I actually got dressed today!  My first task was to empty all of my fabric tubs.  Yes, C helped me take all of my fabric out of their plastic tubs and stack it neatly under the tables.  He said, “Geesh, I knew you had a lot of fabric, but I had no idea it was this much!”  I did not mention there is more fabric in other closets around the house.  Why would I do such a crazy thing, especially when I still feel like an elephant is standing on chest? 

Science Night

Every year, the middle school holds a Science Night.  They bring in scientists from the local universities and research facilities to share their knowledge with students and their families.  The topics run the gamut: nanotechnology, genetics, neuroscience, cancer research, biofuels, etc.  This year, there will be a small group of middle school students presenting as well.  My boys and 6 other students have been working with the 8th grade science teachers to build Remote Operated Vehicles, ROVs, that are used to collect water samples from lakes, streams, and rivers to analyze water quality.  They have done an amazing job of building 3 ROVs, one of which is equipped with an underwater video camera.  The science department was so impressed with their work that they asked these students to present their ROV project at Science Night. 

It is one thing to build a ROV, it is a whole other thing to develop a presentation for Science Night.  The students prepared a great Power Point slide show that chronicles the building of the ROV’s.  They came up with some “hands on” activities to demonstrate the difficulties of trying achieve neutral buoyancy. C wrote a computer program that allows participants to navigate a virtual ROV through a maze.  However, the stars of the show are the actual ROV’s.  Lacking a pool at school, the students wanted some way to show the ROV’s in action.  We have been going to the local indoor pool to test out the ROV’s.  (You can imagine how much attention this garnered during swim lessons!)  They needed a large, deep, container for each ROV.  Like any crazy supportive mom, I offered the use of my fabric tubs. 

My tubs are actually too big for storing fabric.  When full, they are too heavy to be moved.  Each tub is 18″ x 36″ and 20″ deep….just the right size for a little ROV to do a few tricks.  The teacher is worried about the tubs getting damaged.  Honestly, it would give me an excuse to buy more appropriately sized tubs.  Anyway, I happy to make my little contribution to science.  The group has a great presentation planned.  They are feeling quite pleased to be listed as presenters amongst all the PhD’s and “real scientists.”