Science Rendezvous Kingston 2025 took place on May 10th at Slush Puppie Place. More than 4700 visitors explored hands-on science activities at more than 60 stations presented by more than 440 volunteers.

Nearly 50 volunteers from Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy and our partners at and the contributed to Science Rendezvous  - a record contribution, making us once again the largest volunteer group at the event. This year our volunteers presented five stations: an indoor station, and outdoor station, a station in the Sensory Science zone, a station for the Kingston chapter of Optica, and, for the first time, a Stage Show. Together, these stations featured a wide array of physics-related activities and demonstrations.

 

Activities & Demos presented by our Department


Outside

  • Sun spot viewing with Solar Telescopes
  • Impact crater demo
  • Chalk art
  • Touch an asteroid

Inside

  • Ride a hoverboard
  • Vacuum experiments with a bell jar
  • Dropping a feather vacuum
  • Magdeburg Hemispheres
  • Angular momentum demo with bicycle wheel
  • Rheostatic fluid spinners
  • science art (spirographs)
  • Cartesian divers
  • Whirlpool bottles
  • Hero's fountain demo
  • Virtual tour of SNOLAB, information screens about other physics research

Optica

  • Bending light with water
  • Live spectrometer demonstrations
  • Laser chess

Sensory Science

  • Gravity table
  • Making UV-light detecting bead bracelets
  • Water refraction demo with art
  • Whirlpool bottles

Physics Stage Show

  • Van de Graaff generator
  • Liquid nitrogen demonstrations
  • Lenz's Law vegetable chopper

 

 

Science Rendezvous Kingston in pictures

Photos are courtesy of Prof. Wright of PEPA (the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy). Click on the images to enlarge.

 

The inside station vacuum demos with some of our volunteers, before the doors opened.
The inside station vacuum demos with some of our volunteers, before the doors opened.
The outside station, prepared to receive visitors.
The outside station, prepared to receive visitors.
The Optica station was popular with visitors all day.
The Optica station was popular with visitors all day.

 

Fraser McCauley demonstrates the compute spectrometer for a visitor to the Optica station.
Fraser McCauley demonstrates the compute spectrometer for a visitor to the Optica station.
Sarah Sadavoy and Ryan Amaral helping visitors create their own impact craters, and giving them the opportunity to touch a real meteorite.
Sarah Sadavoy and Ryan Amaral helping visitors create their own impact craters, and giving them the opportunity to touch a real meteorite.
Chalk art and a solar telescope at the outside station. Ryan Amaral, James Barron, and Ayan Biswas.
Chalk art and a solar telescope at the outside station. Ryan Amaral, James Barron, and Ayan Biswas.

 

Nahee Park demonstrates dropping a feather in vacuum, while Rob and Alex Knobel explain the vacuum bell jar.
Nahee Park demonstrates dropping a feather in vacuum, while Rob and Alex Knobel explain the vacuum bell jar.
Jack Walker helps Barrack the Bear experiment with angular momentum conservation.
Jack Walker helps Barrack the Bear experiment with angular momentum conservation.
Barrack the Bear rides the hoverboard.
Barrack the Bear rides the hoverboard.

 

 

The “floating string†was popular with the visitors. Szymon Manecki and Francesca Valentini.
The "floating string" was popular with the visitors. Szymon Manecki and Francesca Valentini.
Minya Bai and Nick Swidinsky explain the Lenz’s Law vegetable chopper to visitors following the stage show.
Minya Bai and Nick Swidinsky explain the Lenz’s Law vegetable chopper to visitors following the stage show.
Serena Riccetto introducing a young visitor to the centripetal spinners. Julie Brachman in the background.
Serena Riccetto introducing a young visitor to the centripetal spinners. Julie Brachman in the background.

 

The gravity table and whirlpool bottles were popular in the Sensory Science zone. Jasmine Corning, Mark Richardson, and Robin Krasinkiewicz.
The gravity table and whirlpool bottles were popular in the Sensory Science zone. Jasmine Corning, Mark Richardson, and Robin Krasinkiewicz.
Experimenting with the Cartesian Diver. Ammar Ibrahim, James Page, and Ezri Wyman.
Experimenting with the Cartesian Diver. Ammar Ibrahim, James Page, and Ezri Wyman.
Visitors to the Sensory Science Station could make a bracelet from UV-sensitive beads and experiment with refraction by creating art to be immersed in water. Laura Fissel and Julianna Manecka.
Visitors to the Sensory Science Station could make a bracelet from UV-sensitive beads and experiment with refraction by creating art to be immersed in water. Laura Fissel and Julianna Manecka.

 

Thank you to all the volunteers

We’d like to send a huge thank you to all of our volunteers who helped to plan, develop, and deliver such a wide variety of demos. Our volunteers include:

Nikhil Aurora, Ryan Amaral, Tristan Austin, Minya Bai, James Barron, Akanksha Bij, Ayan Biswas, Kristina Bodiroga, Julia Brachman, Joe Bramante, Zoe Brisson-Tsavoussis, Jasmine Corning, Gavin Croft, Nathan Eddy, Pat Given, Lawrence Faria, Laura Fissel, Theo Hugues, Grant Hurley, Ammar Ibrahim, Vishwas Gowda, Jamie Grove, Alex Knobel, Rob Knobel, Brian Krar, Robin Krasinkiewicz, Jennifer Low, Julianna Manecka, Szymon Manecki, Fraser McCauley, Heidi Miller, John O’Dell, James Page, Nahee Park, Sofia Arranz Regidor, Serena Riccetto, Mark Richardson, Sarah Sadavoy, Nick Swidinsky, Dominic Thompson, Francesca Valentini, Jack Walker, Alex Wright, Ezri Wyman. Thanks again to everyone - we couldn’t do it without you! Special thanks to Szymon and Julianna who once again drove the 1200km round trip from Sudbury to participate.