Differences in the way animals move and the forms of their movement will be among the topics explored in the Jan. 29 CU Wizards show "Biology of Muscles in Motion."
University of Colorado at Boulder biology Professors Todd Gleeson and Mark Osadjan will use people and animals to show how muscles work in the show, which begins at 9:30 a.m. in CU-Boulder's Duane Physics building, room G1B30.
The audience will have the chance to see how muscles power motion and how metabolism functions through a treadmill demonstration using a person, a rat, a lizard and possibly a frog. Osadjan will show that electricity is what makes muscles work by making his muscles twitch when he electrically shocks himself.
The show also will include video, microscopic and computer-generated images, as well as other demonstrations and audience participation, to explain the physiology of movement. Gleeson said the show will be "visually diverse." "We'll be able to show things that are more sophisticated than what's often available in the elementary and middle schools," Gleeson said.
Osadjan said he hopes to stimulate the minds of the children attending. "We're trying to take science out of the classroom and put it into the personal realm," Osadjan said.
The CU Wizards series is an annual program that provides an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry and physics, intended primarily for students in grades 5 through 9. It includes presentations by CU-Boulder faculty in various areas of expertise, ranging from biology to astrophysics.
Free parking is available in lot 436, east of the Engineering Center; lot 378, east of the stadium; and lots 169 and 396, north of the stadium. Closer parking also is available in the Euclid Avenue Autopark for a nominal fee.
Anyone with a disability or special need should notify the physics office at (303) 492-6952 a few days in advance of the show. The best wheelchair access to the Duane Physics building is through the east doors.
The next show in the CU Wizards series is "Speed" with physics Professor Eric Cornell, fellow of the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics. "Speed" will be on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 9:30 a.m. in the Duane Physics building, room G1B30.
For general information about the CU Wizards series call (303) 492-4318.