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WILKES-BARRE — A banana so hard it bangs on a wooden counter like a hammer. A flower so brittle the petals shatter like glass. A rubber ball made bounce-less in seconds thanks to brutal cold.
Yeah, well, that’s all very interesting, but what about the promise of instant ice cream?
They are all possible with a little liquid nitrogen, which Sarah Stapleton of Wilkes University told — and showed — students grades one through four Wednesday afternoon.
“How cold do you think it is?” she asked the youngsters from the SHINE afterschool program after pouring nitrogen into a metal bowl in the cafeteria at Wilkes’ Henry Student Center.
“Coooold!” one boy estimated.
“It’s minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit,” Stapleton explained as she let the youngsters approach and feel the icy vapors rolling out of the bowl and down the table.
“I knew that,” one young girl insisted.
Stapleton, director of the university’s “Science in Motion” program, offered one of eight mini-lessons to 42 students from SHINE — short for School and Homes in Education — during an event marking National Summer Learning Day. Students in the earlier grades participated Wednesday, with the same opportunities slated for grades five through eight Thursday.
Other lessons included creative writing, finances, a peek behind the scenes at the university’s radio station, and some physics experiments designed to look a bit like magic.
But Stapleton had the clear inside track on fun. Not only did the students get to feel liquid nitrogen vapors and watch things freeze in a matter of minutes if not seconds, they capped the class with real ice cream.
Stapleton poured a mix of “mostly milk and sugar” into her bowl, then added liquid nitrogen.
“Don’t try this at home!” one boy giggled.
Stapelton stirred for a minute or so and — voila! Ice cream!
“That is sooo cool!” Joseph Potechko cooed.
Stapelton announced it was ready to scoop, and several youngsters clapped before following her to a serving table where they quickly lined up.
Aiden Hughes opted for a topping of sprinkles and chocolate chips, sat down and downed it by the spoonful with a coy smile.
So, how is ice cream made with nitrogen?
Hughes didn’t mince words, stopping just long enough for a succinct response before the next scoop.
“Good!”
