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Dr. Bunhead visits Woodstock - or the seven rupee solution
We were fortunate on Friday 14th November to host three shows by the well known Science popularist Dr. Bunhead. Known in his real life as Tom Pringle, Dr. Bunhead has had his own series on BBC television in the UK and takes part in the show Science Abuse also on the Beeb. Throughout the UK he is known through his website and his science shows as a major mover for science and its applications.
So how did he come to Woodstock? Through a long series of coincidences. Tom has known Karen Aoki, daughter of Woodstock's past principal Kay Aoki, for some time; Tom was planning to visit India in general and Rishikesh in particular to celebrate his birthday on the 12th of November. She suggested that he should combine his trip with a visit to Woodstock. Ms. Aoki contacted Mrs Mark at the Middle School who passed the rod to Mr Husthwaite, HOD Science who comes from the UK and had used Dr. Bunhead's on-line materials in his previous post. Seeing a fantastic opportunity for Woodstock Mr H. Invited Dr. Bunhead to visit and began to organise the shows.
Decisions were made to do three shows in the Media Centre, the first in the morning of the Friday for the Elementary School - this was to be his famous green bogy show, involving vast amounts of green slime. The second had to be over lunchtime for the High School, the plan being to do a shortened 30 minute show but which developed into a more satisfying show with several of the senior school nearly missing their lunch. The third and final show took place in exploratory block time for the Middle School and was probably the most spectacular as the last of the liquid nitrogen was used up.
Mr H. could be seen with a worried expression for several days beforehand as the drama of the liquid nitrogen was played out around Delhi. Over several weeks Mr H had been sourcing the exotic materials required for the show, oxygen had been obtained from the health centre, hydrogen was made from scratch, hairspray, a magnificent gas ring and a handmade lab coat were obtained down in the bazaar. But to make the show work required quite a lot of liquid nitrogen.
To put this in context, in the UK you take your credit card into British Oxygen's plant, you say '25 litres of liquid nitrogen please salesperson', your card is swiped, the Dewar vessel is filled, total time 20 minutes; total cost about 3000 rupees equivalent. Dr Bunhead got the address of the supplier in Delhi and took a 2 hour taxi drive to the plant - to find a vacant lot, on phoning the firm he found that their plant was, in fact, in Pune - ah well; they gave him the address of a different chemical firm. Another taxi drive; this time there was a plant, there was a sales desk and there were also forms to complete, first to prove he was a bone fide scientist and did not want the nitrogen for nefarious purposes, then to sign for the Dewar and for the government permissions to possess the nitrogen and to transport the nitrogen - total time 5 hours, total cost for 25 litres of nitrogen, 30,000 rupees. (Admittedly we got back well over 20,000 rupees when we returned the vessel.) Just as Dr Bunhead was leaving the plant with his wallet lighter by Rs. 30,000, he was called back because there was a 7 rupee discrepancy in the paperwork. Dr. Bunhead arrived in Woodstock at 7.00 p.m the night before the show; Mr H had gained several more grey hairs.
Highlights of the show: the hamster cannon was a big hit (not a real hamster). The exploding hot-water bottle was brilliant - the final one used belonged to Mr H - he looked a bit distressed as his night-time heat source exploded into fragments. Dr Bunhead setting fire to his head proved a great hit with the elementary students - don't try this at home. Knocking a nail into wood with a frozen banana was fascinating, but the knocking a rubber nail into wood was even better. Shooting a potato through a tennis racket to make instant fries proved a real crowd pleaser, but the real highlight came when he put a cola bottle filled with liquid nitrogen into one of the Science department dustbins and blasted it to smithereens, sending an old tablecloth into the rafters and leaving it hanging from the stage curtain rails.
Feedback from students about the show was very positive and the staff had a great time too. Mr H especially would like to thank Tom Pringle for all the work and commitment he put into the show and we hope to see him back for a more extended visit next year.