Visitors to the STEAMfest booth at the Davidson Farmer’s Market on March 16, 2024 learned facts about platypuses and saw an experiment in fluorescence. One of the unique characteristics of the platypus is they glow, or biofluoresce, in ultraviolet light. As an experiment, we looked at common household items that also glow in ultraviolet light. A few of the household items we observed were vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin), olive oil, tonic water, laundry detergent, and uranium glass. The spectrum of light known as ultraviolet light is invisible to us, but when we shine ultraviolet light onto an object, some of the invisible lights frequency is absorbed and the slower frequency of light bouncing off is within the spectrum of light that is visible to us. Therefore, our objects appear to glow in colors that we see.
If you missed the fluorescence experiment over the weekend, stop by the Woodlawn School tent at STEAMfest 2024 on Sunday, March 24, for an encore presentation. There you will also find adorable Puggles for adoption. Puggle is the name of a baby platypus. Due to the many scientific wonders of the platypus, STEAMfest has adopted Puggle as its mascot. When you adopt one of these cute little plush puggles, you will help Woodlawn School to continue the mission of STEAMfest, “To provide youth of all ages with free opportunities to Imagine, Discover, and Explore topics in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics through fun and engaging hands-on activities.”
STEAMfest 2024 will be held on March 24, 2024 on the Woodlawn School campus located in Mooresville, just 1 mile north of Davidson. STEAMfest is free, but registration is encouraged. Pre-registered guests will have a ticket QR code they can scan to skip the lines and will receive valuable parking and additional information emailed prior to the event. To register, please visit REGISTER NOW! and join us in Imagining, Discovering, and Exploring!
We would like to thank our student volunteers for coming out on Saturday to help at the STEAMfest booth at the Davidson Farmer’s Market. STEAMfest would not be possible without its many volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a STEAMfest volunteer, booth creator, or would like to support STEAMfest by becoming a Donor or Patron, information can be found on the website.
