One of the highlights of Weather and Science Day was the look on Jeff Francis’ face – Colorado Rockies Pitcher – when I pulled out my potato “launcher” and told him to shoot it into left field. It was like a kid in a candy store… The first shot was pretty good, it went past the outfielder, who apparently drew the short straw and had to stand in center field and catch potatoes. The next shot went right into the glove… then, it was time to bring out the big daddy of potato launchers. Francis’ face changed a little when I brought my giant potato launcher. But, Francis was a good sport… he aimed and fired and that potato flew way over the wall in center field, right into the Rockies waterfall. The crowd went wild… 5,000 science students watching the Rockies’ ace pitcher shoot a home run over 400 ft at Coors Field with a potato.
We’re honored to get to say, “We did it!” With a final count of 5,401 people, all armed with Windbags, the seats at Coors Field were flooded with science as we set out to set a new world record for the the Largest Physics Lesson. What a sight… a sea of Windbags with a special fly-over by Sky9, that captured the moment on film from the helicopter. The requirement for Guinness World Records was that the lesson last at least 30 minutes, but, we decided to take it to the next level and go for a full 51 minutes. There were Mentos Geysers, Rockies players with Potato Guns, a lesson on Bernoulli’s Principle, and, of course, a giant kaboom for the finale. And, at the end of the lesson an official Guinness World Records adjudicator was on hand to present our team with a certificate for the new world record. Learn more about all of the science experiments featured on Science Day at Coors Field.
SteveSpanglerScience.com Wins Two Prestigious Multi-Channel Merchant Awards for Outstanding Customer Engagement
After many long months of suspense, the winners of the 24th Annual Multichannel Merchant Awards were finally announced during a special luncheon at the ACCM show in New Orleans last week. The SteveSpanglerScience.com team took home two prestigious awards – the Website of the Year Award for 2009 and the Gold Winner in the Children’s Products category. Among the finalists were L.L. Bean, Hanna Anderson, Harry & David, Orvis and Colorado’s own Ebags.
Senior Writer for MCM, Tim Parry, called this “Steve Spangler’s Best Week Ever…” citing the company’s Guinness World Record event coming just on the heels of receiving MCM Top Awards.
Steve Spangler Science Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Brooks, was on hand to accept the awards. “We are honored that the judges chose our website for these awards. It was truly a joint effort throughout the company and these awards belong to the entire team,” said Brooks after accepting the Website of the Year Award.
I first told you about the Kids’ Science Challenge back in January, and now we have some winners. We first got involved in the planning stages of the project when Jim Metzner, Executive Producer of Pulse of the Planet, contacted me to discuss the initial plans for the Kids’ Science Challenge and how we might get involved with the development of the science activity kits.
The Kids’ Science Challenge is a NSF-sponsored competition designed to stimulate interest in science in third to sixth graders. The competition launched back in October 2008. The winners have been announced. Here’s the information from the official press release…
Lindsay Carnes
5th Grader
Our Lady of Mercy School
Lewisville, NC
Lindsay will be working with the skateboarders to see what would happen if you used balls for the wheels like on a Dyson vacuum. Skateboard engineer Michael Bream says “I’ve never seen anything quite like it in skateboarding before. There are several aspects that would need to be tested, including the size, position and composition of the ball. One of the main reasons we decided on Lindsay’s idea is that it’s one that would yield a
Every year thousands of people die from exposure to Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO). Widely unreported by the media and virtually ignored by government agencies, this silent toxin remains unknown to the majority of people at risk.
The presence of DHMO has been found in schools, businesses and even homes, and traces of it exist in toxic chemicals like sulfuric acid and ethyl alcohol. Many estimates show that every home in America – if not every home in the world – contains a DHMO source, intensifying the danger of this compound. Learn more
In addition to the dangers posed to living creatures, DHMO has caused billions of dollars worth of property and environmental damage. The chemical compound has been known to wipe out entire cities at record-breaking speed.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of DHMO is its wide-spread uses in almost every aspect of daily life. Research shows that the chemical is used for everything from a sanitizer to an ingredient in pesticides to a performance-enhancing supplement.
At the Spangler labs, we have found various other dangers of DHMO in some of our most
One of the highlights of Weather and Science Day was the look on Jeff Francis’ face – Colorado Rockies Pitcher – when I pulled out my potato “launcher” and told him to shoot it into left field. It was like a kid in a candy store… The first shot was pretty good, it went past the outfielder, who apparently drew the short straw and had to stand in center field and catch potatoes. The next shot went right into the glove… then, it was time to bring out the big daddy of potato launchers. Francis’ face changed a little when I brought my giant potato launcher. But, Francis was a good sport… he aimed and fired and that potato flew way over the wall in center field, right into the Rockies waterfall. The crowd went wild… 5,000 science students watching the Rockies’ ace pitcher shoot a home run over 400 ft at Coors Field with a potato. 
