Sometimes, an event reminds us exactly why we started The Physics Dimension in the first place. The Kohl Gala, supporting our local children’s museum, was one of those nights.
We were honored to donate our Carousel of Science as the cocktail-hour entertainment for the event. Supporting institutions that spark curiosity in young minds is deeply aligned with our mission, and the Kohl Gala was a perfect opportunity to do just that.
When the Carousel Gets Busy
Based on our previous Carousel deployments, we brought along an extra set of hands to help. Our expectation was that this third team member would mostly observe and learn the ropes while Ben ran the demonstrations and Christina had a chance to mingle with guests and explain our operations.
That plan lasted approximately thirty seconds.
From the moment guests entered the space, curiosity took over. The Carousel quickly became a hub of activity, and before we knew it, it was all hands on deck for the entire hour!
Guests gravitated toward different stations depending on what sparked their curiosity:
• Some were mesmerized by the liquid nitrogen demonstrations and the mysterious phenomenon of quantum levitation.
• Others gathered around the infrared camera, experimenting with temperature and heat signatures.
• A few discovered the joy of making music on our potato piano (which, for the record, only works when the plasma ball is turned off — a detail we learned quickly that evening).
• And others delighted in the elegant simplicity of our vacuum tube gravity demonstration.
The room overflowed with conversation, laughter, and that wonderful sound of adults rediscovering their inner science nerd.
Too Busy for Photos (The Best Kind of Problem)
One of the biggest surprises of the evening was just how continuously engaged the guests were. We were so busy guiding experiments, answering questions, and resetting demonstrations that we never had a moment to take photos ourselves.
Thankfully, the gala’s event photographer was there capturing the evening, and we’re excited to see those images once they’re available.
A Special Thank You
We want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the entire Kohl Gala team and the museum for including us in this meaningful fundraiser, but especially to Dave Judy, who coordinated our involvement and helped make sure we could be part of the evening. Opportunities like this mean a great deal to us — not only because we get to share science with curious audiences, but because we can support organizations doing important work in our community.
Why Events Like This Matter
Science belongs everywhere — not just classrooms and laboratories, but community gatherings, celebrations, and spaces where people come together.
Seeing guests explore the Carousel with genuine curiosity during the gala reminded us that wonder doesn’t have an age limit.
We’re grateful to have played a small part in an evening that supports KCM’s mission to inspire the next generation of thinkers, builders, and dreamers.
And if the level of curiosity we saw during cocktail hour is any indication, the future of science is in very good hands!
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