HUB Alumni Hall was transformed into a space and science wonderland when Penn State and the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium sponsored the fourth annual Space Day on Saturday. The event focused on Earth, air and space research at the university.
"Our program is geared toward children, ages five to 12, and their families," said Angela Phelps, assistant director for K-12 programs at Penn State. "We used a combination of graduate students and students in the College of Education to help us with the displays."
The event featured interactive activities, a memorial for the Columbia Shuttle Crew, tours of the Blake Shuttle, a school-bus sized replica of a NASA shuttle, and various speakers, including astronaut Jim Pawelczyk and Ann Schmiedekamp, associate professor of physics at Penn State Abington.
Pawelczyk shared his experiences in space, and discussed the future of the NASA Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station. Schmiedekamp gave mulitimedia presentations on NASA's mission to explore the solar system to find water and life.
Several Penn State students helped children with various activities during Space Day.
Sean Crosby (senior-elementary education) said the children enjoyed his display on the night sky.
"We are letting the kids make constellations with Styrofoam cups. They seem to be having a great time," he said.
Jim Moran (graduate-geoscience) and Kevin Hill (graduate-biochemistry) were using candy to help children understand anaerobic microbes.
"It's a really neat experience working with these kids," Moran said.
Outside, Megan DeCesar (junior-musical arts) was focusing light on pieces of paper to look for sunspots.
"When done correctly, you can look at the sun safely and see spots on it," she said.
Phelps said that although Space Day is a regional event, other schools offer activities as well.
"We've had a good turnout these past four years. People come to see what researchers have been working on and finding out. It is great to see children showing an interest in learning about space."
