach program for the young students attending school within Ventura County. In addition to igniting a passion for science, Dr. Hampton hoped to create an event that would provide a hands-on experience for children and their families that was fun, free of price, and full of excitement. Dr. Hampton has succeeded tremendously.

This year, there were a large amount of exciting and interesting experiments to witness. From looking at animal bones to slime, and frozen ice cream to different colored flames, the science carnival was able to create a diverse learning environment for students of all ages.
Aurora Ginzburg lighting her hands
on fire with propane bubbles

One of the experiments involved lighting a student’s hands on fire. The experiment involved propane, water, bubbles, and fire. A container filled with propane had a hose in it that caused the propane to form bubbles at the top of the liquid. The student then put her hands in a bucket of water and then scooped up the bubbles. Channel Islands (CI) student Aurora Ginzburg took a lighter and set the bubbles aflame, causing a beautiful ball of fire to light up within her hands. The propane burns faster and at a lower temperature than water does, which explains why coating your hands with water makes sure that your hands don’t burn along with the propane bubbles you are holding.

The magnesium metal creating a bright
spectacle within the dry ice blocks
A second experiment involved burning magnesium metal in dry ice. A couple pieces of magnesium metal were put between two pieces of dry ice. The magnesium was lit with a torch and the children’s eyes began to widen. The bright spectacle caused by this combustion results in magnesium oxide and carbon powder. The oxidation and combustion reaction caused by the burning magnesium reacts with the oxygen in the dry ice to result with carbon powder left within the two slabs of dry ice.

CSU Channel Islands’ chemistry professor, Dr. Brittnee Veldman, put one of the more dramatic experiments on. She spent a majority of the carnival lying on a bed of nails for all the visitors to see. She started by throwing an apple at the bed of nails to show how the differences in weight displacement on the bed affects the objects differently. When an object is subjected to the bed with only a small amount of the surface area being exposed to the nails, an unfortunate effect is observed: a pierced apple. On the other hand, when a person lies down on the bed with his or her weight completely dispersed, as Dr. Veldman did, the individual is unharmed. The person can actually have a cinder block broken on his or her chest while lying on the bed of nails.
A cinder block being broken on Dr. Veldman's chest
as she lies on the bed of nails. 

The three mentioned experiments were not the only events shown during the science carnival. There is nowhere but up for these experiments to go with each science carnival that passes. I can only encourage you to attend next year’s event, for there is only so much that I can describe in written text. You can only see it to believe it.

Once again science, you rule!
Kayte Bataille