Former astronaut encourages scientific exploration and persistance

Former astronaut Leland Melvin kicked off the Randolph College Science Festival with a lecture about his journey to becoming an astronaut. He advised students in the audience to explore science by experiencing it and never giving up.

Melvin explained how he gained experience in science while growing up in Lynchburg with parents who were teachers. Science was more than just book learning, he said. He learned about problem solving, creating, and experimenting through experiences such as helping his dad convert a bread delivery truck into an RV, building his own skateboard, and playing with a chemistry set.

“Science isn’t just about reading in a book,” he said. “Science is about making things.”

Melvin explained that he first learned about persistence during a high school football game when he dropped a touchdown pass, but the coach called the same play again. On the second try, he caught the pass, winning the game for Lynchburg’s Heritage High School and helping win him a college scholarship. He said the same kind of persistence is needed in science.

“If we had quit after the first five launches that failed, we never would have gone to the moon,” he said. He asked whether any students in the audience had ever failed a test, and he encouraged them to continue learning and trying to succeed. “You have to just keep moving,” he said.

After his talk, he answered questions from the audience and signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.

For photos from Melvin’s talk, check out the Science Festival 2014 Facebook album. Also, read this article in the News & Advance for more details about his talk.

Science Festival wins Programs that Work award

A statewide organization recently honored the Randolph College Science Festival for its effectiveness in teaching people the value of science.

The Virginia Math and Science Coalition gave the Science Festival a Programs that Work award, which recognizes effective educational programs around the state. Physics professor Peter Sheldon, director of the Science Festival, received the award along with Sarah Lawson, a physics and environmental studies professor, and Amanda Rumore, director of the Summer Research Program.

This is the second time in recent years that a program of the College has received a Programs that Work award. A summer institute that trains local teachers in hands-on approaches to teaching science was recognized in 2012.

The Science Festival grows every year. This year, new activities include remote-control drone races and a photography competition. For more information and a schedule of events, see this blog post.

Former astronaut, Lynchburg native Leland Melvin to speak at Science Festival 2014

Drone races, poetry and photography competitions, and a former astronaut, Lynchburg’s own Leland Melvin, will highlight the 6th annual Randolph College Science Festival.

The Science Festival is an annual series of free, public events that allow the public to discover and celebrate the beauty of science and its connection to many aspects of life. The multi-day event has grown significantly since it first began in 2009.

Leland Melvin

This year, the festival gets off to an early start with a 3.14 mile Pi Run at 6:30 p.m. on March 14 at WildCat Stadium.

The main series of events begins Thursday, March 27, when Melvin will deliver the keynote address at 7:30 p.m. in Smith Hall Theatre. Melvin is an engineer, educator, and a former two-time space shuttle astronaut who serves as the associate administrator for education for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A graduate of Heritage High School, he also played professional football before joining NASA.

“We are really excited to have Lynchburg native Leland Melvin as our keynote speaker,” said Peter Sheldon, director of the Science Festival. “We are so lucky to have this hometown hero come back to speak on our campus.”

Science Day, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary, is scheduled for March 29. The popular event features an afternoon of activities for students in grades 3-6. Registration for Science Day opens on January 18. The Randolph College Nursery School also will host Science Day for Little Scientists, for children ages 3-7, for the second year.

Science Day provides an afternoon of science-
based activities for students in grades 3-6

Other highlights of the 2014 Science Festival include:
• The return of the popular science poetry contest, and a new photography contest, for K-12 students; Entries must be submitted by February 14
• A screening of the film Gravity with commentary about its scientific accuracy
• The opportunity to race remote-control drones during the Drop-In Science Activities on Sunday, March 30
• A regional Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

Visit www.randolphscience.org for a full schedule of events and rules for the poetry and photography competitions.

The Randolph College Science Festival grew from Science Day, which was started by students in 2005. The popularity of Science Day, which routinely fills its registration early, led to the creation of an even bigger festival that would allow Randolph to share the beauty, fun, and relevance of science to all ages. The event has grown to encompass multiple days. It is organized and operated by the Randolph College Society of Physics Students and other student, staff, and faculty volunteers around campus.

Science Festival grows thanks to gift

The legacy of Lynn Hume Stuart ’60 continues with the 2013 Science Festival, which begins Thursday.

Lynn Hume Stuart ’60 made a gift to support the
Randolph College Science Festival for five years.

Lynn was a long-time supporter of the College and many of its programs. Last fall, she and her husband, Bill Stuart, made a gift to Randolph College to support the annual Science Festival for five years. Lynn passed away a few weeks later, on Nov. 2. Their gift has been instrumental in growing the Science Festival, which continues to offer more events involving more people each year.

The Stuarts’ gift is also supporting the Randolph Innovative Student Experience (RISE), a program that allows students to apply for grants to pay for research, artistic pursuits, travel study, and other experiential learning endeavors. Read more about their gift in this recent article in the Bulletin.
The Science Festival will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday with a keynote address by Don Lincoln, a physicist involved last year in the discovery of the Higgs boson, which was one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs in recent history. Science Festival continues with events each day through Sunday. Get the full schedule here.

Scientist who helped discover the Higgs boson to kick off Randolph Science Festival

A scientist involved in one of the most important recent scientific discoveries will headline the Randolph College Science Festival in March.

Don Lincoln, a Fermilab scientist, will present the Science Festival’s keynote address, “Fireworks in July – An Insider’s Account of the Discovery of the Higgs boson,” at 7:30 p.m. on March 21. It will kick off four days of events that help people of all ages learn about—and have fun with—science.

The Randolph College Science Festival helps people discover the science that powers innovations we all love. Find out more on the Science Festival website, or read a detailed list of events below.

Lincoln worked on the team of scientists that used the Large Hadron Collider in Europe to test for the existence of the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that is important to scientific theories about the beginnings of the universe. Last summer, the team announced that it had discovered what appeared to be a Higgs boson.

“The discovery of the Higgs boson is probably the biggest scientific discovery of the century,” said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph physics professor who organizes the Science Festival. “The large-scale science Dr. Lincoln is here to talk about impacts everyone, and he is able to really bring it to life.”

Lincoln is known for explaining deep scientific principles in a way that is easy for non-scientists to grasp—for example, he has written books and delivered a TED Talk about the Higgs boson, and also has a YouTube video with more than a million views. “He is able to show the beauty and express the importance of this and other discoveries,” Sheldon said. “He is a speaker you do not want to miss.”

After Lincoln’s keynote address, Science Festival will continue on Friday when Lincoln leads a class at Randolph College at 11:30 a.m. Members of the public may attend if they contact Sheldon in advance as seating is limited.

Other Science Festival events this year include:

Friday, March 22

The Center for Student Research Open House—Come learn about student research opportunities and achievements at Randolph College. 2:30 p.m., West 106
Women in Science Panel—Learn about how the College’s alumnae have built careers in science. 3:30 p.m., Nichols Theatre, Student Center
Poetry Competition Reading—More than 1,000 students have submitted science-themed poems to this year’s contest. 6:30 p.m., Wimberly Recital Hall, Presser Hall
A Scientist Goes to the Movies: The Avengers—Randolph mathematics professor Marc Ordower will dress as Nick Fury and offer scientific commentary about this popular film. Wear your own superhero costume for a chance to win a prize! 8 p.m., Nichols Theatre, Student Center

Saturday, March 23

Science Day Fun for Little Scientists—Randolph students will lead children in age-appropriate science-based activities at the Randolph College Nursery School. Noon and 1:30 p.m. (Requires pre-registration.)
Science Day—This popular event will include science-based activities for students in grades 3–6. (Requires pre-registration.)
Star Party—View stars, planets, and other astronomical bodies at Winfree Observatory. In the event of rain, a slideshow will be shown. 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 24

Art and Animals Drawing Contest—Draw animals from the College’s collection of birds and mammals. 1–3 p.m., Martin Science Building
Drop-in Science Activities—Science demonstrations including robots, lasers, nature, and more. 1–3 p.m., Martin Science Building
Pinewood Derby Regional Competition—We host this annual race for the Cub Scouts again. 1–4 p.m., Houston Memorial Chapel

Randolph College's 2012 Science Festival doubles attendance

More than 1,400 people of all ages got a taste of the magic of science March 23-25 during Randolph College’s 2012 Science Festival.

The Science Festival is in its fourth year and is designed to spark an interest in science in people of all ages by making science fun and accessible. The festival revolves around interactive exhibits and kid-friendly activities while also including lectures with leaders in the science community. Randolph’s Society of Physics Students runs the event each year with the help of more than 90 student volunteers.

“The student volunteers did an amazing job making all the events happen, and making them happen well,” said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph College physics professor and director of the Science Festival. “We grew Science Festival significantly this year, with more activities and more attendance, and we could not have done it without the huge community support.”

Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic magazine, kicked off the event with a classroom demonstration and public lecture on Thursday, March 23. Other events included a poetry contest for students in K-12, the popular Science Day for third through sixth graders, a drop-in event featuring hands-on science activities, the opportunity to view and critique the movie Twister with a scientist, the regional Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, and much more.

Randolph College provides Science Fest free to the community with the help of generous individual and corporate sponsors: Lead Sponsor: The News & Advance, AREVA, Edison2, Frito-Lay, Future Focus Foundation, Dominion Electric Vehicles, Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, High Peak Sportswear, Meriwether Godsey, Stewart Langley Properties, Pepsi, Marge Dillard ’4848, and The Honorable Elliot S. and Rosel H. Schewel.

Society of Physics students wins national recognition for the sixth year running

The annual Science Festival, where Randolph College students lead science demonstrations
and activities for children, teenagers, and adults, helped the Randolph chapter of the Society
of Physics Students win an Outstanding Chapter designation again.

Randolph College's physics students stay on the move: Throughout the year, you can find them fine-tuning potato guns, riding roller coasters to explore the physics at play, or helping Cub Scouts perfect their Pinewood Derby cars.

Those activities and outreach efforts have again caught national attention. The national office of the Society of Physics Students national office has just awarded the Randolph College Chapter with the Outstanding Chapter status for the sixth year in a row.

The Randolph College Chapter of the Society of Physics Students works on a variety of projects. Its largest activity is the annual Science Festival, when the College hosts science activities and demonstrations for people of all ages with the help of more than 90 student volunteers. This year's Science Festival will take place March 22 - 25.

This year, the group also plans to build a canon that will shoot T-shirts out to fans at Randolph College athletic events. They just do not stop!

Greater Lynchburg Community Trust Grant will help fund Randolph College's Science Festival poetry contest

LYNCHBURG—Randolph College has received a $2,000 grant from The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust (GLCT) in support of the College’s 2012 Science Festival.

The GLCT grant will allow the College to offer a poetry contest in conjunction with the Science Festival. The contest is open to all students in grades K-12, and the poems must have a science or math theme and can be in any form, such as Haiku, limerick, free form, etc. (See below for more details)

Now in its fourth year, Randolph's Science Festival is sponsored by the College’s Society of Physics Students and scheduled for March 22-25. Science Fest features hands on activities, demonstrations, and events all designed to spark an interest in science in people of all ages. The Festival also includes Science Day, an annual program geared toward younger children. Science Day has become increasingly popular since its inception in 2005.

"We could not have such a big event, with such a wide reach, without the support of GLCT," said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph physics professor who organizes the Science Festival. "Through the poetry contest, we are showing the connection between science and the arts, and we will reach out to the 20,000 or so K-12 students in the greater Lynchburg community. Through this grant, we are able to bring a part of the Science Festival to a large number of students, even if they are unable to attend the weekend event."

The poetry contest is open to all students from the area in grades K-12. The College will choose 39 finalists who will receive certificates. Of those finalists, three prizes of $100, $50, and $25 gift cards will be given in the elementary, middle and high school categories. If the winning poem is done as part of a class, the teacher of the winning student will receive an equal prize. Submissions must be postmarked by Feb. 17. Submissions can be typed, scanned, or e-mailed. Mail entries to psheldon@randolphcollege.edu or Peter Sheldon, Randolph College, 2500 Rivermont Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24503.

A reading of the finalists’ entries will take place at March 23 at 7 p.m. in the Jack Room of Smith Building on Randolph’s campus.

The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust exists to promote local philanthropy and to simplify the process of giving. The Community Trust receives and manages permanent gifts for the benefit of the citizens of the cities of Lynchburg and Bedford and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell. Needs served are broad in scope including human services to children, youth, the needy, and the elderly; education; health; the arts; and the humanities.

For more information about Science Fest or Science Day, please see http://physics.randolphcollege.edu/sps/scifest/ or contact Peter Sheldon at psheldon@randolphcollege.edu

Lynchburg youth get taste of science at Randolph College

Excitement for science was palpable Tuesday afternoon as participants in Lynchburg Parks and Recreation summer programs came to Randolph College to learn about electricity.


Peter Sheldon, a physics professor, showed the children how electricity from Tesla coils and Van de Graaff generators—also called lightning machines—interacts with packaging popcorn, pie plates, and human hair.





Sheldon encouraged the students to attend the College's Science Festival, scheduled for March 23—25 next year, to participate in more cool science experiments.

Get Ready for Randolph ScienceFest

The Randolph College Society of Physics Students is proud to bring you the Second Annual Randolph College Science Festival, March 25-27, 2011.

Begun as a Science Day for kids in 2005, we are joined by science, humanities and arts departments across the campus, and by numerous presenters to bring a weekend of activities for all.

All activities are free and open to the public, and are for all ages.

Learn more at www.RandolphScience.org