Sunday, March 2, 2025, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Colorado State University, Lory Student Center

Free and open to the public! Science fun for all ages!

What Is Open House?

Every year, thousands of people flock to the Lory Student Center for a day of fun, hands-on science at the Little Shop of Physics Open House!

This event is free and open to the public. It is appropriate for folks of all ages, from pre-K to gray! Along with over 300 hands-on homemade science experiments, you can check out interactive presentations and activities hosted by our Science Partner Groups from CSU, Colorado, and beyond!

Guide

We’re still working on our 2025 guides! Check back here closer to the event!

Presentations

Interactive presentations will be held in the Lory Student Center Lory Student Center Theatre. Come join the fun!

Science Partners

Here are our 2024 science partners! We’ll update this list for 2025 soon!

• Adaptive Robotics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering
  • We conduct research to design and build novel, small, and adaptive robots that can reconfigure their shapes, structures, or functionalities to fulfill tasks in diverse environments.
  • https://www.engr.colostate.edu/laboratories/adaptive-robotics-laboratory/
• BROADN (Aerobiome Research)
  • The BROADN project, funded by the National Science Foundation, works to understand the microbiome of the air, and how it impacts human, animal, and environmental health.
  • BROADN volunteers will show the kids and their families how to use a microscope while talking about BROADN’s research and how different particles such as pollen or fungi that move through the air.
  • https://broadn.colostate.edu/outreach/
• Bug Zoo
  • Our Bug Zoo and Agricultural Biology K-12 programming gives kids and adults alike the opportunity to interact and engage with arthropods. Our research demonstrates that children learning about bugs when they are are less likely to develop fears associated with insects.
  • https://agsci.colostate.edu/agbio/the-bug-zoo/
• Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
  • CIRA is a leading atmospheric science research institute – come learn about how we see the Earth from space!
  • More at: www.cira.colostate.edu
• FORTCAST (FORT Collins Atmospheric ScientisTs)
  • FORTCAST is a student chapter of the American Meteorological Society and is comprised of students within the CSU Department of Atmospheric Science. Let’s learn how the atmosphere works! We will have several hands-on science demonstrations to help you learn about weather, chemistry, and climate.
  • http://fortcast.atmos.colostate.edu/
• Human Anatomy Interactive Room
  • Engaging kids in science and health through hands on anatomy exercises.
  • Gain a broad understanding of the human body through our Virtual Reality anatomy models, isolated human organs, and interactive human anatomy stations.
  • https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/outreach/
• Gregory Allicar Museum of Art
  • Gregory Allicar Museum of Art invites individuals to engage with art and each other to inspire fresh perspectives and wonder. Always free and open to all, the museum is a catalyst for visual literacy and critical thinking that instills a passion for learning.
  • artmuseum.colostate.edu
• Illusions and other Psychological Processes
  • CSU Psychology Department
  • As a contemporary science and applied profession, psychology represents a rational and systematic attempt to understand human behavior by studying the processes of development, perception, learning, motivation and thinking, and the relationship of these processes both to the physiological and social functioning of humans.
  • https://psychology.colostate.edu/
• Lakota Star Knowledge Star Dome
  • Presented by Generations Indigenous Ways and Oglala Lakota College Math and Science Department.
  • https://www.giways.org/
  • https://www.olc.edu/current-students/degree-programs-areas-of-study/math-science-tech/
• Madison-Macdonald Observatory (MMO) 
  • Solar viewing (weather permitting) outside in Plaza.
  • https://www.physics.colostate.edu/about/astronomy/
• Muscles Alive! 
  • Muscles Alive! is a neuroscience educational outreach program. Participants get to see, hear, record, and experience their own brain’s command to the muscle and experience very robust, fun, and attention-getting illusions and phenomena related to reflexes and proprioception (ability to sense the position and orientation and movement of one’s body).
  • https://stem.colostate.edu/events/muscles-alive/
• Sci On the Fly: Mobile Outreach Learning Lab
  • High-end gaming computers run advanced team-based programs focused on teaching youth across Colorado about the deep connections between humans, animals, and the environment.
  • https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/outreach/
• Physics Bus
  • The Ithaca Physics Bus is about doing science for fun. It is a mobile exhibition of upcycled appliances reimagined by kids that showcase unfamiliar physics phenomena. The mission of the physics bus is to awaken interest and creativity in physics for all ages and walks of life — especially those underserved by science enrichment.
  • https://freescienceworkshop.org/physicsbus/
• The Physics of Flight
  • A hands on adventure to inspire a new generation of pilots!
  • Civil Air Patrol: www.gocivilairpatrol.com
  • Experiment Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 515: www.515.eaachapter.org
• UCAR Center for Science Education
  • https://scied.ucar.edu
• Walter Scott Jr., College of Engineering Exploration
  • Walter Scott Jr., College of Engineering
  • The College of Engineering will be hosting a variety of activities around engineering our world in Mechanical, Electrical, Civil and Environmental and Biomedical Engineering. Stop by to explore 3D printing, electrical playdough circuits, bridge strength tests, and more!
  • https://www.engr.colostate.edu/outreach

Food Court

Doing science can make folks hungry. If you need a lunch break, head on down to the Lory Student Center food court. The following restaurants will be open:

• Subway Sandwiches & Mama Deluca’s Pizza
• Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
• Sweet Sinsations Coffee Shop
• Spoons Soups Sandwiches and Salads
• Garbanzos Mediterranean

Additionally, Cam’s Lobby Shop Convenience Store will be open at the North End Transit Center on the first floor.

Transportation

Colorado State University, Lory Student Center
1101 Center Ave Mall, Fort Collins, CO 80521

Open House will be in the CSU Lory Student Center, on the 3rd floor. We recommend parking in the Engineering Parking Lot or the Morgan Library Parking Lot on CSU Campus. Public transportation is also a great option: CSU is served by several bus routes, including the MAX.

Accommodations

We are committed to ensuring that our Open House is accessible and welcoming to everyone. If you anticipate any barriers related to a disability or have sensory needs that may make the event overwhelming, we encourage you to reach out so we can provide the necessary accommodations.

For accommodation requests, please contact Cherie Bornhorst at cherie.bornhorst@colostate.edu. Cherie will review all requests and do her best to accommodate your needs.

We look forward to making your experience as engaging and enjoyable as possible!

Major funding for the Little Shop of Physics is provided by the Colorado State University College of Natural Sciences. Funding for Open House is provided by the Matthew A. McCausland Memorial Fund.