By far our most busy time of year this year has been final week of October 2013. Sunday, October 27th, a few of us got together with Professor Cortes to spend our Sunday morning and early afternoon setting up for the first run of our Physics Haunted House. Many people worked on exhibits that ended up not happening for one reason or another. Many were very ambitious.
Monday October 28th, we held the preliminary Physics Haunted House in Building 11-106 from 10am to 2pm. There was a pumpkin carving contest outside the room and inside was a fully decorated maze of science. I think we might have even scared some new international students who mistook the room for an orientation. The big hit with everyone was Blake's Tesla Coil, throwing off electricity and MIDI music, including the theme from Beetlejuice, Mission: Impossible and the Imperial March. Many positive reviews came from that day, and while it was fun, it was just a taste for what was to come...
Tuesday October 29th, we held our fourth general meeting in 11-106 and asked for volunteers to help set up on Thursday afternoon, man stations in the evening and help clean up afterwards. Luigi also made note of Sheran graduating at the end of the semester and was looking to fill the vacancy she will leave behind in the Treasurer position. To further that aim, the call was put out for anyone who isn't graduating this spring to think of taking over the FES leadership, as Luigi and several other board members will be graduating at the end of the year. Also, the next major project on the horizon - Engineering Week (February) - was mentioned so people will start thinking and planning their exhibits.
Thursday October 31st, the Physics Haunted House went live to the public. With volunteers arriving an hour before we could even get into the room to start setting up, the energy level was high from the beginning. With a little trial and error, some minor challenges were overcome and we opened the doors to the Haunted House around 5:45pm to anxious crowds. With tour guides, 8 tables full of exhibits, an awesome decorating job and lots of science, there was a non-stop flow of people waiting to get into the room and see what we do as engineers. The exhibits were:
Anti-gravity water Arduino skeleton and reverse mask Musical Tesla Coil Goldfish swimming in flames Sympathetic pendulum Fun with Plasma Globes Boo Bubbles Non-Newtonian fluid on a speaker cone.
When all was said and done, the event was a huge success thanks to our volunteers, the passion of our exhibitors and the assistance of our advisor, Charles Davis and Physics Professor, Angela Cortes. Thank you all for your help in making this event such a huge success!