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PhysicsFest 2013 to focus on states of matter

Plus … liquid nitrogen ice cream!
Plus … liquid nitrogen ice cream! Physicist Josh Erlich gives a presentation on the Higgs boson at PhysicsFest 2012. More high-energy content is in store for attendees of the 2013 installment of this annual STEM-outreach event at William & Mary. It's Oct. 26 in Small Hall. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

William & Mary’s physics department invites community members to the annual PhysicsFest event to be hosted Saturday, Oct. 26.

“This year’s theme for the day will be ‘States of Matter’,” said Irina Novikova, associate professor of physics. “We prepared many activities to show surprising sides of the states of matter. If you think you know your solids, liquids and gasses—come and be surprised!”

Small Hall will open its doors at 10 a.m. to welcome visitors with plenty of interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities for participants of all ages. Ever popular liquid nitrogen ice cream will be served.

Undergraduate poster presentations will take place from 10-11:30 a.m. Starting at noon, some professors will open their laboratories for tours and give public lectures to share the details of their research. The Thomas Harriot Observatory, atop Small Hall, will also be available for daylight astronomy between noon and 4pm, weather permitting.

You are also invited to participate in a physics photo competition for a chance to win one of several cash prizes! Entries should be emailed to photos@physics.wm.edu with a title and caption included no later than 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

More details on PhysicsFest and the photo competition available at the PhysicsFest web site.