TSS April Happenings

A Message from the President

We have had quite the exciting scientific start to the year. I personally want to thank all of the TSS Board for putting together amazing field trips, organizing incredible speakers for the Horizons Lecture Series, and so much more. We love putting our time towards bringing science to the public and we love spending time speaking with all of you! Below we have many options to stay involved with TSS and the scientific community in Tallahassee. We hope to see you soon! – Martin Bremer, Ph.D.

Calendar of Events:

April 5th Flying Circus of Physics Physics Open House
April 7th Eureka! An Evening of Science
April 9th Riley Family STEAM night
April 15th BLAST Awards Night
April 21st Eureka! (repeat of April 7th event)
April 16: Horizons Speaker Kathleen Amm, MagLab Director TICKETS HERE

The Flying Circus of Physics at FSU

April 5th, 2025, from 11:00am to 4:00pm

Come on down to the FSU Department of Physics open house! We have fun activities for kids of all ages, including grown up ones. Some of the cool activities for you to do:

catch a planetarium show
witness a volcanic eruption simulation
make an experiment with standing waves,
see a nuclear accelerator in action
test your (paper) airplane flying skills?

For more info on parking and more: Physics Open House.

April 7th Eureka! An Evening of Science

Please join us at the Leroy Collins Public Library on April 7th and again on the 24th for EUREKA – an engaging adult learning program that explores meaningful and contemporary science knowledge brought to you free of charge by Florida State University and The Tallahassee Scientific Society. Through interactive, hands-on activities, we’ll uncover the essential the factors that are fundamental to the movement of water across our planet. Understanding these processes are more than just science – they are key to making sense of the water planet we all live on. Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your knowledge and gain a fresh perspective on the properties of water and their impact on our world!

BLAST Awards April 15th MagLab

BLAST (Big Bend/Leon Association for STEM Teaching) has been recognizing outstanding STEM educators and High School students for over 30 years! We do this in a number of different categories. Each Spring, nominations are collected from co-workers and administrators who nominate exemplary STEM educators from elementary, middle and high schools for excellence in STEM education.

New Teachers, with three or fewer years of experience who demonstrate an interest and aptitude for teaching science are eligible for the Seed Pearl Award of Promise recognition.
Administrators and community members who have given an exceptional amount of support to science education through their time, talent, and monetary means are eligible for a Service to STEM Education award.
One high school student per school can be nominated for their outstanding STEM accomplishments.

Awards will be presentated at the BLAST event on April 15th starting with a festive reception followed by an inspiring guest speaker on a STEM topic. This year the guest speaker with be Dr. Monica Hurdal, Math, FSI. The awards will be presented along with a check for the teachers and students. This year we will meet at the Magnet Lab on April 15th- starting with a tour of the MagLab from 5:00 to 5:45, and the reception starting at 6:00. Donations to support these awards as well as our $250 Mini-Grant programs in the Fall and Spring are welcome: DONATE HERE.

HORIZONS 2025

Please come to the last event for 2025!

April 16, Kathleen Amm, Ph.D.: Magnets Matter

In this presentation, Dr. Amm will showcase how the world’s most powerful magnets are driving energy innovations, environmental protections, health advancements, and future quantum technologies. TICKETS

What you may have missed in March!

Eureka! An Avening of Science

March 10 and 24, 2025 – Earth, Moon, and Sun

Does the Sun set? Does the Moon rise? In this interactive session we explored the dynamic relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Through engaging hands-on activities, we worked to develop a better understanding for how these celestial bodies interact to produce phenomena we experience daily but often struggle to explain.

Harrison Prosper Amazes at Horizon Event March 26

We had a full house at the Challenger Learning Center to hear Dr. Harrison Prosper share with us his vision for Artificial Intelligence in Physics: Then, Now, and Tomorrow.

FAMU/FSU College of Engineering Field Trip: On Friday afternoon, March 28th, several TSS members toured FCAAP, a facility that serves the aerospace and aviation research interests of FSU and serveral industry partners. Our tour guide for FCAAP was Dr. Alex Karns, Research Engineer. We had a brief tour of CISCOR. the robotics lab, with its state-of-the-art technology. This part of the tour will be completed later.

Neighborhood Camp Fairs

TSS Board member Ilya Litvak hosted two “camp fairs” on behalf of TSS

March 1st: the fair for grades 6-12 was held at Fairview Middle School. This Neighborhood Camp Fair event has a focus on internship opportunities as well as pre-college summer programs at TSC, FSU, and FAMU.

March 22nd: event for grades K-8 was held March 22nd at Pineview Elementary School. Camp vendors provide hands-on activities to encourage student participation in their camps.

STAND UP FOR SCIENCE 2025

On March 7, 2025, Floridians participated in a national rally at the Florida State Capitol to defend science as a public good and pillar of social, political, and economic progress.