The University of Minnesota’s Physics Force Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

The internationally recognized physics outreach program looks back and celebrates

Physics Force, the internationally recognized outreach program, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary of bringing exciting physics demonstrations to children of all ages. We interviewed Professor Dan Dahlberg, one of the original members of the troupe, to find out how it all began. 

Physics Force was started by Phil Johnson, who was in charge of the physics demonstration program in 1984. Johnson wanted to increase usage of the vast repertoire of physics demonstrations in the School’s collection. He developed a show in which he and three high school physics teachers, Jon Barber, Jack Netland and Hank Ryan, performed for high school students taking physics and chemistry at the U. The first two shows included physics professors Cork Johnson and Clayton Giese. The third show included Dan Dahlberg, who became the ongoing representative University faculty member in the group.

This original group: Johnson, Barber, Netland, Ryan and Dahlberg performed for high school students once a quarter. During the first few years they developed shows on various themes such as mechanics, sound, and waves, eventually creating six shows with the idea that they could perform a different set of demos each quarter so high school students would see all six during their junior and senior years. 

The word of these demonstrations got out and attendance increased enough to add a second performance, with the audience filling the 450+ seats in the old Tate Lab for each performance.  

The scale of the demonstrations at this point was much smaller than the show that is performed today. The demonstrations had been designed for classroom use, but when the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) meeting was held in Minnesota, and Physics Force was scheduled to perform for a group of over one thousand teachers at Willey Hall, they realized they needed to scale up the demonstrations. This is when the climactic barrel implosion and Monkey and Hunter demonstrations were added to the show. The group received a standing ovation for their performance.

A science engagement program on the rise

After the reception they received at the national conference, and not wanting to abandon this larger show format, the group began to talk about developing an audience for their “big show.” 

Dahlberg says, “I asked the principal at my older son’s school if we could do the show for the kids on a Friday. After the show, we announced we would do the show again that evening if they brought their parents back. We expected that if on the order of 30 or 40 kids and parents showed up, it would be a positive result.” To their great surprise, it was standing room only! 

As a result of this great interest, the group began a regular schedule of performances at schools, adding some stage hands and developing a set of demonstrations that could be broken down and stored in Tate Hall and trucked to each school location. All of this was managed by volunteers without an official budget through the end of the 1990s. 

Their big break came when the Physics Force was invited to perform for Mark Yudof’s inauguration as President of the University of Minnesota. As Dahlberg says, “We hammered that show!” which included a cameo performance by President Yudof. Within a week they submitted a proposal to Yudof requesting annual support of $30k for the Physics Force. They were awarded the funds so they could continue to bring the joy of physics to students and families in the Twin Cities and around the state, free of charge. 

As word continued to spread about the Physics Force, they were invited to perform at the Minnesota State Fair, on Newton’s Apple, a TV science show, and twice at the Epcot Center at Disney World. They also performed on the inaugural show for Minnesota public television’s Hands on Science. The Force also traveled to Europe three times to perform on the very popular Knoff Hoff show, a German educational TV program; all the shows performed outside the state of Minnesota were funded by the hosts.

As demand grew, they added a series of annual shows at the University’s Northrop Auditorium and performed for tens of thousands of students per year. At one point, Dahlberg told University President Robert Bruininks that the annual attendance of the Physics Force was greater than some of the University’s athletic programs, without the benefit of season ticket holders, meaning that each person in attendance was a new individual getting excited about science. By the time Dahlberg stepped down as the University faculty member representative of the Physics Force (1986-2010), the attendance number corresponded to about 7% of the population of the State of Minnesota.

Present day Physics Force

Over the years, the lineup of the group has changed many times, with the original members retiring and a few (Phil Johnson and Jon Barber) have passed. According to Professor Shaul Hanany, current Director of Physics Force, an important measure of The Physics Force’s success is its sustainability long after the original performers have retired. The program has been a magnet for new professors and new teachers striving to reach out to the public. While over the years approximately 25 individuals have been involved, today, there are three physics professors and about 8 other performers doing shows and helping backstage. 

At the 40th Anniversary performance of the Physics Force in January of this year, many of the former members of the group were called on stage to be honored by the crowd and the Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy and former Physics Force performer, Professor James Kakalios. This year the Physics Force was awarded the University of Minnesota’s Office for Public Engagement Societal Impact Award for its sustained and significant contributions to the community, and in recognition of its tremendous impact on Minnesota and beyond.