The Nontraditional Student Union held its fifth Duckling Day celebration in the EMU Amphitheater on Thursday; the community event was created for children to spend a day at the University and participate in activities with other children.
Among the activities provided were face painting, T-shirt decorating, a fishing station behind a cloth sheet and an interactive physics demonstration by University professor Stanley Micklavzina.
“The whole point is to try to generate interest in science for children, so when they get older they want to study it,” he said.
More than 100 people attended the event, most of them children.
“When you have this many kids here, you can’t go wrong,” said Jonathan Wei, coordinator of Nontraditional Programs
at the University’s Physical Activity and Recreation Services. “They make the energy and fun.”
Most of the children came to the event on buses from the University’s childcare centers.
The program began with Micklavzina’s demonstration, which focused on showing children different theories of physics through interactive displays. He used water and pressure rockets to show principles of air pressure. In another experiment, he dumped cold liquid nitrogen on a 55-gallon barrel filled with hot air, condensing the air inside and collapsing the barrel. Micklavzina said he wanted to give children an entertaining show, but stressed that the educational aspect of it is just as important.
“I try to do things that have a little more flash and grab attention, but I try to explain the physics behind the demonstration,” he said.
Micklavzina said he has been performing similar shows for seven years in the Eugene area, often using the name “Dr. Stanley’s Science Circus.” He said his presentation provided a helpful lesson for children participating in Duckling Day.
The event continued with a martial arts routine by the Wushu Club and a performance by Silas, a local band.
Sergei Bogdanov, a research assistant in the Lewis Center for Neuroimaging, attended the event with his two children, Max and Luka. He said he was impressed with the success of the event, and the children’s interaction with each other made it worth it.
“The more they get out, the better,” he said.
Bogdanov’s 5-year-old son Max said he liked “those fighting
guys” the best, referring to the Wushu Club.
“I like their moves,” Max said.
Contact the people, faith and culture reporter at [email protected]