Community Outreach

Physics Outreach Committee

The Physics Outreach Committee aims to illustrate the role which physics plays in everyday life to inspire students to look more favorably at physics and science in general. Our hope is to show students that they can use physics to understand the world around them. In particular we try to tailor our demonstrations and hands-on activities toward their areas of interest (music, sports, etc.).

The Physics Outreach Committee hosts several Physics Family Fun Day events each year for the community. The committee also brings classroom experiences, performs demonstrations and offers hands on activities to local students, both within schools and to home-schooled groups.

Featured Outreach Activity

Physics Family Fun Day

The Physics Outreach Committee aims to illustrate the role which physics plays in everyday life. Our hope is to show students that they can use physics to understand the world around them. In particular we try to tailor our demonstrations and hands-on activities toward their areas of interest (music, sports, etc.).

See All Upcoming Outreach Events

Astronomy on Tap

Astronomy is even better with beer! Scientists, educators, writers, artists & more reveal how they explore the universe at Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery! Each FREE event features accessible, engaging science presentations on topics ranging from planets to black holes to the beginning of the Universe. Presenters are from research and educational institutions like Washington University in St. Louis, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, and more. Each event consists of two 10-15 min talks, followed by questions and comments. There will also be a trivia session with questions related to astronomy. At the end of the night prizes will be handed to the winners! There is always lots of time to ask questions and interact with the presenters and other scientists who tag along for the beer.

SEE EVENTS PAGE FOR UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS

For more information, contact:

Andrés A. Plazas Malagón
plazas@physics.wustl.edu
@plazasmalagon1 (twitter)

Young Scientist Program

The Young Scientist Program Teaching Teams promote science literacy among students and encourage the pursuit of careers in science by introducing students to areas of scientific study through interactive demonstrations brought into the classroom. Teams of graduate students present the curricula in small groups, fostering a comfortable atmosphere for scientific discussion.

If you would like to request the physics teaching team, visit the Young Scientist Program page.

YOUNG SCIENTIST PROGRAM

Crow Observatory

Crow Observatory is open evenings to the public in the fall and spring semesters.

Visitors can check here or phone 314-935-6278 during viewing hours to see if the Observatory is open.

Observatories

Saturday Science Public Lectures

Spring 2022

The Department of Physics and University College, in conjunction with Washington University’s McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, will sponsor a series of public lectures in Spring 2022, to be held at 10:00 am on Saturday mornings. The lecture series will be on Zoom beginning March 22 through April 9. The Zoom link will be sent via email to our email list before each lecture. To join the email list, please email a request to physics@wustl.edu. Please download the Zoom app to your computer, tablet, or phone before the first lecture to make sure Zoom is working correctly. These lectures, which are free and open to the public, will be presented by members of the McDonnell Center of Washington University and are tailored for the general public.

A Physics Potpourri

Q: What do physicists do on their days off?

A: We don’t really take days off. However, we do occasionally branch off into things which may seem not quite central to our research, as a sort of busman’s holiday. In this series of Saturday Science lectures by Mike Ogilvie, Carl Bender and Zohar Nussinov, we explore and explain some of those interests.

UPCOMING SATURDAY SCIENCE LECTURES

Previous Saturday Science Lectures