Arts fest draws people to YSU campus

YOUNGSTOWN — Lying on a bed containing 1,317 nails may not be the most comfortable of pastimes and positions, but Raymond Beiersdorfer will tell you that it’s also not exactly the back-stabbing experience you might think.

“It hurts a little,” said Beiersdorfer, associate director of Youngstown State University’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. “It’s like merging a side show with science.”

Beiersdorfer, who also had someone with a sledgehammer break a cinderblock on his chest with nails underneath, said his demonstration was set up “as a fun way to teach science to kids.” It also was designed to show the impact that physics and physiological forces have on the human body.

The demonstration was part of the two-day, ninth annual YSU Summer Festival of the Arts, held on and near the campus. The free event began Saturday and continues from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday

For more, and a list of Sunday events, see Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com