Dr. Oxygen brings science to life for Wahoo Elementary students
PTO sponsors 'Comedic super hero scientist' Tim Gilloon's science parties
Launch the media gallery 1 playerphoto by Dave Privett
Tim Gilloon (aka Dr. Oxygen) brought science to life for Wahoo Elementary students with his "science parties" on Nov. 21.Why does dry ice appear to produce smoke when added to water? Why does a bottle of Coke explode when you drop in a little white mint? Is it possible to hang out inside a bubble?
If only we had a comedic super hero scientist to help us answer these profound, head-scratching questions.
Fear not!
Every super hero has his/her slogan. For Superman, it’s “Truth, justice, and the American Way.” For Mighty Mouse: “Here I come to save the day!”
For Dr. Oxygen? “Do what it is that you love best, and do it better than all the rest.”
Like Superman and Mighty House, Dr. Oxygen practices what he preaches! (He's also real . . . so that's a plus!)
Dr. Oxygen (aka Tim Gilloon) visited Wahoo Elementary on Thursday, November 21, to do what he does best: provide fun, interactive explanations to many of the mysteries of science.
Gilloon, an expert on “the finer points of science,” hails from Omaha, and lives his mission of bringing science to life.
Dr. Oxygen has been sharing his “science parties” with area schools, libraries, and other organizations since 2013, and photos from these assemblies clearly show that he brings life to a subject that begs to be experienced far beyond a textbook!
Wahoo Elementary Principal Ben Kreifels spearheaded these assemblies by initiating a request to the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) to assist with funding.
Needless to say (because we LOVE our PTO!) it didn’t take much persuasion. Mr. Kreifels’ request was granted, and the programs (one for K-2, and one for grades 3-5) were held in a cafeteria filled with excited students anxious to expand their knowledge of scientific reasoning by ‘experiencing’ it.
“I am thankful for our elementary school’s Parent Teacher Organization for granting my request for a Dr. Oxygen assembly, which focuses on introducing science content and vocabulary in a fun, playful style,” commented Wahoo Elementary Principal Ben Kreifels. “Tim Gilloon provided an engaging experience for our students to learn about basic chemistry and physical science concepts."
Thomas Hardy once said, “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.”
To that end, students gained some ground after experiencing Coke and Mentos explosions, dry ice sublimation, toroidal vortex generators, and Cartesian divers, just to name a few.
Thank you PTO for continuing to support these opportunities for our students!
(photos by Dave Privett)
