EMC 2013 youth technical program

What a shocking experience! Electro Static Discharge (also known as ESD) was never this much fun in engineering school. Dr. Bob Scully the IEEE EMC Society and its President-Elect brought in a host of different equipment including a large Van-der-Graaff generator, Plasma Ball and a homemade plastic soda bottle motor. The youth were treated to wonderful explanations and demonstrations of ESD including the history of discovery, the underlying physics and some demos that made their hair stand on-end. Everyone really enjoyed their take home, hand held Van-der-Graaff generator wands which they used to levitate foil objects, glue papers to the wall and unsuccessfully zap passersby. The next day, Fred Heather from the US Joint Strike Fighter Program, Naval Air Systems Command, brought in his fighter airplane ESD kit and showed how the lightning discharges over the aircraft skin. The participants each had a chance to zap a plane. Oh, and then there was Fred´s where does lightning come from demo which had everyone up-and-about in a lightning Mosh Pit ?? you had to be there to appreciate it!