Bubbles, dry ice, fire and explosions are all in a day’s work for Dr. James Pennington. Clad in his trademark rainbow tie-dye coat, the energetic chemist is a recognizable figure at schools and libraries throughout Texas as the coordinator of Texas A&M University’s Chemistry Road Show.
For decades, the show has delighted children and adults alike with demonstrations that display the wacky and wonder-inducing world of science, from color-changing beakers and shattering flowers to fire tornadoes. “Our primary goal is to get kids interested in science,” Pennington said. “I hope they see something that encourages them to explore more on their own later.”
Started by the late Dr. John Hogg in the 1980s, the road show has since expanded across the state as Pennington travels more than 11,000 miles every year to share the power of science with nearly 20,000 participants, ranging from elementary and middle school students to families.
Thanks to support from Dow Chemical Company and Shell along with the College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Chemistry, the program—which costs more than $800 for each presentation—is free for schools and participants.
“We visit many schools without a science budget, where every lesson is just on paper,” Pennington explained. “As a resource for teachers, we provide an engaging element that shows students why science is interesting, all while bringing a little bit of the Aggie Spirit into their community.”
