Event Recap: River Falls, WI

Our first Bringing the Universe to Wisconsin event took place in River Falls, Wisconsin, on November 27th and 28th. Events were held on campus and in the community, including nearby St. Paul, Minnesota.

The two-day science engagement extravaganza began at noon on Tuesday the 27th with an introduction to University of Wisconsin-River Falls’ (UWRF) new planetarium by UWRF Physics Professor James Madsen. The lunch event included tours and demos of the new digital projection system.

Later in the afternoon, a “Meet the Scientist” session was held at the River Falls coffeeshop Dish and the Spoon Café. From 3:30-5:30, Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC) staff were on hand to engage visitors and answer questions. Free coffee and scones were available, and although the event was marketed at adults, children came as well.

At 7pm, WIPAC volunteers returned to campus for “IceCube: A New View of the Universe from the South Pole,” an interactive event that began with a short overview talk on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, particle astrophysics, and working at the South Pole. After the talk, participants were free to visit a variety of hands-on stations around the room—trying on extreme cold weather gear, playing with computer programming, or checking our a large-scale model of IceCube.

On Wednesday, November 28, the day began with visits to 4th grade classrooms, where three classrooms were given an introduction to neutrino telescopes and working at the South Pole. Following the introduction, students participated in hands-on activities like trying on cold weather gear, ice drilling, and learning about ice properties.

Later in the day WIPAC volunteers made visits to a UWRF Quantum Mechanics class and met with high school students studying engineering physics and chemistry.

The trip to River Falls actually ended across the state line in St. Paul, Minnesota, at Dr. Chocolate’s Chocolate Chateau. The Chateau hosted a “Science Pub” for adult audiences featuring the science of IceCube.

Overall, the occasion was a huge success. A big thanks to all our volunteers, and to staff at UWRF, Dish and the Spoon Café, and Dr. Chocolate’s Chocolate Chateau.

For pictures of the event, check out the River Falls album.