I had the pleasure of volunteering at COSI, the Center Of Science and Industry, in Columbus.  I demonstrated several scientific concepts, including taste and air pressure among others, to young children as they were roaming the museum.  The goal was to inspire children in the field of science, and capture their interest in these concepts in order to have a long lasting influence down the road.  There were many things about this experience that were both fulfilling and worthwhile.

One demonstration that I had the opportunity to perform was an experiment involving gumdrops.  I would hand the children gumdrops, then ask them to eat half of it while plugging their noses.  Afterwards, I would ask them to eat the rest of it, and watch the surprise on their face when they discover that they were actually given spice drops, and that the flavor was completely different from what they expected.  The point of the experiment was to show that tastes are influenced by much more than taste buds.  How food smells and appears also can shape its perceived taste, as can be seen when the children could not taste anything when they plugged their nose.  Often times, after this experiment was performed, I could sense great interest from these children.  The surprised look on their eyes and the intriguing questions they asked are what made this experience worthwhile.  When that happened, I knew I inspired someone with a found interest in science, and nothing beats the feeling of knowing you helped guide someone in a direction that is the right path for them.  In this case, the right path may be in a science related field for these children, and it was fulfilling to know that I was the one to help them find it.