OH WOW! biology program gives kids an up-close look at their world

YOUNGSTOWN

Suffice it to say that a short examination of a handful of tiny objects has gone a long way toward magnifying Teagan Kiehl’s interest in and appreciation for science.

“I learned about cells in my science class,” the 9-year-old Horizon Science Academy fourth-grader said. “I learned about the outsides and insides of cells and how they reproduce.”

Teagan, however, found herself able to do more than merely deal with cells in the abstract. She got to actually see numerous ones, thanks to Saturday’s Microscope Mayhem event at OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, 11 W. Federal St., downtown.

During the two-hour science program, the Youngstown girl was among those who enjoyed using a compound-light microscope to closely examine cell samples, pieces of hair and other minute objects. Several settings allowed the items to be magnified 40, 100 and 400 times.

The fun-filled biology-based program was to give children and adults an opportunity to compare a variety of common materials and draw their own conclusions. It also was to allow them to explore and more deeply understand and appreciate part of what’s invisible to the naked eye, noted Sorina Fatu, the museum’s program specialist and an educator.

Read more about the program in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.