The 2016 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) Science Fair was held Tuesday, January 19 as children from The KAUST School (TKS) and 80 guests from the Thuwal and Qadimah schools were mesmerized by Dr. Chris Smith’s science show “Blow Your Mind.”

With the aid of KAUST doctoral student Mariam Awlia, who acted as translator, and postdoctoral fellow Sandra Schmoeckel, who acted as lab assistant, Smith created colored lights by heating various elements, shot small missiles through a tube with the help of a vacuum cleaner and floated balloons and toilet paper to demonstrate different scientific principles. The big finale featured exploding hydrogen-filled balloons that illustrated the effect of heat on confined molecules. Bang! The children loved it!

The audience, KAUST graduate students, faculty and community members then visited the annual WEP Science Fair on the Discovery Walk. The fair featured exhibits, demonstrations, KAUST research experiments and TKS projects.

An experiment that drew a large crowd was a sustainable greenhouse food production model. It showcased hydroponics, aquaponics and cooling/water recovery. Another was "Plants and Salt Stress," where experts showed visitors plants growing under salt stress conditions and explained how they are working to make plants more salt tolerant.

John Kim, a TKS grade 5 student, showed off his research into “How big is the importance of washing hands and what is the difference in the number of germs on your hands under different conditions?” Fellow TKS students Leah Bakken, Vidya Mande, Natasha Ford and Abbie Ross measured CO2 levels around the KAUST community using CO2 Pastco data loggers.

Another big crowd draw was an experiment designed to test taste preferences between tap water and bottled water. There was also a display of the large number of plastic bottles used in the University Diner in one month, which worked to encourage visitors to take steps to protect the environment.

- By Diane Burgoyne, KAUST News