Warden Middle School's October Science Night provided several dozen students with opportunities to experience a bit of extra-curricular science, to win prizes and to have fun while gathering information about academic success and college preparation. GEAR UP, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is an endeavor that exists in various regions across the U.S. The Warden site is part of the Washington State University GEAR UP grant that is headquartered on the WSU Tri-Cities campus in Richland.

LIGO partners with GEAR UP on activities designed to promote science interest among middle school students and their families. Warden site Director Enrique Tarver (below left) invited LIGO Hanford Education and Outreach Coordinator Dale Ingram to bring the "LIGO Roadshow" to the Middle School for the October event. Ingram provided hands-on wave activities such as the always-popular 'Waves in Jell-O' and the benchtop Michelson Interferometer. He also brought the outreach coordinator's secret weapon -- not duct tape, but a Dewar full of liquid nitrogen, good for shrinking balloons, shattering hot dogs and levitating magnets via the Meissner Effect

Warden is located near Moses Lake in central eastern Washington, roughly 75 miles north of LIGO Hanford Observatory. Agribusiness sustains the region's economy. Local schools serve students from Warden and the outlying agricultural area. GEAR UP provides a pathway for these students to begin preparing for college while in their middle school years. LIGO is pleased to participate in GEAR UP activities across central and eastern Washington.