grants Archives - The Magic Scientist

NewsSportsLifePodcastsOpinionObituariesClassifiedse-EditionAtnonlineTvilletimesContact UsHow Do I...?PREVIOUSPlans for Wall renovations discussedWALLBURG – The crown jewel of Wallburg architecture is once …NEXT UPAfterschool meals begin next monthTHOMASVILLE – Beginning Feb. 1, Thomasville City Schools wil…‘Wacky Science’ show for TMS studentsBy Debbie Hightower Jan 24, 2017 Photo by Debbie HightowerWacky scientist Dennis Regling amazed and entertained students with a program recently held in T. Austin Finch Auditorium. Regling's antics served to illustrate mathematics, chemistry and physical forces in a fun way.THOMASVILLE – When Wacky Science emcee Dennis Regling told students “Prepare to be amazed” they were skeptical, but that’s just what happened over the next 45 minutes. All of Thomasville Middle School’s 545 students enjoyed one of two presentations that took place Jan. 17 in the T. Austin Finch Auditorium.Regling’s show emphasized basic math, science and chemistry concepts in a fun way.Shrinking heads appeared early on in the show. “An optical illusion uses the eye to fool the mind,” said Regling, who called sixth-grader Demetrius to the stage as a volunteer. Regling placed a disc with a spinning pattern in front of Demetrius’ head, instructing the audience to stare intently at it for 30 seconds.Exclamations of ‘wow,’ ‘cool’ and ‘oh, look!’ could be heard immediately after Regling removed the disc and, to the amazement of the audience, Demetrius’ head appeared to shrink.An amazing chemical reaction occurred when Regling combined the contents of two test tubes containing clear liquids. The audience was undaunted until the liquid in the test tube started to turn a dark purplish-black. They were further amazed when Regling was able to reverse the process, making the liquid clear again.Using a Van de Graaff generator, Regling made the hair on a Barbie doll’s head stand out. He performed the feat of static electricity on a larger scale using the long hair of student volunteer Katie.Students who were sorry when the show came to an end gave Regling fist-bumps as they filed out of the auditorium.“Everyone was really enthusiastic about it,” said eighth-grader Jennifer Arebbano. “I liked the ending part where he put out the toilet paper. It was really cool.”Jennifer said the show changed the way she thought about science. “I didn’t know that optical illusions required science,” she said.Demetrius was amazed by the chemical reaction between the starch and iodine. “I thought that it was going to fizz when he poured them together. I would want to see another one.”Funding for the science assembly came via a Brown-Finch mini-grant written by TMS science teacher Ira Cumpton.“Last year the Brown-Finch funds were used for a field trip to the Science Center in Greensboro,” said Cumpton. “This year we wanted to use them for a science show the whole school could enjoy.”Staff writer Debbie Hightower may be reached at dhightower@tvilletimes.com or 336-888-3576.Dennis Regling can be contacted at www.greatassemblies.com