Ferris Wheels, Funnel Cake, and Fun with Science

Science is fun. That’s the message that the Penn State Eberly College of Science’s Office of Science Outreach is focused on sending every year when they visit the Centre County Grange Fair. In addition to carnival rides, fair food, and livestock shows, fairgoers learn from Penn State scientists, who present experiments and activities related to their research. The office has been hosting the signature event, “Fun with Science,” at the fair every August since 2015 and has reached more than 200 people each year.

While the Office of Science Outreach is known for its popular K–12 summer camps, Science-U, “Fun with Science” allows them to reach more broadly into the Centre County community. Families of all ages join in on the science fun, from young kids to adults who want to participate in an experiment or learn about a particular topic.

This past summer, staff, faculty, and graduate students from the Eberly College of Science’s departments of astronomy and astrophysics and chemistry and the Penn State College of Liberal Arts participated in the event, where they taught attendees about the solar system or how to make slime. One of those graduate students was Kiran Pitta, a member of Professor of Chemistry Miriam Freedman’s lab, who helped lead an activity focused on atmospheric chemistry and cloud formation.

“Outreach at the Grange Fair has been one of my favorite experiences,” said Pitta, who participated with his lab group this summer and the previous summer as the outreach chair of the Penn State chapter of the student organization Graduate Women in Science. “It’s wonderful to see kids and families light up when science feels fun, hands on, and part of their everyday world.”

For three years, Carol-Beth Book, education program specialist with the Office of Science Outreach, has coordinated this event, which she said has become a staple of the Grange Fair. Compared to programs like Science-U, she described “Fun with Science” as a more relaxed atmosphere and a way to share science easily with people from multiple generations. 

“The kids in particular love it,” said Book. “Some kids even show up before the event is ready. They like the hands-on experience, and it might not be something they get at home or at school.” 

The impact Book and her team have seen so far has been positive, and they are consistently invited back. 

“The main goal is to humanize the work we do here at Eberly and Penn State,” she said. “We want to make connections with people and want them to see what kind of research we are doing and how it’s helping the community and society. We want to share the science by showing people how it can impact their lives, while making it fun.”