Five-year-old Bradley Forster was amazed at the sounds coming from a guzheng, played by Alfred University undergraduate Max Rasilla, a senior art student who began studying the instrument in his sophomore year.
Bradley was one of dozens of area children who visited the Alfred University campus with their parents Oct. 22 for the annual Night of Science and Art. With his mother, Liz Forster of Alfred Station, he encountered Max playing a guzheng in the lobby of Harder Hall.
The Forsters had seen a flyer at in the Alfred-Almond Central School building advertising the Night of Science and Art. Bradley’s mother said they immediately became excited about attending the event.
Dozens of area residents attended the annual celebration of science and art, which was founded to provide people, especially young students in the region, a look at what undergraduates and graduates study in the fields of physics, chemistry, mechanical, glass and ceramic engineering, and the musical arts at Alfred University.
They included Sean and Finn Lanahan and their parents, Marcel and Maria, who said they wanted their children “to be enriched by the exposure to science.”
Maria added: “It’s not everyday they can see all these experiments, with students and teachers explaining what’s really going on.
Stull Observatory was open to give visitors a tour of the instruments used to survey the stars. Meanwhile, in McMahon Hall, demonstrations included exploding thermite reactions and dipping soft rubber balls into liquid nitrogen, then dropping them on the floor to demonstrate the effects of sub-freezing temperatures. The balls shattered, which drew enthusiastic crowds, including eight-year-old Nellie Ackley and seven-year-old Nikolas Ackley, both of Hornell.
Deeply impressed, Nik said his science classes in the Hornell Elementary School already included interesting scientific observation of geological phenomena, such as details of rocks: “How hard they area, how smooth.”
Nik enjoys his STEM classes, and Nell meanwhile looks forward to someday becoming a nurse.
As organizer of the event, Rebecca Welch, assistant professor of Glass Science Engineering, called the occasion “a really exciting and fun night. … Any child who’s curious about science and the arts, who finds art and science fun, will enjoy this event.”
