Phil Hampton, Ph.D.
Camarillo, Calif., May 3, 2016 — Dragon’s breath, smoking Oreos and a rubber ball that goes “clunk” are all part of the show CSU Channel Islands (CI) Professor of Chemistry Phil Hampton, Ph.D. uses to ignite kids’ interest in science. 
Hampton will be giving his presentation Wednesday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Somis Elementary School at 5268 North Street in Somis.
The chemistry show is one of the school’s monthly STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Family Nights in which students and their families are invited to see a STEAM-centered presentation.
“We aim to change the conversation around the dinner table from ‘How was your day?’ to ‘Let’s try designing a catapult that will shoot a marshmallow across the living room,’ or something equally engaging,” said Colleen Robertson, Principal and Superintendent of Somis Union School District. “We want learning to extend beyond the walls of the classroom and we want to give parents ideas on how they can be more involved in their child's learning.”
Robertson explained that each night is devoted to one of the core areas of STEAM by inviting a guest speaker from the targeted field. He or she will speak about professional opportunities in the field, personal experience, and then often do a presentation to illustrate his or her field of study.
“I’m going to talk about how I got interested in chemistry with a ‘do not try this at home’ story,” Hampton said. “I used to make remote-controlled fireballs with a model train transformer.”
Hampton will illustrate the properties of solids and liquids with a dry ice and liquid nitrogen demonstration. He will create smoking Oreos and plans to use liquid nitrogen to shrink balloons, harden the bounce out of rubber balls and create dragon’s breath.
“I just want the students to experience the same love of science that I’ve had since I was a child,” Hampton said. “Especially the community of Somis. Somis is very diverse and we need diverse STEAM professionals.”
Robertson said STEAM Family Night has been going on for two years with a colorful selection of guests. One agronomist from Spain described a robotic strawberry picking machine he invented. An engineer explained how he used silicon to develop cochlear implants for deaf infants and children and a mathematician explained how he uses math to create video games.
Community members and students from all grade levels are welcome.
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CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.