Science Bob and his experiments grab Spark STEM Fest spotlight
Science Bob will explode onto the scene and spread some knowledge around Orlando Science Center. The teacher-turned-YouTuber who has made multiple national television appearances will make scientific things happen twice daily during the Spark STEM Fest this weekend.
“Science can do some pretty cool stuff when you have the right combination of materials and chemicals,” said Science Bob, more formally known as Bob Pflugfelder.
“It’s always important in order to teach to get the students’ attention. So if you can do that with maybe some explosives or some messy chemical reactions or things flying through the air, I’m always up for that,” he said.
Pflugfelder launched into the public eye after a “Jimmy Kimmel Live” producer saw online videos of his experiments. He has since appeared on the ABC talk show more than 20 times.
“The fact that I have been invited back so many times tells me that there is an appetite in this country for interesting science. If I wasn’t hitting some touchpoint in America, then that would have been a one-visit thing,” Pflugfelder said. “People enjoy it. They like learning. They like seeing what makes our world amazing.”
Pflugfelder also has had Science Bob gigs on “Live With Kelly and Mark,” where they successfully set a world record involving the so-called elephant toothpaste chemical reaction, an experiment that typically requires dishwashing soap, water, dry yeast, hydrogen peroxide and safety goggles.
It can be a tall task to pull off visually appealing experiments in the tight quarters of the “Live” studio in Manhattan. It involves preparation and pivoting, he said.
“We’re doing these big science things on television. Often, they’re being done for the first time because I don’t have the space or budget to try them out back in Boston,” Pflugfelder said.
“We’re learning things as we go along and we have to adjust,” he said.
Pflugfelder was a classroom teacher for 20 years in Boston but has moved across the country and is collaborating full-time with Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer, inventor and YouTube creator with 30 million subscribers.
Pflugfelder doesn’t like to repeat on-air demonstrations.
“I’ve had to invent things that have never been done before. So, you know, I had to pitch the idea of Tesla coil-triggered, ethanol-powered film canister Gatling gun,” he said.
“The nice thing is that I can do things that are ridiculous but can still be educational and inspiring,” he said.
Science Bob demonstrations during Spark STEM Fest — formerly known as Otronicon — will be held at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the science center’s Digital Adventure Theater. Admission to the event is $24 ($18 for ages 2-11). There is an additional $5 fee to join the Science Bob sessions due to limited seating.
Spark STEM Fest hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Other happenings at Spark STEM Fest include:
• WeFlip’s Acrobat Science Live Variety Show.
• Powder Keg Games featuring a Super Smash Bros. Tournament plus Pokken Tournament DX and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
• Minorities in Shark Sciences will display jaws, skin, skeletons plus shark dissections.
• The museum’s animal ambassadors will be stationed on the Discovery Stage.
• An appearance by TapeMeasure the robot dog, newest member of the UCF Robotics Club, on the Finfrock Terrace on Saturday.
• Samples from real asteroids, meteors and other astronomical phenomena.
• Demonstrations of projection mapping upon moving objects.
• Science Night Live, a 21-and-up event, will be held Saturday evening and include a presentation by M.J. Soileau about nuclear fusion research. This is a separately ticketed event.
For tickets and more information, go to OSC.org.
