Society of Physics Students Provides Outreach Around Texas

The A&M-Commerce booth at SBSWedu||Students at SXSWedu|Giving demonstrations |Teaching students|Giving demonstrations at A&M-College Station|Teaching the students about science|The students learning about physics. |Helping students with experiments

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) was very busy during the month of March participating in both the South by Southwest Educational Expo (SXSWedu) and the Physics and Engineering Festival. Both events brought attention to the SPS chapter, the Texas A&M University-Commerce science program and the study of science as a whole with their demonstrations of neutron stars and superconductivity.

“The educational expo was a great opportunity to showcase our SPS chapter and generate interest in both science and our school,” said Sara Cantu, vice-president of the Society of Physics Students. “It was great watching faces light up at the superconductivity experiment and how tickled people were, adults and children alike, over the model neutron stars. Both events provided a great opening for teaching about a subject that most wouldn't take the time to learn about.”

Students traveled to the SXSWedu in Austin, Texas on March 10. The expo is one of the largest gatherings of educators in the state of Texas and is part of the internationally famous family of arts and technology festivals. The SPS chapter brought several physics demos and models to teach about neutron stars and also demonstrated superconductivity using liquid Nitrogen.

On March 28, the students traveled to the Physics and Engineering Festival at Texas A&M University in College Station. Students from area elementary and high schools were invited to join and were treated to hands-on demonstrations. The SPS chapter helped students create model pulsars using Styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners while explaining the physics behind neutron stars.

“We had an awesome time and saw some great experiments such as liquid nitrogen bombs, square wheeled bicycles and cloud chambers,” said Vanessa Lyons, president of the Society of Physics Students. “It was a great experience and I hope we can do something like this in Commerce.”

The Society of Physics Students is open to all students with an interest in physics. The chapter sponsors physics and science related activities and provides opportunities for members to meet with researchers from other institutions. To learn more about SPS, visit https://www.tamuc.edu/academics/colleges/scienceengineeringagriculture/departments/physicsAstronomy/societyOfPhysicsStudents/default.aspx and follow them at Facebook.com/SPS.TAMUC.