Center For Integrating Research and Learning | Pioneers in Electricity and Magnetism
Science in Literature Electricity & Magnetism Magnets from Mini to Mighty

Education Home > For the Community

ArrowOpen House

Every February, the Magnet Lab invites the public to spend the day at its world-class research laboratory, and every February, they come by the thousands.

Open House typically attracts around 5,000 guests.

This free event features something for visitors of every age: hands-on demonstrations, self-guided tours, activities from our Community Classroom Consortium partners, food, and the chance to meet and chat with our scientists and other Mag Lab staff. It's also a chance to do good for the community: The canned goods we collect as the unofficial price of admission go to America's Second Harvest Food Bank of the Big Bend.

Open House offers an up-close look at our record-breaking 45-tesla hybrid magnet, our 900-megahertz superconducting magnet and other powerful research instruments. A special Kids Zone features hands-on science fun designed especially for young children.

With information and activities targeting a variety of ages, this event has become a popular family outing and is a can't-miss opportunity to show children how fun science can be. That doesn't mean the fun and learning are over once our visitors leave. We've been busy building up online demonstrations of some of what you'll see at Open House, so you can extend and apply what you've learned long after the day's over.

2011 Open House By The Numbers

Number of visitors 4,500
Pounds of food collected for America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend 1,670
Cups of cornstarch used in oobleck 674
Pounds of potatoes fired in potato cannon 200
Number of science demonstrations 77
Quarts of dairy products used to make Einstein Ice Cream 62
Number of quarters shrunk in shrinking quarter machine and given away 40
Number of participating organizations 17

Open House Links:

  • Science Demonstrations
    Audio slideshows of some of our most popular Open House exhibits, including maglev trains, the shrinking quarter machine, the Tesla coil and more.
  • Magnet Kits Demonstration (video)
    How to use the magnet kits sold at the 2010 Open House. (Length: 7 minutes, 18 seconds)

For more information contact Amy Mast at winters@magnet.fsu.edu or (850) 644-1933


Comments & Questions | Privacy Policy | Copyright
This site uses Google Analytics (Google Privacy Policy)
© 1995 - 2012 National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
1800 E. Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310 - 3706

footer NSF logo State of Florida logo

Phone: (850) 644 - 0311
Fax: (850) 644 - 8350
Email: Magnet Lab Webmaster