Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011

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An electric motorcycle used by UK Police was one new highlight of this year's Energy Fair.

Wide-eyed youngsters poured out of motor coaches on the University of Kentucky campus for the annual Energy Fair, which rolled out some new surprises this year.

UK Police, for instance, rolled a Vectrix electric motorcycle into the Student Center, where fourth-graders rotated among hands-on exhibits set up by about two dozen UK and community partners.

“We plug it into the wall to charge it up, just like your cell phone,” Officer Bob Pearl explained as he pointed out the bike’s features.

He slipped in a math lesson, too, noting that it costs only 25 cents to drive the motorcycle 25 miles – much more energy efficient than paying $3 per gallon for gasoline.

Another new offering this year was UK’s fledgling Energy Club, which provided logistical support. The hope is that next time the undergraduates will take the reins from UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research, which for several years has organized the Energy Fair to benefit youngsters in Fayette County Public Schools.

About a dozen club members dropped in throughout the day to shepherd kids from table to table in the grand ballroom. “They’re listening, observing and want to be involved,” said mechanical engineering student Jessica Jones.

“We want to spark some interest and have them be able to go home and say ‘I saw something really cool with energy,’” added club president Evan Schroader.

The interaction seemed to go well, given how kids are thrilled by attention from older students.  

Lori Bowen, the elementary science content specialist for FCPS, noted how the college students added depth to the field trip. Teachers want their kids to know that “UK is not just a basketball team. It’s a place where research takes place,” she said.

The Energy Fair grew out of CAER’s ongoing partnership with Russell Cave Elementary, which is five minutes away from the energy lab on Iron Works Pike. UK scientists at the center hoped a fair would help them reach even more students. And it has.

A record 300 students from five elementary schools attended the Feb. 15 fair, including classes from Ashland, Harrison, Russell Cave, William Wells Brown and Yates. The staggered schedule enabled them to stop by interactive-learning displays and take in expert demonstrations, too.

For instance, CAER’s Matt Weisenberger experimented with aluminum and graphite to illustrate thermal conductivity.

“Graphite is one of those materials that can handle a lot of heat,” he told the kids as a chunk of aluminum melted and fell off under his torch. That’s why airplane brakes, for example, are made of graphite and not metal.

In another effort to keep the Energy Fair fresh, organizers added a scavenger hunt this year.

At some of the booths, students had to answer specific questions. From Bluegrass PRIDE, they learned about solar energy. In the Kentucky Geological Survey’s exhibit, they saw how a gas like carbon dioxide can be stored inside a rock. And students in UK’s Department of Chemical Engineering showed them why insulation is important in houses.

Having to write down such highlights held the fourth-graders accountable for what they discovered all morning.

“We want the kids to have fun, but we also want them to learn,” Bowen said.

Resources:

• Bree McCarney, Kentucky Energy Club coordinator for undergraduate students in clubs across the state
• Lori Bowen, elementary science content specialist for Fayette County Public Schools