
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — College students made science fun this weekend with hands-on experiments at Drexel University.
READ MORE: WATCH LIVE: DA Krasner To Award Violence Prevention Grants To 3 Youth Cycling ProgramsKids learned from college students at the 5th annual Philly Materials Science and Engineering Day.
“Seeing our students, both undergraduate and graduate students be able to explain a concept, both at the level of say, a 7-year-old and at the level of an adult,” says Drexel associate professor Dr. Christopher Weyant. “What we’re doing here is providing over 30 hands-on demonstrations for kids and adults to come learn a bit about what materials science and engineering is.”
He says students set up a variety of experiments to teach kids about the properties of everyday materials.
“We have demos that are grouped into five different themes: sports, health, energy, communication and Earth,” Weyant says. “Everything around us is made from something and somebody had to decide what material to use.”
What did 7-year-old Nasree learn?
READ MORE: Man Stabbed At SEPTA's 30th Street Station“When the water hits the butterfly wing, it glides off.”
Kuznits: “And what did you learn from that?”
“That the butterfly doesn’t get wet!”
13-year-old Rose learned about all kinds of materials, including oobleck.
“Oobleck is a mixture of cornstarch and water,” she said, “and it’s like a non-Newtonian substance.”
Kuznits: “I see somebody’s been paying attention.”
MORE NEWS: WATCH LIVE: Mayor Kenney, Sen. Casey To Highlight Federal Funding For Schuylkill River“Yeah! So if you hit it hard it’s solid,” Rose added, “but then if you hit it soft it’s a liquid.”