NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The U.S. Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab invites classes, groups and families to sign up now for one of its 2008-09 Physics Fests.
The first Physics Fest for the 2008-09 school year will be Thursday, Oct. 2. The science events will be held periodically through May 13, 2009. Three Physics Fest dates have also been posted for summer 2009.
A Physics Fest is a two-hour presentation (10 a.m. - noon) that includes an interactive summary of the research conducted at Jefferson Lab and demonstrates some of the technology used at the lab to conduct experiments. Highlights of the presentation include the popular Deep Freeze (cryogenics), Hot Stuff (plasmas) and hair-raising Electrostatics demonstrations.
Parents, teachers and students planning to attend a Physics Fest may wish to download the Physics Fest Classroom Activity Pack from JLab's Physics Fest website. The pdf document contains general information about Jefferson Lab, the anatomy of atoms, a vocabulary list with related games and puzzles, and data sheets and activities that can be used before, during and after attending a Physics Fest. The Activity Pack is about 2.1 MB in size, and can be downloaded with Adobe Reader software. The materials are written at the 6th-grade reading level.
Individual students and groups must be accompanied for the duration of the event by teachers, parents or authorized adult escorts. These free events take place in the CEBAF Center auditorium located at 12000 Jefferson Ave., Newport News. Seating is limited; reservations are required. Contact Dave Abbott by email davida@jlab.org or phone 757-269-7633 to request reservations.
Jefferson Lab is a physics research laboratory studying quarks and gluons – the particles making up the protons and neutrons found in the nucleus of the atom. It is a member of the Department of Energy's national laboratory system. For security purposes everyone over 16 is asked to carry a photo I.D. Security guards may inspect vehicles, book bags, etc. Visit JLab's virtual Visitor Center for directions.