Community Outreach
Hands-On Engineering Design Activities
By participating in hands-on engineering design activities, children learned engineering concepts through constructing paper airplanes, gumdrop towers, aluminum foil boats, and straw cantilevers.
Science on Saturday
Science on Saturday events are fun, free science demonstrations at Lincoln Laboratory and are given several times each school year by our
scientists and engineers. All local community K–12 students, their parents,
and their teachers are welcome to attend these events. Some
previous Science on Saturday events have focused on cryogenics, electricity
and magnetism, acoustics, chemistry, optics, ions, hands-on engineering, and
mathematics.
For directions to Lincoln Laboratory, please see the Map and Driving Directions page.
Upcoming Events
Lightnings, Tornadoes, and Storms
Presented by Robert Hallowell
February 7, 2009
9:00 – 10:30 AM, 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Lincoln Laboratory Auditorium
Two identical shows will be presented.
Additional information will be posted shortly.
Past Events
Asteroids — Fact or Fiction
December 6, 2008
Speaker: Grant Stokes
What are asteroids like? Where did they come from? What happened when large asteroids hit the earth in the past? How can we detect and prevent large asteroids from hitting the earth in the future? Come and find out!
Rockets and Flight
October 4, 2008
Speakers: Curtis Heisey, Jessica Olszta, and Dr. Mykel Kochenderfer
How do rockets work? How about airplanes? How can you build and launch your own rockets safely? Come see our fun demonstrations and find out, or volunteer to help with them on stage.
This review of the demonstration itemizes each activity performed and its importance to understanding rocketry.
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Archaeology
June 7, 2008
Speaker: Dr. Steven A. LeBlanc, Director of Collections at Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University
What do we know about the mysterious objects and places featured in the Indiana Jones movies? What is it like to be an archaeologist? How old are the artifacts that have been found? The presentation is given by real archaeologists who have done excavations at the same places featured in the movies.
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Robotics Demonstration
April 5, 2008
Speakers: Professor Kenneth Stafford of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Tom Indelicato of Bishop Guertin High School's FIRST Robotics Team
You’ve seen robots in movies, but what can real robots do? What kinds of robots can you buy now? How can you build your own robot? Participants met world-champion robots in person and controlled their movements!
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Math for Fun, Profit, and World Domination
February 2, 2008
Session 1: John Peach, Lincoln Laboratory
Session 2: Art Gelb, Four Sigma Corp., and TASC
In Session 1, Mathbusters, John Peach demonstrates how math can be fun for all ages. In Session 2, Why Study Mathematics?, Art Gelb discusses the applications of math and careers for mathematicians.
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Hands-On Engineering Design Activities
December 1, 2007
Hosted and supervised by Lincoln Laboratory engineers.
Participants learned engineering concepts through four different projects. Children learned about tension and compression by building gumdrop towers with structural integrity. The concepts of flight, lift, gravity, thrust, and drag were tested by designing different types of paper airplanes and measuring their flight distance. The relationship between buoyancy and displacement was proven by various designs of aluminum foil boats filled with strategically-placed pennies and styrofoam. With 25 straws and 1.5 feet of masking tape, children practiced building cantilever bridges applying the principles of torque and center of mass.
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Towers using gumdrops and toothpicks |  |
Paper airplanes |
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Boats using aluminum foil for holding pennies |  |
Cantilevers using straws |
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Plasma and Ions
May 12, 2007
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Siegel, Lincoln Laboratory
Presentation Slides (pdf)
What are plasma and ions and where do they exist? Find out how ions are generated in YOU, and what common household items use the power of ions, as well as how this power is used for scientific purposes.
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Lasers and Optics
February 10, 2007
Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Roth, Lincoln Laboratory
The Lasers and Optics show demonstrates the properties of optics, lasers, and light. What's the difference between red, blue, and green lasers? What happens when a laser shines through water? What can a slinky teach you about polarization? What are "fiber optics"? Find out at this amazing light show!
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Chemistry Magic Show
December 9, 2006
Speaker: Dr. Roderick Kunz, Lincoln Laboratory
This chemistry demonstration surprises children and adults alike. Can a chemical burn green? Which chemical changes color and changes back over and over again as long as it is heated? This chemistry show will answer these questions and more!
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Demonstrations of the Properties and Applications of Sound Waves
October 14, 2006
Speaker: Robert Haupt, Lincoln Laboratory
Discover how sound works and why soundwaves are used in a laboratory environment. How does sound travel? Is there sound in space? Can a laser "record" sound? Find out how human vocal chords work and use our software to transform your voice to male, female, child, or adult! You'll hear like never before!
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Electricity & Magnetism
June 3, 2006
Speaker: Paul "Mr. "Magnet" Thomas, MIT
Can you "feel" magnetism? How do magnets and electricity work together? Mr. Magnet shows children just how strong a magnet can be, and how that power can be harnessed for scientific purposes.
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Cryogenics & Liquid Nitrogen Demonstrations
March 18, 2005
Speaker: Dr. Richard Williamson, Lincoln Laboratory
This popular demonstration amazes everyone with feats of freezing. Can you freeze a balloon? What does liquid nitrogen look like? How cold is "cold"? Learn which items freeze or defrost fastest and why cryogenics are helpful in a laboratory.
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