Dinosaurs and Disasters event at Morrill Hall educates young generation

Seven-year-old Madeline held a hand-made dinosaur in one arm and spun the wheel with the other.

"Heat wave!" the museum volunteer said as the wheel came to a stop. Madeline's dinosaur had just the right traits to survive without going extinct. She ran forward and claimed her prize, a small gray fossil.

"Fossils are so cool!" she exclaimed.

Madeline was one of more than 2,360 children and adults who explored Morrill Hall Saturday for the seventh annual Dinosaurs and Disasters event.

Madeline's game, a sort of extinction wheel-of-fortune, asked participants to design a dinosaur out of pre-selected elements. A spinner containing different natural disasters would then determine whether their dinosaur survived or faced extinction according to its characteristics. Those whose dinosaurs survived five spins could choose a fossil or sticker as a prize.

The event brought together students, faculty and scientists from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the Nebraska State Museum to help children understand the science behind weather and natural disasters.

Natalie Umphlett, a regional climatologist at the High Plains Regional Climate Center on East Campus, has volunteered at the event for six years. Her booth "Observing the Weather" demonstrated how wind speed and solar radiation are measured.

"It is a lot of fun," she said. "This gives kids the chance to use the same technology that we use."    

The theme of this year's event was "Earth, Wind, Fire and Water."  At each of the interactive booths, children learned how these elements translated to extreme weather and natural disasters.

Paper "passports" were given to the children so they could collect stickers as they learned about each element.

Twelve-year-old Shay Flowerday held her passport out in front of her. She had stickers in all but one element.

"Can you tell me where I can find the wind sticker? I've been looking for it everywhere!" she said.

On the museum's second floor, UNL geology professor David Loope demonstrated the forces behind volcanic eruptions using hot water and Alka-Seltzer reactions inside film canisters.

"CO2 is what drives volcanic eruptions," he said. "Demonstrations like these are more realistic than many kids think."

Loope also volunteers his expertise for the monthly "Sunday with a Scientist" series, where he spoke last month about earthquakes, volcanoes and plate tectonics to children and parents.

In addition to the booths and exhibits, the Mueller Planetarium featured special one-day showings of National Geographic's "Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure."

"The event started out as a way for the museum and the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences to provide outreach in the community," said Kathy French, the museum education director. "When we were brainstorming ideas for the event years ago, the tsunami had just hit and everyone was trying to make sense of it. We wanted to show how disasters like these happen. Tsunamis don't just jump out of the water."

French said that overall the event is rewarding for everyone involved.

"The professors enjoy it, and the students like it too. To the kids, the students are the scientists," she said.

michaelbamesberger@dailynebraskan.com