CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – If you see a plume of dark smoke billowing from Austin Peay State University Thursday evening, don’t panic: It’s just science.
At 5 p.m. Thursday, APSU’s “professional mad scientist” Bryan Gaither is going to ignite 24 pounds of thermite to melt through two airplane bodies at the Burt School parking lot.
Why? It’s a science demonstration for students in the Governor’s School for Computational Physics. Under the program, nearly 40 high-achieving high school juniors and seniors from across the state are staying on campus for three weeks, enjoying a residential college experience while earning four college credit hours.
Thermite – a mix of iron oxide rust and aluminum powder – burns at 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s part of the reason Clarksville Fire Rescue will be on the scene as a precaution.
The demonstration may be preceded by the firing of a warning flare. That, also, is no reason to panic.