By Joanna Miller, Staff Writer

This “SNL” doesn’t have Tina Fey, but coordinators for Science Night Live hope to get students pumped up about science again this year with a series of free family events.

As Science Night Live enters its fourth year, it continues to introduce new science topics for Prior Lake-Savage Area students and their families, said Community Involvement Coordinator Jenny Nagy.

“We try to make it an assortment of events,” Nagy said.

This year’s series of four topics begins with a program by the Bakken Library and Museum called “Shocking News About Your Heart” on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Boston Scientific and Prior Lake-Savage Area Community Education will sponsor the evening focused on the electrical nature of the heart and what to do if someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest.

The event will feature hands-on demonstrations, the history of cardiac medicine and opportunities to see real heart maintenance equipment and discuss with scientists.

A presentation will begin in the Prior Lake High School Auditorium at 7 p.m., followed by a Q & A session from 7:45 to 8:10 p.m. and an open discussion period until 8:30 p.m.

Students will learn to recognize automated external defibrillators when they see them in a public area and how to use them to save a life.

The next Science Night Live will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 in the high school auditorium. This student-led presentation will cover physics. Nagy said it will be presented by local students, and it will be modeled after the University of Minnesota Physics Force presentations with experiments and demonstrations.

Two more sessions are in the planning phases for February and April, Nagy said. She hopes to have one event on pyrotechnics, discussing fireworks.

Since Science Night Live began, it has grown from three presentations a year to four and has been met with substantial attendance. Last year’s events drew an average of 250 people.

Nagy said she anticipates 200 to 300 attendees for this year’s event and estimates about two-thirds of the crowd are students, typically middle-schoolers.

Some teachers offer extra credit for the presentations, and staffers come up with quizzes teachers can use as homework assignments.

Beyond school work, Nagy said she sees the same families return to the events.

“That’s a good sign,” she said.

The volunteer presenters are asked to cater to a middle-school level; however, older students may also meet with presenters afterward for more information.

“It seems like there’s something to interest everyone,” Nagy said. “Our hope is people will go home and keep talking about it.”

 Joanna Miller can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jmiller@swpub.com. 

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