The Physics Bus: Raise Your Hand If You're Tempted to Run Away with It...

[beamjockey]

I just got word that the Physics Bus will stop at Fermilab on Sunday, 30 July. Unfortunately, I will not be in town to see it. From their site:

The Physics Bus is our science museum on wheels, and it's taken us on Bus Stops from New Mexico to California.

The brightly-colored bus is the first sign that something out of the ordinary is about to happen at a school, fair or function. It makes a colorful statement, announcing that an amazing display of smoke, sparks and force is about to begin.

The bus itself is a study in science and hands-on experimentation. From its 50-foot, molecule-tipped TV antennae mast to its vegetable-oil-powered engine, the bus is itself part of the event--and something that kids talk about for hours afterward.



Here is the bus's blog.

When I was young, I used to dream about wandering the country as an itinerant Van de Graaf operator. Maybe it could really happen.

Comments

An itinerant Van de Graaf operator

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

[FX: Helium hand, iridium jewellery?]

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

Why stop at Fermilab? They should already know physics. :-^)

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I think they want to get a picture of the Bus in front of Wilson Hall, or other cool-looking Fermilab sights like the Capacitor Tree or the Fifteen-Foot Bubble Chamber.

[gmcdavid.livejournal.com]

Looks like fun. Alas, I checked the route and it is not coming to Minnesota.

It takes money and passion, or maybe just passion.

[gypsy1969.livejournal.com]

When I was young, I used to dream about wandering the country as an itinerant Van de Graaf operator. Maybe it could really happen.

I thought I was the only one who had weird fantasies like that. I've thought about devoting my basement to make a museum for kids that would have trains with a SF/Fantasy backround and science demonstration exhibits off to the side. But then just because I built it doesn't mean anyone would come.

I met a dentist who had a complete dinosaur collection in his home. He actually loaned most of it to the Falls of the Ohio where I volunteer for an exhibit once. Stan the dinosaur is something else. http://www.ket.org/kentuckylife/1000s/kylife1018.html#dinosaur
Then there is this guy http://www.drteds.com/ whose place I've been meaning to see but still haven't.
When we lived in Houston we visited "the Orange Show" which was one man's obsession that turned into something more. http://www.orangeshow.org/index2.html
And there is this guy here who takes his Native American collection around in a trailer and a local man who opened his own fire engine museum.

Anyone know where to buy a bus cheap?

[charlie-meadows.livejournal.com]

Happy to see The Bus* is still running five years later (though they really need to update parts of their site...)

It *was* a little disappointing to find that it's only fueled by vegetable oil** (that's so... *sniff* chemical). I'd have hoped for something with... a little more "oomph"! (Or maybe using a propulsion system exploiting some relatively obscure physical effect. I mean, look, the thing still uses... WHEELS!)


*if not the *original* Bus

**I do salute, however, their effort to be reasonably "green"