Hundreds of attendees experienced hands-on science experiments and demonstrations at IVCC’s Sci-Fest on April 21.

Attendees experienced an augmented reality sandbox to learn about topography, watched a Rubens’ tube that showed sound waves in the propane flame, and observed specimens from the Biology department, among many other science-related topics.

One of the large demonstrations was the implosion of an empty 55-gallon drum. STEM/Chem club officer Arinze Ochuba introduced the experiment, sharing how the drum had foiled Dr. Johll in several years past, avoiding implosion. This year, unlike last year, however, Dr. Johll won and the large drum imploded loudly because of the vacuum created inside as steam condensed to form water.

Dr. Matthew Johll, IVCC Chemistry professor, hosted the event with the IVCC STEM/Chem club. Chemistry and Biology students staffed the tables of experiments.

At the end of the evening, Dr. Johll laid on a bed of nails while one of his former students smashed a cinder block on his chest. Afterwards, he explained how the cinder block actually absorbed the force of the sledgehammer blow, so he just felt a bit of pressure. He thanked the attendees for coming and invited them back next year. For more information on the event, contact Dr. Johll at [email protected].