CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Before the APSU Governor’s School for Computational Physics finished its three weeks of summer fun on Friday, the school’s mentors and professors had a little bit more science to show off, including:
• Mentors Jonathan Bunton and Joshua Allen helped the students dip roses, bananas and even cabbage in liquid nitrogen. The process had a chilling effect, turning the plants into fragile-as-porcelain projectiles the students smashed.
• APSU chemistry professor Dr. Meagan Mann used the school’s special recipe to make liquid nitrogen ice cream, much to the delight of absolutely everybody on this hot, hot day.
• APSU Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy lab manager Bryan Gaither and Governor’s School mentor Jeremiah Simmons boiled water in a 55-gallon steel drum then put it on ice. Within 90 seconds, the drum imploded with a massive pop that caused some nearby eyes to pop as well.
The APSU Governor’s School for Computational Physics is a three-week high-intensity program for rising high school juniors and seniors nominated by their faculty. The program, which includes a college-level classroom setting and field trips to places such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is one of 11 offered at colleges across the state.