Eyring Science Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carl F. Eyring Science Center |
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Eyring Science Center, August 2005
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| General information | |
| Type | Educational |
| Location | Provo, Utah United States |
| Coordinates | 40°14′49″N 111°39′00.9″W / 40.24694°N 111.650250°W |
| Named for | Carl F. Eyring |
| Completed | 1950 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Fred L. Markham |
The Carl F. Eyring Science Center (often called ESC) is an important science building at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, United States. It was built in 1950 and got its name in 1954 from Carl F. Eyring, a famous scientist.
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What's Inside the Eyring Science Center?
The ESC is home to several exciting science departments. You can find the departments of Physics and Astronomy, Geology, and Food Science and Nutrition here. These are places where students learn and scientists do research. The Chemistry department used to be here too, but it has moved to another building.
Cool Labs and Research
In 1968, a special underground lab was added to the north side of the building. This lab is used for advanced physics research. Scientists here have studied many interesting things, like:
- Plasma: A super hot, charged gas.
- Lasers: Powerful beams of light.
- Nanotechnology: Working with tiny materials, even smaller than a speck of dust!
- Acoustics: The science of sound.
The ESC also has two modern TEMs. These are super powerful microscopes that let scientists see incredibly tiny details of materials, even down to individual atoms!
The Planetarium and Observatory
The Royden G. Derrick Planetarium is located right inside the ESC. It's a special room with 119 seats and a huge, round dome that is about 39 feet (12 meters) wide. This planetarium was built in 2005 and lets visitors explore the stars, planets, and galaxies. It replaced an older, smaller planetarium.
In 2006, a new dome was put on the ESC's observatory. An observatory is a place where scientists and students can use telescopes to study the night sky and learn more about space.
The building also has several labs just for studying sound, called acoustics labs. These include:
- Anechoic chambers: Rooms designed to completely absorb sound, making them super quiet.
- Reverberation chambers: Rooms designed to make sound bounce around a lot, creating echoes.
These special rooms help scientists understand how sound behaves.
The very top floors of the ESC, the 5th and 6th floors, are home to the Orson Pratt Observatory. This is another great spot for looking at the stars and planets.
Dinosaurs and Pendulums
In the early days of the ESC, you could often see amazing dinosaur displays in the main lobby. These were put together by James A. Jensen, a famous dinosaur expert. While you might not see as many dinosaurs there now (since BYU has its own Earth Science Museum), the lobby is still famous for something else: its Foucault pendulum.
A Foucault pendulum is a long pendulum that swings back and forth. What's cool about it is that it seems to change direction over time, but it's actually the Earth rotating underneath it! It's a great way to see proof that our planet is always spinning.
The lobby also has a student-run restaurant called the Pendulum Court. It's open during the fall and winter school semesters.
Did you know the ESC was the very first building at BYU to have an elevator? That was a big deal back when it was built!
See also
- List of Brigham Young University buildings
- List of science centers
