Volunteers needed
Most chefs will agree that cooking is an art form as well as a delicate science. Laboratory employees know the people that do science best are scientists. On Tuesday, July 4, Laboratory employees and their families can step up to the pan and demonstrate pancake science during the 23rd annual Pancakes on the Plaza fundraiser in Santa Fe.
“The United Way of Santa Fe County’s Pancakes on the Plaza is a huge community-building event, which raises needed funds for the Agua Fria Children’s Zone,” said Debra Wersonick of the Community Programs Office (CPO). The Laboratory is a corporate sponsor for the event this year and has priority for volunteer positions, including the highly sought job as a member of the 40-person team working in one of the cooking tents.
“This is the first time in several years that the Laboratory is a corporate sponsor and we wanted to have fun with the event,” said Wersonick. The Laboratory will promote the theme of “The Physics of Pancakes” by handing out fliers that explain the science involved in cooking pancakes. What state of matter is a pancake? What causes the bubbles in pancakes? and, How do you flip the perfect pancake from the pan so that it returns to the pan (and not the ground)? are just some questions the Laboratory will answer for the roughly 12,000 people expected to converge on the downtown plaza.
Lab volunteers are needed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday at the Santa Fe Hilton, which is two blocks west of the plaza; and from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Wersonick in CPO has a list of tasks for which volunteers are needed.
Community Programs is selling tickets to the event for $5 each and will continue to sell tickets through July 3. Their office is located at 1619 Central Ave. Cash and personal checks made out to United Way of Santa Fe County are accepted. Tickets are available the day of the event, but are $6. All proceeds will go to the Agua Fria Children’s Zone, an innovative, comprehensive community program to improve children’s success in school and life.
Wersonick said more volunteers still are needed the day before and the day of the event. For tickets, more information regarding the event or to volunteer, contact Wersonick at 7-7870 or write to sonic@lanl.gov by electronic mail.
