“A Grain of Salt: Isn’t it Ionic?” by Howard Stone drew near-capacity crowds of parents and children at McDonnell Hall on Saturday. Participants were treated to four sections, each with audience participation: Thinking about salt and water; dissolution and precipitation; puzzles and wonders; and conductivity and osmosis. Mentioned: french fries, pretzels, salt and diet, salt and health.
From the program: Stone researches fluid dynamics, materials science and applied mathematics; he enjoys the challenge of thinking about real-world problems. He was assisted by Bonnie Bassler, who researches molecular mechanisms that bacteria use for intracellular communication. Both are passionate about teaching. Chief experiment leader for the morning session was Kitty Wagner, lecture demonstrator in chemistry at Princeton University since 1991 and director of the Princeton Chemistry Outreach program since she organized it in 1996.