Accompanied by Physics teacher, Joseph Lyons, 19 Academy students attended the University of Hawaii Physics and Astronomy Open House on Nov. 23 where they participated in activities and learned about topics of current research.

Junior Jillian Anderson said, “From attending Physics Day, I learned a lot about new and upcoming subjects in the field of physics such as dark matter and the Higgs Boson particle. Hearing about these things from researchers in their respective fields made an amazing educational experience.”

Dark matter, Newton’s Laws of Motion, magnetism, electricity, light and sound were among the focus subjects of the day. Demonstrations were set up for attendees to view.

Junior Megan Garcia said, “My favorite activity throughout the day was learning how forces act equally and oppositely by standing on a rotating platform while holding on to a spinning bicycle wheel. I went to this event because I enjoy being able to learn about the connections between physics and the real world.”

Students also had the opportunity to build straw rockets using masking tape, straws and empty Sunny D bottles.

Lyons said, “The event was extremely beneficial for the girls to attend because they got to experience many of the topics we are covering in class and got to see how the laws of physics make things work by interacting with them.”