ANDY CHAPMAN The (Gillette) News-Record | Posted: Monday, August 4, 2008 12:00 am
GILLETTE - Max Borchert seems like a pretty regular guy. On most days, he works as a mechanic at the Black Thunder mine, repairing machinery.
But on his days off, he becomes something totally different: a combination of a teacher, chemist and physics expert. And he does it all with a little bit of flair.
He brought that flair and an assortment of science materials with him recently to Rozet Summer Camp, a camp for students in second through sixth grade, to show off his experiments.
"I try to do anything to get them excited about science," he said.
One of the experiments in Borchert's arsenal answered the age-old question of how many drops of water would fit on the side of a penny. Program director Linda Olson held the dropper and managed to get 43, although Borchert said he's seen more than 80 in previous experiments.
He combined vinegar, baking soda and purple cabbage water to see what would happen, which culminated in a foamy, purple volcano.
A lit candle was placed in a basin of water and a vase was placed over the candle, resulting in water being sucked up into the neck of the vase to equalize pressure.
While all of the experiments were visually pleasing and seemingly technical, Borchert stressed that he wasn't a guy with all the answers.
"I'm not a scientist," he said. "I'm a mechanic in a coal mine."
He does, however, have a passion for science and wants to share it with children.
"If it gets kids excited, they'll remember it," he said.
His work schedule allows ample time to work on the experiments. He's constantly testing out new ones and looking for that next big one to dazzle the eye.
Borchert's wife, Brenda, said his goal is to get students to be active in their down time.
"It's about getting kids interested in something other than sitting in front of the TV," she said.
Evidently, he's good at what he does. He's been doing the experiments for 11 years and does a yearly demonstration at Lakeview Elementary for the first-grade class. He's also done his impromptu show at Wagonwheel Elementary.
"I have fun with it," he said.
Borchert wanted to teach the kids more than simple science with one of his experiments. As the students were learning about oxygen and its role when lighting a candle, he reminded the students of the unsafe places to be during a hide-and-seek game - spots that could deprive a child of oxygen. The list included old freezers, garbage cans and especially trunks of cars. He mentioned the 1998 case in Utah when five girls were trapped in a trunk, where they suffered heat stroke and oxygen deprivation and died.
"You'll go to sleep, but you won't wake up," Borchert told the students.
Since then, he's been using the experiment to try and educate kids about the dangers of low oxygen levels.
"I heard about those kids," he said. "That always bothered me."
The other demonstrations were geared more to fun, though. His fiber optics displays included an experiment that involved a jar with black tape around the sides, while the lid had two holes drilled in it. When Borchert filled it with water and shined a flashlight in the bottom of it, the light was transferred through the water as it was poured on a volunteer's hand below.
The flashlight experiment was a big hit with 7-year-old Zachary Gwinnup, who described it as "very cool."
Rozet Principal Dave Freeland said the school is always looking for things that encourage student participation, and Borchert's experiments fit the bill perfectly.
"We like anything practical and fun," he said. "It's not out of a book, which helps bring it to life."
Olson said she was pleased with the response to Borchert's exhibition because it gave students the opportunity to see the application of science.
"They don't get to see this stuff on a normal day," Olson said. "They were enthralled."
The experiments will continue if Borchert has anything to say about it. There are more students out there, and a whole world of science to show them, and his timetable for continuing depends on the demand.
"I'll keep doing it as long as they'll have me back," he said.