Report from Headquarters
First Festival of Science a Success
Written by: developer
In January, the Space Foundation Discovery Institute, located on the campus of the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., hosted its first free Festival of Science.
The after-school event featured hands-on science exhibits and two presentations by former astronaut Wendy B. Lawrence. Some Swigert Academy students had heard Lawrence’s lecture earlier in the day and returned with parents and siblings for her evening presentation.
Nearly 200 middle school students and their family members braved the cold for the opportunity to handle a tarantula, launch a stomp rocket, extract DNA samples, and see really big bugs.
Participating organizations included:
- Boy Scouts of America
- Butterfly Pavilion
- Catamount Institute
- Challenger Learning Center
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- Colorado Springs Astronomical Society
- Colorado Springs Rocket Society
- Colorado Springs Utilities
- Cool Science
- Estes
- Florissant Fossil Beds
- Fountain Creek Nature Center
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
- Pikes Peak Library District
- Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center
- University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Pictured: The Space Foundation Festival of Science featured animals from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and a visit from Larry Bartel, principal of Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy.
This article is part of Space Watch: Februrary 2010 (Volume: 9, Issue: 2).