You haven't lived until you've seen about 20 kids in a row shoot off model rockets high into crisp, cold air over the huge fields by the Agricultural Farm. 

Five at a time, middle school kids from all over Alaska built and launched their rockets as part of the Science and Math Enrichment Program put on by the Geophysical Institute. Every year the institute brings kids from rural areas to Fairbanks to expand their interest in science and math through hands-on activities at the spacious International Arctic Research Center.

One at a time they count down to launch: "Five, four, three, two, one," Pushing the button, the rocket and their faces light up, soaring at speeds measured in meters per second.

"Middle school is the place you want to catch these kids," said Neal Brown, director of UAF's Alaska Space Grant Program and longtime model rocket enthusiast. "The crucial thing is what classes they're going to take in high school."

Dr. Brown was director of Poker Flat Research Range for 18 years and oversaw countless launches of scientific rockets during that time. Through Space Grant, he is involved much more in education outreach efforts with Alaska's youth.

"My motto is any kid, any time, any place," Dr. Brown said after putting warmers in his gloves to keep warm in the –5 F degree temperature in the Ag Farm field last Thursday. He shivered there after setting up the launcher, a homemade contraption made of a row of blast plates and rods attached to a tripod. It accommodates five model rockets at once, each attached to separate launch buttons that both Dr. Brown and the kids press after counting down.

"We're not just focused on the best and the brightest," said Dr. Brown. The program is designed, he said, to get all students excited and to see what fun things they can do with math and science.

The students, many of whom are Alaska Native, were from Circle, Stevens Village, and even Savoonga located on St. Lawrence Island about 700 miles west of Fairbanks.

By the end of the day, after learning about measuring the weather, the rockets' weight, angle of ascent, and time of flight, the whole group of middle school kids performed trigonometry to find out whose rocket had flown the highest and the fastest.

"Yeah, that was cool," said 13-year-old Pieradora Tremblay from Circle after figuring out her rocket's speed, height, and rate of acceleration.

Dr. Brown has launched thousands of rockets with school kids and says his favorite part is when the kids come up with new ideas after using the same model parts available in the standard Estes kit. Some kids have strapped tiny LEGO men in space suits to their rockets, or intentionally glued the fins on backward just to see what happens.

"It's been fun," said Brown.

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