Every once in a while, I’ll try to test my 6-year-old grandson Beckett, asking what the nearest star to earth is. He’ll smile and let me know he wasn’t tripped up. “It’s the sun, Papa Troy. Duh.” And he knows that around those stars in the distance, some like our own sun, there might be planets where little aliens are talking right now with their grandaliens about the worlds beyond their noses. If they have noses.
We’ve talked about science a lot in his short life − things such as gravity, and supernovas, energy and ecology and the effects of pollution. He wants to be an astronaut someday and knows he has to study a lot of math and science and probably become a pilot first. (Yes, I know there are many science folks who are not pilots who have gone into space; but learning to fly can’t hurt.)
And I feel comfortable now about teaching him about the wonders and mechanics of the world, but what about when he gets a little older, like 9, and his science knowledge outpaces my own.
What am I going to do when he’s in third grade and stumps me with “Papa Troy, “What are onions made of?” That’s beyond my not-so-vast scientific knowledge. I don’t even know if there’s an answer to that question. It might be just another incomprehensible mystery of existence. What about in high school when he asks me to explain the significance of Euler’s Constant? I know, scary.
So if you’re like me and not much smarter than a fifth grader, but still want to keep up, the Pensacola MESS Hall is giving you a chance to increase your number of brain cells. (Once I typed that, I thought, ‘That’s not right.’ Aren’t most of your brain cells formed before birth? That was the long-held thought, but recent research is suggesting that brain neurons can be formed through adulthood and can even be repaired.)
See, you can learn something new every day.
The Pensacola MESS Hall is a nonprofit science museum and educational organization that provides hands-on learning experience in various subjects, including science, technology engineering, and math. About 8,000 to 9,000 people visit the MESS Hall annually, not including the 5,000 to 6,000 students
But while the MESS Hall − MESS Is for “Math, Engineering, Science and Stuff” − is best known as a brain-enhancing science workshop most utilized by young students, there are plenty of opportunities for grownups to exercise their noggins too.
The Pensacola MESS Hall has released its schedule for an adult learning series, “Science Night Live,” with one event scheduled each month in January, February and March. Adults who attend will learn, explore, create and discuss various subjects, from extreme precipitation to exploring pi, which I once could recite to about twenty digits, but now I’m lucky if I get the first eight. (Ask me the importance of pi and I know less.)
More about the MESS Hall:$200K can pay for a lot of MESS – which means more fun and learning for Pensacola kids
“We believe that learning should never stop,” said one of the smartest people in Pensacola, Megan Pratt, executive director of the Pensacola MESS Hall. “Our new adult programs offer a change for grownups to rediscover the joy of discovery, connect with like-minded individuals and engage in activities that foster curiosity and critical thinking.”
I might have to go. I’m like-minded!
Here are the upcoming “Science Night Live” sessions:
Extreme Precipitation workshop, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 30. Free admission.
Learn everything you need to know about the heavy wet stuff, from exploring not only the geographic and environmental effects of extreme precipitation but also the social and economic aspects as well. You’ll also learn about which communities are most at risk.
Singles Science Night, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 13. Tickets are $30.
Interactive event for singles to team up − pair up maybe? − to take on math, science and engineering challenges. Problem solving skills will be tested. So will your “drip.” (Did I use that bit of slang right, young single people?) Ticket price includes tickets for adult beverages and light refreshments will be served.
Pi Day, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on, of course, 3.14 of course, celebrating the mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Reading about pi myself just now, I found out it is also what is called a “transcendental number”. Now I know something I didn’t a minute ago − pi is chill and far-out. You can always learn. The pi event will feature pizza pie from various local restaurants, as well as desserts, and discussions and presentations on the irrationality of pi. It’s irrationality is both science truth and science humor, I think. Tickets are $30 for this event and well and includes drink tickets.
The Pensacola MESS Hall is located at 418 E. Wright St. Details: 877-937-6377, or www.pensacolamesshall.org.
This post was originally published on here
