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Science Rendezvous Kingston returned to the Leon’s Centre on May 13th, transforming the area and surrounding streets into an interactive science discovery zone. The event was a huge success, with 5337 visitors from all across Southeastern Ontario interacting with the 51 booths and over 430 volunteers.

As has been the case for more than a decade, the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy played a central role in the event. More than 35 volunteers from our Department, including the Queen’s Observatory, the McDonald Institute, and SNOLAB, joined forces to provide a wide array of engaging, interactive physics activities for our visitors. Find out more about the event in the Gazette.

Some fun physics activities presented by our Department

• a self-guided walk thought a scale version of the solar system;
• a "spacetime table" that allowed visitors to experiment with gravity and orbits;
• virtual tours of SNOLAB;
• an introduction to carrying out physics experiments at the South Pole, including the opportunity to dress like an Antarctic explorer at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory;
• the chance to experience conservation of angular momentum first-hand;
• a fun exposure to thermodynamics with candle-powered boats;
• the chance to create a take home bracelet from beads that change colour when exposed to ultraviolet light;
• the opportunity to make a sketch and then watch it “disappear” in water thanks to the magic of refraction;
• a demonstration of levitation of a superconducting disk over an array of powerful magnets;
• the chance to use particle scattering to determine the shape of a hidden object;
• the opportunity to safely observe the sun through telescopes equipped with special solar filters;
• the chance to “build” a comet; the chance to experience vision in different wavelengths with a UV and an infrared camera;
• the opportunity to learn about the total solar eclipse that will happen in Kingston on April 8, 2024 (for the first time since December 10, 1349!), and how to observe it safely

Science Rendezvous in pictures

Photos are courtesy of Prof. Wright, Prof. Courteau of PEPA,  from the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy. Click on the images to enlarge.

Visitors choose a prize after completing a walk through a scale-model solar system.

 

Vapour is released as a model of a comet is made using dry ice.

 

Guests learn about the total solar eclipse that will be visible in Kingston next spring using a rotating model of the Earth/Moon/Sun system.

 

Our volunteers put the finishing touches on our station inside the Leon’s Centre, just before the arrival of the crowds.

Guests explore planetary orbits using our “gravity table".

 

Visitors make take-home bracelets from beads that change colour when exposed to UV light.

 

Dr. A. Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, tried out our angular momentum demonstration.

 

Our volunteers demonstrating the levitation of a superconductor over a magnet, and showing how scattering experiments can allow us to determine the shape of a hidden object.  

 

Visitors watch the candle powered steam boats at the front of our busy station.

 

Thank you to all the volunteers

We would like to thank our wonderful group of volunteers, including: Nikhil Arora, Minya Bai, Melissa Baiocchi, Akanksha Bij, Ayan Biswas, Joe Bramante, Christopher Cappiello, Sabrina Cheng, Livia Comeau, Stéphane Courteau, Rayhaneh Dehghani, Emmett Desroche, Emma Ellingwood, Lawrence Faria, Laura Fissel, Philippe Gros, Jamie Grove, Leo Kim, Alex Knobel, Robert Knobel, Brian Krar, Jennifer Low, Julianna Manecka, Szymon Manecki, Anthony Noble, Parisa Nozari, Nahee Park, Serena Riccetto, Mark Richardson, Sarah Sadavoy, Ingrida Semenec, Nick Swidinsky, Benjamin Tam, and Alex Wright. We note that Szymon and Julianna drove 1300 kilometers round trip from SNOLAB to participate! We received invaluable support in preparing the demonstrations from Steve Gillen, Pat Given, Chuck Hearns, and John Odell.

Thanks to everyone involved for making the event a success!