Houston Students to Experience Underwater Robots, Freezing Experiments, Scientific Magic Shows and Much More at Upcoming 2014 Energy Day Festival

From Shattering Food and Objects Frozen with Liquid Nitrogen to Energy Magic Shows, Houston’s largest Energy Festival to feature Over 70 Interactive Exhibits and Demonstrations

HOUSTON – Imagine a balloon, still full of air, shrinking before your eyes. Visualize a flower shattering into pieces without plucking its pedals off. Now, stop imagining and come and see an energetic group of professional engineers called The Air Liquide Freeze Team do it live at Consumer Energy Alliance’s (CEA) 4th annual Energy Day Festival on Saturday, October 18th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sam Houston Park, at 1000 Bagby St. in downtown Houston.

After that, stop by the refining industry’s booth to see Lynn Hogue with Terrific Science perform “petrochemical magic tricks” such as making slime and shrinky-dinks, or check out the Subsea Tieback Foundation’s SEATIGER – a trailer- mounted tank and mini-Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) that provides an opportunity for students to experience hands on mini-ROV technology.

Other exciting attractions include the Geophysical Society of Houston booth, where experts will illustrate how geophysicists use acoustic (sound) waves to image the subsurface of the Earth, and the University of Texas’ GeoFORCE team, which will illustrate how stratigraphy works by helping students put how layers of different sediment in plastic tubes at numerous stations.

These exciting demonstrations and interactive experiments will be included in the more than 70 interactive exhibits and demonstrations that will highlight on-going advancements and innovations throughout the American energy sector and trigger students’ interest in STEM-related studies.

Skills in these classroom studies, according to numerous analyses and industry experts, are needed today more  than ever if we are to continue an energy revolution that continues to offer affordable, reliable energy supplies to America’s families, farms, factories and small businesses.

“It is critical that we do everything we can to give the students of today the tools they will need to succeed as the workforce of tomorrow,” said David Holt, president of CEA. “As our nation continues to experience unprecedented growth throughout its energy sector, more and more challenging but highly-rewarding careers will be available for those armed with various STEM skills. Energy Day is a fantastic way to get our children prepared for a successful career.”

With music, food, games, contests, and presentations by energy experts from numerous energy firms nationwide, the free event is the largest energy festival in the nation and provides nonstop fun for all ages. Moreover, more than 75 students and teachers will be awarded at the festival for their achievements in STEM-related competitions.

Energy Day is proudly sponsored by more than 100 Houston businesses, including Direct Energy, Hess Corporation, ExxonMobil, Golden Pass, Torch Energy, Caterpillar, United Airlines, Freedom Solar, and ConocoPhillips.

To learn more about Energy Day and its accompanying 2014 Energy Day Academic Program, visit http://www.energydayfestival.org/.

Watch highlights from last year’s Energy Day Festival: