Truck rolls up at school to provide science lessons
Holy Family teachers, pupils wait 3 years for very special visit
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer
Inside an 18-wheel truck, pupils from Holy Family School, Lakewood, watched their fellow classmates use their bodies to conduct electricity.

JEFF GRANIT staff When the National Science Center's Mobile Discovery Center visited Holy Family School in Lakewood on June 5, Megan Maloney (with hand on plasma ball), Sarah Bunn and George Frueh got a lesson in electricity.

The demonstration of electricity was just one of the physical science lessons that was delivered during a 45-minute program that came to the school via the Mobile Discovery Center as part of a joint effort between the National Science Center and the U.S. Army.

According to the National Science Center's Internet Web site, "The primary mission (of the center) is to improve technical literacy and stimulate an interest in the physical sciences and math inherent in today's technology."

U.S. Army Sgt. Craig Patrick and Rich Cadwell, an education services specialist, presented a number of demonstrations during their June 5 visit to Holy Family School.

Math coordinator Meg Bowdish and science coordinator Jeff Hecht coordinated the program at the school.

Bowdish said she learned about the mobile science program from Wilma Saunders, an outreach coordinator for Fort Monmouth, Eatontown.

"She mentioned it was a free program that presented science in a hands-on, fun approach," Bowdish said. "I contacted them about three years ago and finally we were next up on their list. These demonstrations gave our students a chance to see how math and science work together, as well as to present the concepts in a hands-on everyday example."

Cadwell and Patrick travel 220 days a year presenting the demonstrations to students in grades three through nine. In 2007, they met more than 26,000 students.

Once inside the truck, the children learned about acoustics and saw how glass could be broken by the amplification of sound.

The youngsters' vision was challenged when the room turned pitch black and students had to follow a light-emitting dial. The demonstration of "I Thought I Saw Something" created images on the students' retinas.

Fifth-grader Austin O'Koren, 11, of Brick Township, gave the presentation a thumbs-up.

"I found it to be very educational and enjoyable," Austin said. "My favorite part was the electronic glass-breaker demonstration."

Fifth-grader Jared Murgio, 11, of Toms River, said, "I thought the demonstrations were really fun. My favorite part was the plasma ball."

Jared summed up the special event at the Holy Family School, saying, "I have always liked science, especially the experiments."