One by one, Jeannine Finton cut the top off of four egg shells and placed them on a table, making a square shape.
"What do you think will happen when I place a book on the eggs?" Finton, a librarian at the Edgewood Public Library, asked a group of about 25 children.
"They won't break," one child answered.
Finton laid a book on the eggs and sure enough, they didn't crack. Then she placed a second and then a third book on the shells, until the eggs finally cracked under the pressure.
The experiment kicked off a February installment of a science program that was started in November, called Project LEAP. The initiative allows children in grades three through eight to participate in interactive science activities and programs presented by scientists and engineers.
The program was started in response to BRAC, the nationwide military base expansion that will bring as many as 10,000 new jobs to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Finton said.
Finton earned a bachelor's in zoology from Butler University, and a Master of Arts in teaching with a specialty in museum education from George Washington University.
"Harford County is going to be significantly impacted by BRAC, and a lot more jobs will be available in technology and science," she said. "Children have a great love of science in elementary school, and by the time they enter middle or high school, their interest has declined. We're trying to bridge that gap and help kids stay interested in science."
The hourlong program was funded by the United States Institute of Museum and Library Services, and is offered at the Edgewood Public Library twice a month. Future themes will include: astronomy, in March and April; the environment in April; forensics in May; and insects in June, to lead into the summer reading program theme of "Catch the Reading Bug."
The $45,000 grant will be used to purchase equipment and materials, as well as supplies for science kits that can be checked out like books from the library.
One kit includes a high quality student microscope, slides, book lists, resources and Web pages for microscopes and microscope activities. There is also a chemistry lab set that includes instructions for several experiments.
Plans are also under way to build a new library in Churchville that will include a science area, and the program will be offered there as well, she said.
Recently, an installment called LEAP: Engineering Super Structures, was taught by Tim Merkel, a research scientist for Battelle Memorial Institute, a company with numerous laboratories that perform research in national security, environment, energy, transportation, and health and life sciences.
Merkel, who has more than a decade of experience doing educational programs in science and technology, taught the program with some hands-on projects to get children fired up about engineering, he said.
Merkel got the children thinking by asking them to name some things that would be fun, but have not been invented yet.
"A flying car," one child said. "A rocket that goes the speed of light," said another.
Merkel chose the flying car to discuss with the kids. He told them they needed several engineers, including materials, chemical, and environmental engineers, to complete the project.
Then he gave them two challenges.
The first challenge was to use four pieces of white copy paper to build a five-inch-high, six-inch-wide bridge. If made properly, the bridge could hold matchbox vehicles without caving in or tipping over.
To create their bridges, the kids were divided into four-person teams.
Joshua Freeman and his group worked diligently on the bridge. However, it took a couple of tries to get the bridge sturdy enough to hold the cars.
First they rolled four sheets of paper and realized they didn't have a top for the bridge. Then they created a bridge that didn't have a lot of space between the pillars, which made it structurally unsound. Finally, they found just the right way to make their bridge work.
Joshua said he learned that it's all about the shapes you use.
"Bridges have to be the right size and made just right to work," said Joshua, 8, of Edgewood. "Making a bridge with paper in the shape of a triangle worked the best. You have to work to get it just right. If a bridge isn't strong enough, they can fall down. And you don't want a school bus on a bridge if it can't hold it."
Joshua aspires to be an engineer and design airplanes someday, the third-grader said. And he's already started. Recently, he built some paper airplanes, one of which he called The Joshua. It really works, he said.
"I think it would be great fun to be an engineer and get to make airplanes, bridges and buildings," he said.
Paolo Prezioso, who aspires to be an architect, agreed. Paolo said he liked watching what a difference the perfect design can make.
"Triangles make the strongest structures," the 10-year-old fifth-grader said. "I think it will be very neat to get to figure out the best shapes to use when designing structures."
Brad Davis, who works as a mechanical engineer, learned a few things during the class as well. He said he enjoyed seeing the children engaged and challenged with engineering problems.
"I liked that the kids were doing hands-on projects that they then tested and saw how it worked, or didn't work," said Davis, 42, of Jarrettsville.
The second challenge was to build a dam that was 11 inches wide and at least 3 inches high, using two sheets of paper that would hold a flood of super balls.
The kids constructed the dams and tested them in a precut box. A bag of super balls was dumped into the box. Some of the dams withstood the balls, while others did not.
"The kids learned to use common materials to build uncommon structures," Merkel said. "They saw that their bridges and dams could work if they used the right shapes and dimensions."
The next class called LEAP: Titanic Science will be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20. The class will include discussion about the engineering of the Titanic, and experiments that reveal some of the Titanic's secrets.