April 02, 2005
Ideas 2005
I just got back to the Citidal after a full day of educational fun at the "Ideas 2005" sponsered by the Engineering Student Council of Purdue University.
The idea was to introduce engineering and science concepts to 4th and 5th graders to try to encourage an interest in the hard sciences among grade school children. The registration was to begin at 8:00 AM; and as I had slightly overslept, we didn't leave the Citidal untill almost 7:20, with 68 mile drive ahead of us. I ignored common sense and the speed limits, and we arrived at the registration area by 8:15, in spite of missing the first turn into Lafayette from l-65. The whole affair was run, led and instructed by Student Council members, and I would like to give them kudos for an enjoyable time.
It was truly a joy to watch these fresh faced youngsters on a quest for knowledge. I think the highlight of the day for Anna was when they got to try to fly the Alka-Seltzer rockets they had built in the Quad. Really quite amazing to see these little constructs made of film canisters and paper plate fins and nose cones hurl themselves up into the air, powered by alki-seltzer tablets and water. I think the top flier went almost thirty feet into the air. A close second was the ice cream the kids made themselves as a demonstration of chemical engineering.
Anna didn't want to leave, and wanted to know if she could go to a couple classes there this week to as she put it, "check out the teaching style of the professors" and see if she wanted to go to Purdue when it came time for her foray into higher education. If the goal was to excite young children to the possibilities of an education in science, I do believe it was a success.
After we were released from the activities, Anna and I talked to a young student named Frank in the Engineering Quad as he and his lovely girlfriend were walking their dogs. Of course Anna fell in love with the dogs and gave them a good hearty romp, chasing and fetching. Anna wanted to add these dogs to our growing menagerie, but I managed to convince her that they were happy with their present owners The first thing she did when we finally arrived home was to go into the back yard to lavish some needed attention to our own canine companions, I hust hope she doesn't get dirty before her sister comes to pick her up for a dinner out with the "out-laws", as Mamamontezz refers to them. (not describing their typical behaviour, just an amusing way to refer to my ex and her family, with whom we are still close to) As for me, I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home alone, untill Mama gets home from work.
I'd post some pictures, but as Mama has kept the arcane knowledge of how to transfer pics from the camera onto the computer from her technologically ignorant spouse, it will have to await her return.