“Everyone ready for the electrons?” the physicist called out. As he eagerly readied the voltage supply, I braced myself, holding hands with a string of other third-graders as we became an electrical circuit. We felt the harsh snap of electricity course through our bodies, screamed, and dissolved into boisterous giggles. Though I felt like my arms had just exploded, that lesson taught me two things I’d never forget—electric current stays constant throughout a circuit, and I had absolutely fallen in love with science.
I experienced the other side of that encounter years later. My college physics outreach course had us present a lesson to a hall of third graders. They were a fantastic crowd—engaged, curious, and erupting with enthusiasm. One boy even wet himself in excitement. And yet, I probably enjoyed the experience more than they did.
As a science communicator, I aim to provoke lasting curiosity and engagement with science, hopefully without any further accidents (electrical or otherwise).
Pictured above is one such presentation with Fresno State’s physics outreach course. My presentation partner and I were teaching the fundamentals of pressure to a kindergarten class using a bed of nails. No presenters were harmed in this demonstration, much to the surprise of the kindergarteners.