ST. MICHAEL’S SCHOOL CELEBRATES LIGHT!
Our Tenth Annual Science Challenge – Focus on Optics
February 19, 2015
Did you know that the United Nations has proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light?
Each year the United Nations designates an entire 365-day-long period as an “international year.” The year 2015 has been designated as the International Year of Light. “This celebration of light-based technology and art aims for a global impact at all levels of society.” (Optics and Photonics News, Jan. 2015) By chance, this coincides with St. Michael’s School’s ten-year anniversary of its Science Challenge – Focus on Optics.
The Science Challenge is designed specifically for fourth and fifth graders. Children in these grades will have the opportunity to learn about and “play” with light. During this event, students will be challenged to create a circuit that will uniformly light three bulbs, to build a light-house that will have an LED bulb at the apex, and to hit a target with a laser gun via a mirror. All this is aimed to make science, especially optical science so important in our Tucson community, real for these children.
The event, Science Challenge – Focus on Optics, is put on each year at St. Michael’s School in conjunction with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) at the University of Arizona, which supplies the targets, laser guns, and adult supervision. Participation in this event is free and open to teams of two, both of whom must be current fourth or fifth graders. The Science Challenge will take place on Thursday, February 19, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at St. Michael’s School, 602 N. Wilmot Rd. For more information or to register, call 722-8478 or go to and click on “Register for Science Challenge” on the banner at the top.
