- By Sciencenter
- Around Town
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Anything that can be placed in a compost pile will be acceptable in the new, “Most Earth Day Friendly,” category but it has to be non-messy and odor-free. No styrofoam, bubble wrap or plastic will be accepted in this category, even though these materials are "recyclable." A full list of rules and acceptable materials, including plant materials, paper, cornstarch packing peanuts, and wood shavings, is available on the Sciencenter web site, sciencenter.org.
As in the past, there will be a morning (11 a.m.) and afternoon (3 p.m.) drop at Center Ithaca on the Commons. Contestants will have the opportunity to egg-cell in both the sciences and the arts by designing an impact-resistant carrier to protect a raw egg from a drop of eight meters (3 floors) to the concrete floor beneath.The Sciencenter is challenging individuals and groups to compete in this free community event. Every year, approximately 300 participants accept the challenge, with about 65 percent of the entries surviving the drop. The unsuccessful efforts are crowd pleasers, with a special winning category dedicated to those contestants who dare to dream big, but who may end up with a spectacular “splat.”
Aside from “Best Unsuccessful Effort” and “Most Earth Day Friendly," prizes are also awarded in the following categories: best engineering design, best free fall, best parachute/slow descent, and best in age category. Contestants can enter in various age groups, including pre-school to first grade, second to third grade, fourth to fifth grade, sixth to eleventh grade, twelfth grade to adult. Group and family entries are encouraged in the “Family/Group” category.
The Sciencenter Egg Drop is a community event coordinated entirely by volunteers. The event is made possible with the generous support of M & T Bank. Special thanks to Wegmans, The Cornell University Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Center Ithaca TSD Assoc. and Cornell University Materials Research Society.
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