In the continuing theme of “Inspire Your Kids To Be Engineers”, may I present: the Design Squad Nation Ingenuity Day at the Lawrence Hall of Science! Design Squad Nation is a newly-premiered PBS Kids show based on the previous PBS reality show, Design Squad. Both are aimed at giving engineering a positive PR boost – [...]

If you asked me to list my favorite things about the Bay Area, somewhere near the top of the list (perhaps in between the fantastic weather and sourdough bread) would be the unusually large amount of geek appreciation and culture that exists here. Gone are the days where “geek” meant sitting in your room, face aglow as coding forums and throwback episodes of Star Trek scroll down your computer screen. No, in the San Francisco Bay, being a geek is something to be proud of!

So here’s an opportunity for all of you science geeks out there to enjoy. It’s at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), an amazing museum nestled within the Berkeley hills that has all kinds of fun and informative things to enjoy (see here and here for our coverage of other events at LHS). When you hear “science museum,” it may invoke painful images of screaming children, organizational destruction, and long lines. This has been an all-too-familiar experience for us adults who have managed to hold on to our love of science and technology through the years, but luckily the LHS has heard our demands for a more adult-friendly experience. I’m talking, of course, about the LHS Geek Out!

Through January 2, 2011, the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) is hosting Scream Machines: The Science of Roller Coasters. The exhibit incorporates hands-on designing of mini-coasters, as well as human-sized demos that explore the physiology of coaster-induced thrill, including a hydraulically-powered cart and a spinning, tummy butterfly-inducing room. Six Flags, you have competition (and the LHS has the better view).