Fermilab’s annual Family Open House will return February 9-13 for families and kids of all ages to have the experience of America’s premier particle physics laboratory from the comfort of their homes. Activities will include live talks, pre-recorded on-demand demos and activities, trivia, virtual tours of the lab facilities, a community art show. All events and activities are free for all to enjoy, but, advanced registration is required. It will be the 18th year for the open house with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory as host and builds on last year’s virtual event, which engaged more than 10,000 participants from around the world.
The five-day event line-up features the return of the “Iron Scientist” competition, which will have Fermilab staff members going head-to-head in a battle to create homemade physics demos. Inspired by cooking shows such as Food Network’s “Iron Chef” and “Chopped,” each competitor will receive a box of mystery items to create their own science demonstration. The virtual audience members will vote on the best presentation and choose the winner who will be declared the Iron Scientist.
Perennial favorites such as the Mr. Freeze cryogenics show and Ask-A-Scientist will make an appearance through Zoom. Visitors can tune in to webinars on a wide variety of topics, including physics, art and ecology. There are also special opportunities for teachers to engage in the events with their students during virtual classroom visits. And lab staff will read STEM-themed bedtime stories on Facebook Live each evening during the Family Open House at 7 p.m. US Central.
—Fermi Laboratory