On the Road Again
June 30, 2017
The ASU Society of Physics Students (SPS) has the right idea – take a road trip every spring right after graduation.
“The trip is totally orchestrated by the students,” Holik said. “This year, they wanted to go west. So they contacted several rural schools in West Texas and New Mexico to set up demonstrations.”
Over the week of May 15-20, the group covered more than 1,000 miles and presented five physics “shows” for more than 1,100 students at four schools in Pecos, Fort Stockton and Hobbs, N.M. Each show featured 15 demonstrations of scientific concepts using props that ranged from liquid nitrogen and nitrogen-filled balloons to Tesla coils, a bed of nails, vortex cannons and a laser light show. This was the third road trip for SPS member Jose Duran, a senior from San Angelo.
And the road trip is also a learning experience for the SPS members.
“It’s always satisfying as an educator, to see those two levels” he added. “To see your own students on the trip go from being non-interactive and kind of dry to developing this persona on stage to present physics – and then also to see the fruit of their labor shown in the excitement of the students in the audience. That was really satisfying and worth driving 1,000 miles for.”
In addition to the physics shows, the road trip always includes several outings for the SPS members and culminates with a science excursion. This year, they went hiking near Alpine and Carlsbad, N.M., visited Carlsbad Caverns, and wrapped up with a trip to the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis. But for many of them, it’s still all about the physics demos.
Considering this was Holik’s first year as trip advisor, it couldn’t have gone better.
“Other faculty members who have led the trip told horror stories of broken-down vehicles and lost reservations,” Holik said. “But this trip ran extremely smooth. No breakdowns, no hiccups at any of the hotels, and all the schools were set up and ready for us. It was pain-free and stress-free, a very enjoyable trip.”
“These are the types of things a physics educator works for,” he added. “To see a group of students come together and wear themselves out to present physics, and then go to a star-gazing party together, was awesome. I’m very glad I went and I’m looking forward to next year.”
(More photos and videos of the Peer Pressure Team’s road trip and physics demonstrations are available on the SPS Facebook page.)