“This is a chance to get students out of the class and experience math and science in real life,” said Nikki Funderburg, who coordinates math and science day for Kings Island.
Among the highlights of the day was the model roller coaster competition. Students attempted to make scale model roller coasters that were not only creative in design but applicable in real life.
The rollercoasters, designed by middle and high school students, had creative themes such as Pacman, a pinball game, and a mining ride that would take riders underground. They were made from wooden sticks and plywood and came with detailed descriptions about what would make the rides run and how proper angles had to be used to make the ride feasible.
Jeff Gramke, a real-life rollercoaster designer who created Kings Island’s most heralded ride, The Beast, has been judging the contest for the past 22 years.
“We look for rides that would work,” Gramke said. “How would this ride function if it were real?”
He said they also took the creativity of the designs into account, but never questioned how much such conceivably huge rides would cost if actually built.
Across the park, Josh Sarver, an employee of the COSI science museum, was wowing and educating visitors by freezing a banana to the point it could hammer nails and making plastic bottles explode through the use of liquid nitrogen and pressurized gases.
“We usually start the demonstration off small but once they see the explosions, people come,” Sarver said.
Noah Stover, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Fairfield Middle School and science enthusiast said he was thrilled by the demonstrations.
“I learned a lot about elasticity and internal friction,” Noah said. “And the explosions were cool too.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.
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