The Rightful Place of Science: the White House Easter Egg Roll?

This is kind of cool:

For the second year in a row, AAAS [the American Association for the Advancement of Science] will be arranging hands-on science activities for children attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.

AAAS was invited by the Office of Science and Technology Policy to help infuse science into the event on Monday 5 April. In partnership with AAAS, the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, also will be participating in the event.

With the theme "The Science of Spring," AAAS staffers have arranged activities, such as bean dissection and viewing of seeds and plant material, to help children ages 6-12 learn about concepts in biology, horticulture, botany, and food science. Lawrence Hall of Science volunteers, by showing kids how to make kites out of lunch bags, will help them understand how air, wind and weight can affect flight.

The science activities, including an opportunity to view seeds and plant material under a microscope, will be available at several tables on the South Lawn. In addition, AAAS volunteers will conduct one-on-one activities with children waiting in line or walking near the AAAS area. In those encounters, the AAAS staff will encourage children to handle a variety of seeds, show them a clear plastic ball filled with many different kinds of seeds, and invite them to sort a mixture of material into "seeds" and "not seeds." (source)

On the other hand, you'll note that "Science" doesn't really get the same kind of event billing as JK Rowling - or Justin Bieber. In fact, I don't see "science" on the schedule at all. Oh well, it's a start. Watch the eggfest livestream here.

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