The Physics Department hosts a wide variety of outreach events each year, including the long-running Physics is Phun demonstration series, and Physics Discovery Days for elementary-aged students.For information on the programs, visit our outreach page.

To stay informed about upcoming outreach events, join our mailing list.

Spring 2022 Physics Outreach  

Our first program will be Out of the Dark! Visit UMD's Physics Department and discover the history of electricity and magnetism.  Our program will have exciting physics demonstrations and live portrayals of the scientists who played key roles in this fascinating histroy.  Check back for our registration form! 

Maryland Day 2022 has been confirmed!  You are invited to visit UMD's beautiful campus on Saturday April 30th, 2022 to see the wonders of our campus and the amazing students, staff and faculty who call our campus home.  The Physics Department will host a series of exciting activities and, of course, our famous liquid nitrogen ice cream will be back!

Applications for 2022 summer camps open February 14th!  Check out our programs for elementary, middle and high school students.  More info here.

The Vortex Makerspace is back in action!  We had a successful open house at the beginning of this month and hope to continue ramping up efforts to start student work and projects soon!  Contact info and details HERE!

2021 State STEM Festival!

Click HERE to check out our Physics in Sports videos on our Youtube Channel!

2020 State STEM Festival! 

UMD Physics Outreach has joined the Fest again this year with a fun virtual/hands-on workshop: Build and test your own Vortex Generator!  For information and registration details check out our flyer found here: STEM 2020!

Today's at Home Activity: 

Did You Know...

• Did you know the State STEM Festival is having an art contest this summer?  K-12 students are welcome to submit artwork with this year's theme: Manufacturing and Design.  For more information, please visit HERE.
  
  
• Did you know that the first woman to ever perform a spacewalk just became the first woman to reach the deepest point in the ocean?!  Click HERE to learn more about the amazing Kathryn D. Sullivan!
  
  
• Did you know we are bringing The Amazing Science Discovery Camp to you?!  Check out camp activities HERE.  The summer camp team will truly miss seeing our one-of-a-kind camp community this summer! 
  
  

• Did you know we are bringing The Physics of Quidditch Summer Camp to you?!  Check out camp activities HERE.  The summer camp team will truly miss seeing our one-of-a-kind camp community this summer! 

• l (Eliot Hammer, Coordinator of Public Engagement) met Paul Jaffe, who works in the Spacecraft Engineering Department at the United States Naval Research Laboratory at our February Physics of Fantastic Worlds show.  I was thrilled to learn that Dr. Jaffe and his family enjoyed the show.  I was intrigued when he showed me the prototype of a demonstration he had been developing: the LEctenna.  The phenomenon that this demo displays is fascinating.  I am excited to announce that Dr. Jaffe and his colleagues have officially released the demo!  Click HERE to learn more about the demo, HERE to learn how to build it yourself, and HERE to see Astronaut Jessica Meir present and share the LEctenna from space!” Thank you, Dr. Jaffe, I look forward to seeing you and your family at a future show!

• Did you know that the Physics Demonstration Facility in the UMD Department of Physics has over 1500 demonstrations! Our Racing Balls demonstration is a favorite!  You can see this demonstration and accept the challenge to predict what will happen when the balls reach the end of the track by clicking here!

Contact:
Eliot Hammer, Coordinator of Public Engagment