A Marble-ous Day for Science

After a successful inaugural event last year, the Marbles Backwards Science Fair returned to Marbles Kids Museum for the second time on Saturday, April 11. Set up like a classic school science fair, this event has one important twist – the kids judge the scientists, as opposed to the scientists judging the kids! Eighteen teams of scientists and engineers from across NC State brought their research to the stage and, through hands-on learning, they competed to be crowned the coolest experiment.  

Children of all ages and their families explored each booth while NC State undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff taught them about the world of scientific research. Each group designed engaging, hands-on demonstrations based on their research and opened the door to STEM-based learning and curiosity. Biomedical engineers brought functioning prosthetic devices to show off innovation in addressing mobility challenges, while across the room microbiologists let kids feed carnivorous plants to teach them about the microbes that help those plants digest their prey. Between those booths, children explored everything from elephants to levees, from sweet potatoes to plankton. 

The teams of researchers came from all reaches of the university with the College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and the NC State University Libraries all represented. 

Co-organized by the NC State Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs and the Marbles Kids Museum, with sponsorship from the NC State University Libraries, this event marked a day of learning for everyone. While the kids learned from the researchers, the researchers learned from the kids. Communicating complex research with a public audience is no easy task and the Marbles Backwards Science Fair gave students and faculty an opportunity to do just that. Some researchers came in as public outreach experts, while others took this chance to grow their science communication skills. Everyone, children and scientists alike, came away from this event with new knowledge!

Throughout the day, the competition was nearly forgotten amid the resounding excitement and joy. But through the fun, a winner emerged! Kids “voted” by dropping LEGO pieces in beakers on the tables of the activities they liked the most, and at the end of the day it was NC State’s Nuclear Science Department with their “Be A Nuclear Science Detective!” experiments which had the most. Led by Lisa Marshall (assistant extension professor and director of Outreach, Retention, and Engagement), this team included Drew Wilson, Haley Evenson, John Hitchcock, Melody Polk and Blake Wilson, all NC State students or alumni. At their table they showed off multiple ways to detect radiation and, in a landslide victory, were named the coolest experiment at the fair!

The Honorable Mentions included:

• AlphaDots – Based on the idea of a fidget toy, first-year undergraduate engineering students Maddy Hobbs, Cory Saylor and Aurora Lamb showed off their innovative machine for helping people learn braille.
• Tiny Cutting, Big Plant: Grow your own Sweetpotato! — Three first-year Ph.D. students, Garud Shah, Sudikshya Paudel and Kajal Gupta, used the sweet potato to display how plants can grow from a single cutting.
• Acting Like an Aye-aye – From the Department of Biological Sciences, Ava McCormick, Allana Chase, Mason Tanner, Ryann Stemmer and Charlotte Stewart, taught kids all about the aye-aye lemur.

While there were winners, there were no losers at the Marbles Backwards Science Fair. After a successful day of science education, all the teams came out on top. This event would not have been possible without its organizers Jory Weintraub, director of science engagement in the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, and Nikki D’Agostino, programs coordinator at the Marbles Kids Museum. Special thank you’s also go out to Jonathan Frederick, CEO of Marbles Kids Museum, and NC State graduate students, Lisa Metzger and Jessie Maier, whose invaluable support helped make the whole day happen. 

This was an unforgettable event. Be sure to catch it next year!