I just got word that
the Physics Bus will stop at Fermilab on Sunday, 30 July. Unfortunately, I will not be in town to see it. From their site:
The Physics Bus is our science museum on wheels, and it's taken us on Bus Stops from New Mexico to California.
The brightly-colored bus is the first sign that something out of the ordinary is about to happen at a school, fair or function. It makes a colorful statement, announcing that an amazing display of smoke, sparks and force is about to begin.
The bus itself is a study in science and hands-on experimentation. From its 50-foot, molecule-tipped TV antennae mast to its vegetable-oil-powered engine, the bus is itself part of the event--and something that kids talk about for hours afterward.
Here is
the bus's blog.
When I was young, I used to dream about wandering the country as an itinerant Van de Graaf operator. Maybe it could really happen.