September Blog

Physics Fun!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the first edition of our Science Subject Spotlight, a new series where we'll highlight and explore a different focus of science each month. We will provide opportunities to get involved outside of school and people who can provide insight over the subject!

Since we will be kicking off the school year with our annual Egg Drop Challenge, our science topic will be physics.

Physics is the study of matter, energy, and how everyday forces shape the physical world around us. Some subjects inside physics are laws of motion, energy & momentum (a key topic needed to understand our Egg Drop Challenge!), electricity, magnetism, and optics.

If you are interested in physics, there are many ways to explore it outside the classroom. Here are some camps and programs to keep on your radar:

IU Indianapolis Physics Summer Research Program

• This is an intensive six-week summer research program from June 1st to July 10th. Students are paired with faculty mentors of their interest and present their final research report to faculty & peers. To apply, email a cover letter and essay to rucheng@iu.edu by mid-April.
• If interested, you can find more information here: https://science.indianapolis.iu.edu/physics/research/k-12-outreach.html

Purdue University “Atoms at Work” Camp

• This five-day residential program provides interactive lectures, hands-on experiments, research activities, and community building events designed to showcase real-world applications of nuclear engineering. If you enjoy real-world applications of physics over how atomic particles & radiation is used to form technological systems, this is a great program to look into. The application for the Summer 2027 program will open December 1st, 2026.
• If interested, you can find further information here: https://engineering.purdue.edu/NE/Summer-Camp

Summer Science Program in Astrophysics

• This is a five-week residential summer research program for highly motivated high school juniors. For the astrophysics program, students will engage in space exploration and studying celestial bodies through using powerful astronomy technology. If you are interested in learning about physics on a much larger scale, this program would be a great fit for you. The campus locations have not yet been released for the summer of 2027, but has normally had a cohort in the Midwest in prior years. Applications for Summer 2027 open in the winter of 2026.
• If interested, you can find further information here: https://ssp.org/astrophysics/

Whether you're interested in investigating light refraction, studying the solar system, or figuring out why your Egg Drop Challenge project worked (or didn't!), physics is all around us. We hope this first edition of our Science Subject Spotlight provides you with a starting point to explore physics in further depth.

Be sure to check back next month for another science subject spotlight about forensic science!

Upcoming Events

• Physics Egg Drop Challenge is September 30th, starting at 3:00. Signups are linked in Canvas (only 40 students max can participate) and it will be worth 1 after school point.
• Our October morning meeting will be October 20th at 7:35 in room 552. We will be doing a Halloween-themed activity, so expect to receive some candy!
• Our Scientific Guest Speaker Panel will be October 22nd at 3:00 in the Media Center. Everyone is welcome to attend, and it will be worth 1 after school point.