YOUNG PHYSICS EXPLORERS (ages 6-10) *Meets on THURSDAYS, 4 pm - 5 pm *BROUSSARD HALL: room 210 or 116 *Program requires a minimum of 5 participants but limited to no more than 12, so register early. The UL Lafayette Physics Department opens its real teaching labs after school hours for hands-on science enrichment, taught by physics faculty and university physics students. Classes are small (5–12 participants), so every student gets to experiment, ask questions, and discover — not just watch. Our programs follow a model that has run successfully at leading research institutes. A journey through four big adventures: (i) the nature of light (colors, reflection/refraction/diffraction, lasers, polarizers, optical fibers, and how our eyes see the world), (ii) the nature of materials (atoms, molecules, nuclear radiation and nuclear power), (iii) the nature of sound (waves, music, and how hearing works), and (iv) Earth and space science (the structure of Earth, the solar system, galaxies, and the search for exoplanets). Meetings combine lively demonstrations with small-group experiments that the children perform themselves.