MOORPARK EXPO AIMS TO INSPIRE SCIENTISTS.Byline: Students get introduction to lab experiments By Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer Taking a field trip away from school to hear a college lecture on physics wasn't exactly Peter Boon's idea of fun. But once the Simi High student discovered the world of science, he wanted to hear more. ``This is definitely more fun than school,'' said Boon, 15. ``I'm surprised.'' The teen was among several thousand community college and high school students who attended the third annual science exposition at Moorpark College Wednesday. Coordinated by student members of the Math, Engineering and Science Association - MESA - the daylong event featured explosive chemistry demonstrations, a musical laser show and cadaver cadaver /ca·dav·er/ (kah-dav´er) a dead body; generally applied to a human body preserved for anatomical study.cadav´ericcadav´erous ca·dav·er n. dissection. By providing a variety of activities, the event promotes many science-related career opportunities while broadening awareness of science and technology, said MESA President Dena Richardson. ``I hope they all get a feeling of how important science is in this world, and how important it is for the future,'' said Richardson, 21, a mechanical engineering major. She noted that Moorpark College offers associate degree programs in many science and technology disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics and computer science. ``Some people have this image of scientists as guys wearing glasses and lab coats - but not everybody in science is a geek A technically oriented person. It has typically implied a "nerdy" or "weird" personality, someone with limited social skills who likes to tinker with scientific or high-tech projects. The origin of the term dates back to the late 1800s. ,'' Richardson said. ``Science is about the world around you - it's about the world around all of us.'' Lectures on biotechnology, the science of garbage and myths of the Ark were given by Moorpark College professors throughout the day. Demonstrations featured spectral analysis and X-ray crystallography. Exhibits showcased electric-powered cars, a United States Air Force United States Air Force (USAF) Major component of the U.S. military organization, with primary responsibility for air warfare, air defense, and military space research. It also provides air services in coordination with the other military branches. U.S. micro aircraft and other state-of-the-art technology. Contests for Moorpark College students included ``projectile projectile something thrown forward. projectile syringe see blow dart. projectile vomiting forceful vomiting, usually without preceding retching, in which the vomitus is thrown well forward. motion'' - a contest in which competitors used a Pasco scientific projectile launcher to apply the laws of physics and predict the range of missiles launched at different angles. For high school students, a rocket-building contest measured their basic understanding of aerodynamics and physics. An egg-dropping contest was based on similar scientific theories, while a pop quiz tested their environmental knowledge. Competitors in the oil derrick contest were each given a meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. kit of several hundred toothpicks and glue to construct a miniature hoisting apparatus. The derrick that held the most weight before collapsing took first place. Representatives from California Lutheran University Mission statement The University's mission statement is as follows: "California Lutheran University is a diverse, scholarly community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. , Cleveland Chiropractic chiropractic (kīrəprăk`tĭk) [Gr.,=doing by hand], medical practice based on the theory that all disease results from a disruption of the functions of the nerves. College and University of La Verne The University of La Verne is a private university in La Verne, California (about 35 miles east of Los Angeles) with a main campus, seven satellite campuses throughout central and southern California, a law school, and two military regional campuses at Point Mugu Naval Air Station were among the recruiters from local California State University Enrollment  , University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). and private university campuses. In addition to promoting awareness of science and technology, the event gave potential future students a glimpse of Moorpark College life, said Shad Schidel, exposition director and MESA member. ``It's a fun way to promote science while putting Moorpark College on the map,'' said Schidel, 22, a biochemistry major. ``Hopefully, a lot of these high school students will remember this and want to attend Moorpark College.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) (Color in SIMI only) A frog sits in a tank as a student gets quizzed Wednesday at the Moorpark College science expo. (2--CONEJO only) Collin Lieberg, left, and Michael Liu, both 15, guess how many candies are in a flask at the expo. Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News |
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