“Oh wow, look at that one go!” shouted David Marrison as he watched a rocket soar hundreds of feet into the July sky Friday afternoon.
Marrison, whose work as extension educator with Ohio State University usually has him rooted in the soil, turned his eyes to the sky Friday, along with 20 youngsters who participated in 2012 Summer Science Academy. The 4-H program was made possible by a grant from the Robert S. Morrison Foundation and will touch the lives of about 300 youngsters, said Abbey Averill, program assistant, 4-H and agriculture.
“This is the first year for us,” she said. “We’re very excited about it.”
Students who participated in the hands-on activities at the fairgrounds came from 4-H science academies held at six libraries around the county. Campers at this year’s 4-H camp at Camp Whitewood also had science activities as a result of the Morrison Foundation grant.
“When you ask them what was the favorite part of camp, and they say ‘the science,’ that’s unreal,” Marrison said.
“I love science,” said Abrianna Jones, who is going into sixth grade and participated in the program Friday. “It’s awesome.”
“I want to go into research,” said Katelyne Crouch, 11, of Cherry Valley.
Averill said about 300 youngsters, ages 8 through 14, will participate in the science program this summer. One unit is devoted to the science of motion, the other to robotics.
Activities during the motion program included using a catapult and building a rocket from a kit. At the end of the day, the youngsters launched their rockets, powered by a solid-fuel engine. Marrison said altitudes of 500 feet are typical, and the weather conditions on Friday were perfect for attaining that kind of height.
His daughter, Analese, 12, said building and launching rockets at camp and the academy on Friday were the best parts of the program.
“I learned how to build a rocket and we had a really fun time,” she said. Analese predicted that the rocket she built Friday would go “really high” because she would draw upon her experience at camp.
“I worked extra hard on this one and it has an engine in it,” she said.
Students kept an eye on their rockets as they soared and then blew off their cones to release a tracer ribbon. Some of the rockets survived the journey intact and ready for another launch. But when Dylan Acierno retrieved his rocket, he discovered that the blast had also blown a hole in the side of the cardboard rocket.
The academy returns to the fairgrounds next Friday for a unit on robotics. Averill said youngsters will build robots from toothbrush heads and construct a much more complex robot from Legos that costs several hundred dollars. The robot kit will be available to 4-H clubs in the county for members to use with their robotics projects. The Morrison Foundation’s grant also provided the funding for that purchase.
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