Little Shop of Physics’ Annual Science Open House Set for Feb. 24 at CSU

The Little Shop of Physics will host its annual Open House event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 24 on the third floor of Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center. As always, the 2024 event is free and open to the public with over 300 hands-on homemade science experiments available to explore for all ages.

The Open House is one of the largest academic events on campus and is hosted by the Little Shop of Physics – an interactive science engagement and outreach program based within CSU’s College of Natural Sciences. The program leverages undergraduate students to help showcase science concepts to students from pre-kindergarten through high school through a variety of activities such as classroom visits and field trips.

The annual Open House is their most well-known outreach event due to its more than 30-year history on campus. This year’s event will be held rain or shine and includes a sensory-friendly hour from 10-11 a.m. Parking is generally free across campus on Saturdays, but event leadership has outlined a variety of transportation options on their website.

Program Director Heather Michalak said the Department of Physics would obviously be well represented at the Open House but that visitors would also experience a wide range of displays from across the science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines on campus.

“The core volunteer group from participating departments is made up of undergraduates who will be leading the experiments and connecting with visitors of all ages,” she said. “We will have displays that cover everything from lasers and magnets to bugs and human anatomy. If the weather is nice, we will also have outdoor displays from the astronomy and veterinary medicine departments.”

Michalak added that several CSU alums and faculty members would be on hand as well to help further celebrate the history of the event and the great scientific research going on across campus.

Junior Madi de Vries will serve as one of the undergraduate volunteers this year. She is pursuing a degree in natural sciences with a chemistry education concentration and first attended the Open House way back as a high schooler.

She said that her initial visit to campus for the event solidified her desire to come to CSU in the first place, and she has been involved with the program for years now.

“After attending several school visits and events with the program, I discovered how much I personally enjoyed sharing science with others and getting to design projects of my own,” she said.

Major funding for the Little Shop of Physics is provided by the College of Natural Sciences, and funding for the Open House event is provided by the Matthew A. McCausland Memorial Fund.

Michalak said she was looking forward to welcoming students, faculty, staff, and the greater Northern Colorado community to the event.

“This is a big science party, and we love hosting it here on campus. We are going to throw the doors open, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone,” she said.