Necedah Elementary students ranging from 3rd to 5th grade attended a field trip to the Discovery Building this month as part of their Cardinal After-school Program.
Led by the Morgridge Community Engagement team, the trip featured an activity called “Tiny Tunnels.” Through hands-on exploration, the students discovered how micro-scale devices can be used to answer big questions.
Students learned the basics of fluid mechanics, and how water behaves differently in a large device versus a microscale device. Understanding these devices allows researchers to build new tools to conduct experiments, medical tests and more in compact devices that only require small samples.
Check out the action and learn more in the photos below.
Scientists use models to understand the behavior of things we can't easily see. Here, they built a "water droplet" with magnetic molecules. 
Students were given a "macro-scale" device and learned how to perform an experiment to observe fluid motion through the device. 
After making a prediction about how the fluid would behave, students worked in teams to test their hypothesis and observe what is happening. 
Next, they repeated the process in a micro-scale device. The results are often surprising! 
Students are given space to experiment and explore at their own pace. 
An important part of our field trips is encouraging youth to envision themselves as a scientist —because they are!