April's Science Saturdays focused on “Robot Hands” – how they work, how they are made, and where they are used. Students made robot hands out of cardboard, straws, and string, using a design that operates similarly to actual robot hands. The string was attached to the fingertips, and the straws guided the strings so that when pulled, the hand curled inward to grip. Once built, students used the robot hands to pick up lightweight objects. The younger group made basic 3-digit hands, and the older group made more complicated hands with five digits.

During “Smart Cities” students used smart sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), the network of objects embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies so they can exchange data with other things and systems. Hands-on activities involved monitoring gardens and parking lots with real plants, toy cars, and laptop computers, to show how information networks can play an important role in the design of efficient, smart cities.

In February, Science Saturdays was about “Reaction Time.” Students worked in pairs and conducted hands-on experiments designed to measure their reaction times. The experiments were modified to compare reaction times under varied circumstances, such as with and without distractions.

The January Science Saturday was “Faster, Smarter, Stronger”, and was led by Marcas Bamman and IHMC's Healthspan, Resilience, and Human Performance Research team. This hands-on experience included participants measuring their own arm strength, watching muscle movement through a monitor, counting their pulse rates after a short period of physical activity, and measuring brain stimulation after physical activity. The workshop ended with an exercise in graphing the data.

In December, Science Saturdays focused on 3D Printing. Students learned to use software to design 3D items. They used their new skills to design a refrigerator magnet with their name on it. The name tags were printed on a 3D printer out of red plastic and magnets were attached to the back, so students could take them home.

November's Science Saturdays featured one of our most popular topics, bottle rockets. Students learned what makes rockets fly. Then they worked in teams to make simple rockets out of empty plastic soda bottles. Their rockets were launched, propelled by water and compressed air. Excitement was experienced by all from students, parents, high school volunteers to IHMC staff, seeing the rockets soar to heights of 100 feet or more.

The October Science Saturdays was full of fun and excitement as students learned to program Sphero Robots. Using logic and code, they were able to complete tasks and solve problems. Older students had the additional challenge of navigating a planetary obstacle course.

The fall season of Science Saturdays got off to a flying start with Paper Airplanes, led by Dr. Jeff Phillips. Participants learned some things about the history of human flight. They were taught how some of the basic principles of flight apply to both flying animals and to flying machines. Hands-on activities involved folding and testing two paper airplane designs. Discussion focussed on differences between the flight characteristics of the two airplanes.

The last Science Saturday for this school year took place in April. Jennifer Weber from the Butterfly House taught us about monarch butterflies, habitat, behavior, and migration. Students observed monarch caterpillars, from very small ones that had just emerged from their eggs, to 5th instar. They even had the opportunity to watch a caterpillar going into chrysalis right in front of them. Students learned how to propagate milkweed by taking cuttings - they took their cuttings home to plant in their yards, to help them start their own monarch butterfly habitat.

In March, the Science Saturday topic was AI Robotics. Duncan Calvert showed us how changing the parameters of a simple robot behavior can change the robot's performance an adversarial environment. He then explained how research scientists at IHMC use a similar approach to improve performance on their Atlas robot. Participants also toured the IHMC robotics lab and got to meet Atlas and Valkyrie in person.

February Science Saturday was about Electric Circuits. Our February event was led by Dr. Matt Johnson. Students learned about series and parallel circuits, and experimented with a variety of fun circuit elements, including lights, switches, batteries, and fans.

In January, the Science Saturday topic was Balloon Cars, led by Gwen Bryan of IHMC. Participants built and raced balloon cars, and learned some of the mechanical engineering principles important to the design and propulsion of cars. Photos by high school student volunteers, Kira Benton and Owen Emery.

In December Dr. Jerry Pratt, a Principal Investigator at the IHMC robotics lab, led an exciting and innovative Science Saturday. Students learned about the muscles and bones in the hand. They used straws, string, rubber bands, paper clips, cardboard, and tape to make simple robot hands. That gave them insight into the design and functionality of more sophisticated robot hands that are a current focus of robotics research.

In November, Science Saturday was about computer game design. This event was taught by Heath Parr, a STEM teacher at Brown Barge Middle School. Students learned basics of the scratch programming language, including loops and if-then statements. They used these and other constructs to implement a computer game which they were able to customize with some of their own design choices. Photos by Kira Benton and Lauren Gaubert.

October Science Saturday, “Binary Brains”, was presented by Carson Wilbur, Research Associate at IHMC. Students explored simple principles of neural networks and machine learning. They used the PythonAnywhere programming environment on Chromebook computers to facilitate their learning.
Unfortunately, there are no photos.

The September Science Saturday topic was “Roller Coasters”, presented by Nicole Esposito, Research Associate at IHMC. Students designed and constructed simple roller coasters using plastic tubing, in order to learn about and experiment with the physics concepts that apply to roller coasters. The focus was on kinetic energy, potential energy, and friction. Photos by Elizabeth Royappa.

“Paper Airplanes” was the topic of December Science Saturday in Pensacola. This hands-on STEM event was for third through six graders, and was free of charge for all attendees. Science Saturdays are generously sponsored by Gulf Power, Cox, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department (with state law enforcement trust fund monies), Florida Blue, and International Paper.

November Science Saturday was about Green Tech in Space, and was presented by Carson Wilber of IHMC. Third and fourth graders built simple space shuttle models using recycled materials. Both sessions learned about electrolysis and solar energy for producing energy in space. Students also learned about how astronauts live in space, technology innovations on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, and how to travel sustainably in space. The topics taught in this session could lead to future careers in chemistry, biology, astronomy, physics, and engineering. Photos by Maggie Brown, Tate High School.

September Science Saturday was postponed because of Hurricane Sally. In October we started the season with Ozobot Logic, led by Heath Parr of Brown Barge Middle School. We learned how to program ozobots, and how they respond to commands using color sensors. The color that the ozobot reads as it moves along a path tells it what to do next - go forward, turn right, turn left, spin around, flash it’s lights, etc. Ozobots are tiny, but they are super fun. Photos by Maggie Brown, Tate High School.

April Science Saturday was postponed due to social distancing requirements associated with COVID-19.

The March topic was changed in response to the social distancing requirements of COVID-19. Families received instructions for an experiment at home, in which they monitored the growth of bacteria on bread. The bacteria was from their unwashed hands, cell phones, hands cleaned with hand sanitizer, and hands washed with warm water and soap. Participants were surprised to discover that unwashed hands spread bacteria than cell phones, and that washing hands with warm water and soap transferred much less bacteria than using hand-sanitizer. A few families sent photos.

February Science Saturday was about secret codes and cryptography. Third and fourth graders did hands-on activities related to backwards writing, mirror writing, the substitution cipher, and the book cipher. The fifth and sixth grade activities included a more advanced version of the substitution cipher. The older students also learned about the WWII enigma cipher, and they made simple enigma machines for coding and decoding messages in an almost ”impossible to break” code. High school students assisted. Photos by Maggie Brown, a student volunteer who attends Tate High School.

January Science Saturday was about our local watershed. Lessons were related to local marine mammals, the impact of marine debris on the ocean ecosystem, and how various pollutants flow through the watershed. One hands-on activity involved learning what it might be like to be an entangled sea turtle - by trying to remove a rubber band from around one’s fingers without using the other hand. They experienced echolocation by feeling of a tuning fork on their chin and “hearing” the vibration, similar to what a dolphin would experience through its lower jaw. They also saw a demonstration of the watershed, with activities related to pollutants and the water cycle.

The last Science Saturday of 2019 was about Reaction Time. Students learned that their reaction time is the time required to respond to a stimulus, and is made up of the total time for communication between the senses, the brain, and the muscles involved in the response. They conducted experiments related to measuring their own reaction time under a variety of circumstances, recorded their data, and performed calculations to obtain experimental averages. The Fall 2019 Season was generously sponsored by Gulf Power, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department (with law enforcement trust fund monies).

The November Science Saturday topic was was NEEMO Mission Science, presented by Dr. Dom D’Agostino. Dom is a research scientist at IHMC and a faculty member at the University of South Florida. Students conducted experiments related to human performance in extreme environments - experiments from a real NASA mission. These experiments including testing procedures for assessing hand/eye coordination and grip strength. They also tasted “space food”and learned how taste is affected by variations in pressure, and how food is adjusted to taste better space.

October Science Saturday was all about Balloon Cars, presented by Dr. Chris Schmidt-Wetekam. Students made balloon cars, and then tested them on a balloon-car race course. The older students, in grades 5 and 6, also experimented with cars running uphill, and saw how the distance the cars could go varied as a function of the slope of the hill.

The topic of September Science Saturday was “Electric Motors”, led by Dr. Peter Neuhaus, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Students worked with with volunteers from local high schools to make simple electric motors. They learned about principles involved in the operation of their motors, and about the application and use of such motors in IHMC’s robotics research.

The last Science Saturday of the 2018-19 school year took place on April 27. The topic was “Jello Lenses and Lasers”, presented by Doug Stephen, Research Associate at IHMC. Students learned about basic optics, light, and lenses. They made lenses out of jello, and used lasers to see how light behaved when passing through convex and concave lenses. In a seperate activity, lenses from magnifying glasses and reading glasses were used to simulate a telescope. High school student volunteers assisted. Generous contributions from the Escambia County Sherriff’s Office, Gulf Power, and International Paper helped to make this season of Science Saturdays possible.

The March Science Saturday topic was “Brain Games” and was presented by Dr. Jerry Pratt, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Students were amazed by the ways in which our our powers of observation and our various senses could surprise us. They performed various hands-on experiments in optical illusions, 3D perception, and memory, and they witnessed some magic tricks that exploit the attention and processing limitations of the brain. This season of Science Saturdays is sponsored by the Gulf Power and by the Escambia County Sherrif’s Office with State Law Enforcement Trust Fund Monies. Students from Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, and West Florida High Schools volunteered as assistants.

IHMC’s February Science Saturday was about “Smart Sensors” and was presented by Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga and her colleagues from the University of West Florida. Students in grades 3 and 4 attended at 9 am; 5th and 6th graders attended at 11. Students in both sessions experimented with image recognition software that performed simple edge detection to identify shapes on a video stream, and with sensors that detected and quantified moisture in soil. Both of these technologies might be elements of future smart cities. High school volunteers assisted.

The topic of January Science Saturday was "Fun with Electricity", presented by Dr. Matt Johnson, Research Scientist at IHMC. Students in grades 3 and 4 attended at 9 am; 5th and 6th graders attended at 11. The students learned the basics of electricity and circuits through hands on experimentation. The day included learning about voltage, current and resistance by experimenting with lights, motors, buzzers, switches, and potentiometers. The kids worked in teams to build various series and parallel circuits. The generosity of our sponsors makes it possible for IHMC to offer these events free of charge to all attendees.

The final Science Saturday of 2018 was Genomics, presented by Dr. Dawn Kernagis, Research Scientist at IHMC. Students learned about DNA, and did related hand-on science activities. In one activity, they extracted a strand of DNA from a strawberry, amazing students and high-school aged volunteers alike. We appreciated the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office (law enforcement trust fund monies) and Gulf Power, whose generosity made it possible for IHMC to offer these events free of charge to all attendees.

November Science Saturday was Bottle Rockets, presented by Dr. Pat Hayes, Senior Research Scientist Emeritus at IHMC. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 worked in teams to build and launch bottle rockets. Shouts of delight were heard from the participants when their rockets ascended several hundred feet into the air. The current season of Science Saturdays is sponsored by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Gulf Power. The generosity of our sponsors makes it possible for IHMC to offer these events free of charge to all attendees.

The October Science Saturday was “Fun With Polymers”, presented by David Fries, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Students learned that polymers are everywhere. Hands-on experiments included combining two substances in the correct quantities to make a hard and a soft soft polymer. The soft polymer, oobleck, is named for a similarly gooey substance in a Dr. Seuss book. Students also performed physical activities related to the structure of polymers - including the most well known biopolymer, DNA.

The first Science Saturday of the 2018-19 school year was Ozobot Logic, led by Mr. Heath Parr of Brown Barge Middle School. Students learned basic programming logic using very fun little Ozobots. Third and fourth graders attended at 9 am and fifth and sixth graders attended at 11 am, allowing a more advanced set of activities for the older students. A very good time was had by all. The generosity of the season sponsors helps make this cost-free STEM program possible. We also appreciate the participation of volunteers from Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, Washington, and West Florida High Schools.

The last Science Saturday of the 2017-18 school year was presented by Jerry Pratt, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Students worked in groups to build roller-coasters out of paper. They learned to understand the various parts of roller coasters, to construct solid platforms, and to make exciting design elements. The generosity of the Spring 2018 season sponsors Cox (Premier Sponsor), the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office (with law enforcement trust fund monies), and Gulf Power, helped make this cost-free STEM program possible. We also appreciate the participation of volunteers from Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, Washington, and West Florida High Schools.

March Science Saturday, “Reaction Time”, was presented by Dr. Dawn Kernagis. Students learned about factors that affect their reaction time. Working in pairs, they performed experiments to measure each team member’s reaction under different circumstances (paying attention, with distraction by others, blind-folded, etc.) They collected data and calculated results. Volunteers from Gulf Breeze, Washington, and Pensacola High Schools assisted.

In February, Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga and her students from UWF presented '3-D Printing'. Attendees learned how to use 3-D printing software to design three dimensional objects. They also had the opportunity to see the 3D printer in action, while it printed small animals for them to take home. High school student volunteers from Pensacola and Gulf Breeze High Schools assisted. IHMC appreciates the generosity of the sponsors, who make it possible for all students to attend Science Saturdays free of charge.

The first Science Saturday of 2018 was “Secret Codes”, led by Daniel Duran. Daniel is a Research Associate at IHMC. Hands-on activities were centered around decoding secret messages using methods, such scytales, shift ciphers, and the pig pen cipher. We appreciate the generosity of the season sponsors, who make it possible for all students to attend Science Saturdays free of charge.

The topic of December Science Saturday was “Electric Motors”, led by Dr. Peter Neuhaus, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Students worked with with volunteers from local high schools to make simple electric motors. They learned about principles involved in the operation of their motors, and about the application and use of such motors in IHMC’s robotics research. The generosity of the season sponsors makes it possible for all students to participate in Science Saturdays free of charge. The participation of the high school student volunteers helps to make Science Saturdays more fun.

In November, Science Saturday was about “Lemon Batteries and Solar Cells”. Hands-on activities for this topic were led by Dr. Ursula Schwuttke, Director of Educational Outreach. Students learned to use a multi-meter to measure the voltage of AA batteries. Then they made batteries from lemons and other fruits so that they could use two fruit batteries, connected in series, to power a digital clock. In the final activity, they experimented with solar panels to see how much voltage would be produced with different sized panels and different amounts of sunlight. IHMC appreciates the generosity of the sponsors and participation of high-school student volunteers.

October Science Saturday was about “Pendulums”. The presentation was led by Dr. Pat Hayes, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Working in groups, students experimented with pendulums. They compared pendulums of various weights, lengths, and swing sizes. They recorded data and discovered that the length is the only parameter affecting the period of motion of a pendulum’s swing. For the final activity, a very long pendulum was demonstrated from the roof of the Levin Center. The generosity of the season sponsors makes it possible for all students to participate in Science Saturdays free of charge.

The first Science Saturday of the current season was “Balloon Cars", presented by Dr. Chris Schmidt-Wetekam, IHMC Research Scientist. Working in teams, students built air-powered cars. They evaluated and improved their designs based on observation and iterative improvement. This was another fun IHMC hands-on science event for elementary school students in Pensacola. IHMC appreciates the generosity of the sponsors and participation of high-school student volunteers from Washington, High School and Gulf Breeze High Schools.

April Science Saturday was "Computer Game Design", presented by Dr. Kristy Hollingshead, Research Scientist at IHMC in Ocala. Working in teams of two, students learned basic programming skills in the context of computer games. Over half of the students had never programmed before - but working at their own pace, all were able to complete a succession of increasingly difficult programming challenges. The photos show the intensity of engagement of the participants as they had fun with hands-on STEM. This season of Science Saturdays was sponsored by the Escambia County Sherrif’s Office with State Law Enforcement Trust Fund Monies and by Gulf Power. IHMC appreciates the generosity of these sponsors and participation of high-school student volunteers from Pensacola High School and Gulf Breeze High School, all of whom helped to make this season of Science Saturdays possible.

The March Science Saturday topic was “Fun With Polymers”, presented by David Fries, a senior research scientist at IHMC. Students learned that polymers are everywhere. Hands-on experiments included combining two substances in the correct quantities to make both a hard and a soft polymer. (As shown in the photos, the soft polymer was more popular!) Students also performed physical activities related to the structure of polymers - including the most well known biopolymer, DNA. A very good time was had by all. This season of Science Saturdays is generously sponsored by the Escambia County Sherrif’s Office with State Law Enforcement Trust Fund Monies and by Gulf Power.

In February, Science Saturday was about “Programming Robots”. Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga of the University of West Florida led the presentation along with several of her students. Attendees worked in pairs, sharing a laptop while getting an introduction to the art and science of programming robotic vehicles. IHMC appreciates the effort and enthusiasm of Dr. Prayaga and her team in presenting such an enjoyable and exciting STEM topic. This season of Science Saturdays is sponsored by Gulf Power and by the Escambia County Sherrif’s Office with State Law Enforcement Trust Fund Monies.

The first Science Saturday of the Spring 2017 Season was “Brain Games”. Dr. Jerry Pratt, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC presented.The first Science Saturday of the Spring 2017 Season was “Brain Games”. Dr. Jerry Pratt, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC presented. Students were amazed by the ways in which our senses of sight and balance and our powers of observation could surprise us. They performed various hands-on experiments in optical illusions, 3D perception, and memory, and they witnessed some magic tricks that exploit the attention and processing limitations of the brain. This season of Science Saturdays is sponsored by the Gulf Power and by the Escambia County Sherrif’s Office with State Law Enforcement Trust Fund Monies. Students from Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, and West Florida High Schools volunteered as assistants.

The December Science Saturday topic was “Roller Coasters”, presented by Dr. Matt Johnson, Research Scientist at IHMC. Students constructed simple roller coasters in order to experiment with potential and kinetic energy concepts. IHMC thanks the Kugelmann Foundation for their continued sponsorship of Science Saturdays. We also wish to recognize student volunteers from Gulf Breeze High School, West Florida High School, and Pensacola High School who assisted. We look forward to the Spring 2017 Science Saturday series of hands-on science fun.

In November, the Science Saturday topic was “Wetlands and MacroOrganisms”. Research Scientist Dr. Dawn Kernagis partnered with Navarre Beach Marine Science Station for this exciting presentation. Students participated in four hands-on activities about species in our local wetlands: a touch-tank, a water run-off demo, shells and fossils, and dissection of owl pellets (to find out what owls eat). This season of Science Saturdays is sponsored by the Kugelmann Foundation. We appreciate the effort of Charlene Mauro and her colleagues from the Science Station, and we also appreciate the high school student volunteers who assisted.

October Science Saturday was "Fun With Chemistry", presented by Ms. Jamie Zigterman of the American Chemical Society and the University of West Florida. Elementary school students had the opportunity to participate in hands-on chemistry experiments about chromatography, polymers, and static electricity. The current season of Science Saturdays is made possible by contributions from the Kugelmann Foundation. Volunteers from Pensacola High School, Gulf Breeze High School, and West Florida High School volunteered and participated as assistants.

September Science Saturday was Bottle Rockets, presented by Dr. Pat Hayes. About 60 students in grades 3, 4, and 5 participated. They worked in teams to build and launch bottle rockets. This topic routinely results in howls of delight when rockets ascend several hundred feet into the air before dropping back down into the parking lot, onto the roof, or into the adjacent cemetery. The current season of Science Saturdays is sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation. The generosity of our sponsors makes it possible for IHMC to offer these events free of charge to all attendees.

April Science Saturday was “The Gravity of it All”, presented by Dr. Row Rogacki. Students learned about gravity, conducted hands on experiments, collected data, and discussed results. They saw fun videos about angry birds on the (zero gravity) space shuttle and about the gravity defying Blue Angels. This was the last Science Saturday of the season; we said goodbye and best wishes to the high school student volunteers who will soon be graduating and also to all of our fifth graders. The 2015-2016 season was generously sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation. We look forward to another fun season next fall!

Running Robots Return was the second appearance of the Robotics Unlimited robots at Science Saturdays. Students learned how remote controlled robots work, how they are made, and how they are operated. A 3D-printing demonstration showed how robot parts are inexpensively designed and produced. All attendees had the opportunity to maneuver a robot around obstacles. This event was generously sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation.

Dr. Lakshmi Prayaga of the University of West Florida presented '3-D Printing' for February’s Science Saturday. Attendees learned how to use 3-D printing software to design 3-D objects. Each child was able to design and print two objects using a lap-top computer. The first object helped students to practice using the software. The second object was a rocket ship, for which students had some direction and also some creative freedom. Volunteers from Pensacola High School, East Hill Christian High School, and UWF assisted. This Science Saturday was sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation.

“Electric Motors” presented by Dr. Peter Neuhaus, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC, was the topic of the January Science Saturday. Students worked with Peter and with volunteers from Pensacola and West Florida High Schools to make their own electric motors. As a result of this hands-on science experience students also learned about the principles involved in the design and operation of these motors, and they had fun in the process. This Science Saturday was sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation.

December 2015 “Biodiversity”, by Dr. Sandy Raimondo of the Environmental Protection Agency in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Students learned the importance of diverse plant and animal life for a healthy planet. They learned the biological differences between plants and animals, vertebrates and invertebrates, etc. They observed key characteristics of specimen from various groups, and classified their specimen based on observations and what they had learned. Nearby Blackwater River State Park provided free one-day park passes to the families of all who attended, so that they could visit and observe our local biodiversity. This Science Saturday was sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation.

November 2015 “Paper Helicopters”, presented by Dr. Chris Schmidt Wetekam, Research Scientist at IHMC. Students learned about the basic physics of flight and then built paper helicopters. They tested their helicopters in wind tunnels and tried to improve them, one design change at a time. In another activity, they constructed a flying vehicle choosing from a selection of supplies. These were also tested in the wind tunnel. This Science Saturday was sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation.

The Science Saturday topic for October was “Fun with Chemistry” — in concert with National Chemistry Month. A team from the Pensacola Chapter of the American Chemical Society, led by Ms. Jamie Zigterman, delivered a fun, hands-on science presentation. Students performed experiments related to density and detecting Vitamin C. The chemical reaction that took place inside a halloween pumpkin was a big hit, as was making a silly-putty-like substance called “gloop”. The Fall 2015 series was generously sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation. We look forward to another fun season starting in January.

September 2015 “Mathemagic”, presented by Dr. Jerry Pratt, Senior Research Scientist at IHMC. Students engaged in a variety of fun activities based on the unifying theme of “the wonders of math”. This Science Saturday was sponsored by the Kugelman Foundation.

Running Robots was about robots that run -- and walk. Among the famous robots introduced to students at Pensacola's April Science Saturday was Atlas, an award winning robot being developed at IHMC. This was the final event of the Spring 2015 season; it was presented by Dr. Sebastien Cotton, formerly an IHMC research scientist and now CEO of the start-up company Robotics Unlimited.

March Science Saturday in Pensacola was about pendulums. With a simple set of materials, 60 elementary school students experimented with principles of basic physics. This hands-on science session was led by Dr. Sylvain Bertrand, a Research Associate at IHMC.

February Science Saturday in Pensacola was presented by Dr. Chandra Prayaga and Dr. Aaron Wade, both from the Physics Department of the University of West Florida. This exciting and energy-packed Science Saturday was all about Lasers, Waves, and Holography.

The first Science Saturday of 2015 took place in January. Dr. Matt Johnson, a research scientist at IHMC, led a presentation about Electric Circuits. This Science Saturday was attended by over 65 students from the Pensacola area.