Vacuum canons, professors in tutus and egg drops are a mere fraction of the events that take place at The Physics Show, Foothill College’s seasonal science extravaganza.
After an inaugural show in 2006 and a one-year hiatus during the pandemic, The Physics Show this month returns for its 19th year, led by the same two Foothill physics instructors who created it: David Marasco and Frank Cascarano. This year, Cascarano said they will be putting on 34 shows – including more field trip shows than ever.
“We try to raise the bar every year and push the limits a little bit,” he said.
This year, there will be seven field trip shows offered at no cost to Title I students. For Cascarano, these full-day experiences are an opportunity to show the younger generation what college campuses can be like, including tours of campus, time to interact with current students, free T-shirts and, of course, displays of neat physics.
“This year, we’ll have quite a few activities for the kids to do at lunch,” Cascarano said. “They’ll be able to do some of the things we do on stage during the show, and we have some outside groups coming to run tables.”
The other 27 shows run on weekends at a cost of $6. Money raised through ticket sales allows Foothill to offer its cost-free field trip shows, according to Cascarano. He added that the field trip shows fill all 1,000 theater seats and the weekend shows come close.
Marasco said The Physics Show is designed to showcase many of the in-class physics demonstrations that take place at Foothill, which he does through classic “physics teacher humor” that is targeted toward younger students.
“The parents in the crowd can look at our students and say, ‘Wow, those are some smart, talented, well-spoken individuals on stage. Maybe I should be sending my kid to this program,’” Marasco said.
On stage, Marasco said he and Cascarano are joined by several student volunteers from Foothill who work alongside the pair. He said they complete activities that students and parents alike are surprised by – some of which, like the “bed of nails,” are so memorable that kids talk about them for the entire car ride home.
One such student volunteer is Keda Campbell, a dually enrolled physics student at Foothill. When Campbell observed The Physics Show for the first time, encouraged by her mother, she was a middle school student. Despite her knowledge that the show was geared toward a younger audience, Campbell said she thought it was going to be cool. And cool it was.
“I saw (The Physics Show) and I was like, ‘This isn’t just kid stuff,’” she said. “It introduced me to wanting to do a little more hands-on (work) in STEM.”
From that moment, thanks to the Foothill students – whom Marasco deems “role models” – onstage, Campbell was hooked.
“The presenters seemed really cool and I wanted to be friends with them, of course,” she said. “I (later) became friends with multiple of them.”
Now a presenter herself, Campbell’s responsibilities include interacting with students who come on field trips, building demonstrations and presenting for the audience, hence their title.
“All the nerves go away when you’re just facing a bunch of kids who are in awe of what you’re doing,” Campbell said.
The Physics Show, according to Marasco, has become a way for many individuals at Foothill to lean in and create an event that functions to serve children. From the theater department to veterinary technology staff, Foothill goes all-hands-on-deck for The Physics Show.
This year, the weekend shows are scheduled for 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 20), Sunday (Dec. 21), Jan. 3, Jan. 4 and Jan. 10.
To purchase tickets, make a donation and for more information, visit thephysicsshow.com.
