The latest assembly show from Carnegie Science Center’s Science on the Road outreach program was developed through a partnership with PPG and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation that will excite students about STEM programming and careers using sports as the key subject. 

Science of Hockey invites students to help take a ragtag team of hockey players to the Stanley Cup by learning about reaction time, cryogenic chemistry, forces of motion, and more through dynamic science and math demonstrations, PPG said. 

Schools, libraries, and organizations can book Science of Hockey now as a virtual program or bring the assembly to their location this fall.

Science of Hockey explores the physics, geometry, physiology, and materials science behind a game of hockey. 

Geared toward students in grades K–8, the virtual program includes several live demonstrations led by a Science on the Road educator, with assistance from prerecorded videos of Iceburgh, the official mascot of the Pittsburgh Penguins, demonstrating Newton’s laws of motion, Bernoulli’s principle of lift, and more. 

Other demonstrations include:

• Immersing a 3D-printed scale model of the Stanley Cup — printed and coated by PPG — in liquid nitrogen, showcasing a dramatic temperature change that demonstrates the science of thermochromism, which occurs when a substance changes color due to a temperature change;
• An explanation of thermochromic paint, created by LCR and PPG, on a hockey puck that fades from bright purple to beige as it warms up, indicating to referees that it is time for a fresh puck;
• Videos of Penguins Director of Youth Hockey Shannon Webster performing the four main types of shots — slap, snap, wrist shot, and backhand — to illustrate the physics at play that results in a good pass, reception, or goal.

“At PPG, we know that science is all around us – from the paint that protects a hockey goal post, to the coating that indicates when a puck is game-ready – and it is a powerful component in the game of hockey and beyond,” said Malesia Dunn, executive director, PPG Foundation and global social responsibility. “This dynamic and engaging program will allow us to further educate the next generation of inventors, and showcase real-life examples of advanced coatings applications and the chemistry behind them.”