Erik Herman, a member of the Physics Factory, plays with fire — lots of dancing flames — as part of the group's performance at C.E. Rose Elementary School.

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An explosion here, a propane fire there, kids cheering with excitement — it's not what you typically see at an elementary school.

For the Physics Factory staffers, it's just another day on the job for their traveling science show.

"It all started when a bunch of us got together to try and outdo each other," said Erik Herman, Aztlan Academy physics teacher and senior instructor for the Physics Factory.

The nonprofit group started by putting on two shows a year at the University of Arizona.

"From there we thought: 'Why do it just twice a year? Let's get a bus and bring it to schools,' " Herman said.

Watching a recent performance, about 60 students at C.E. Rose Elementary School, 710 W. Michigan St., oohed and aahed.

"Our goal is to get kids interested in science so that later on in high school they will remember science is fun and redeeming despite being challenging," said UA mathematics professor Bruce Bayly, who is also part of the Physics Factory staff.

The group took its show on the road last summer with a 7,000-mile cross-country trip to more than 10 cities, which included a stop at the American Association of Physics Teachers meeting in Syracuse, N.Y.

Their bus was almost home from that trip, all the way to Benson, when it broke down. Now the team is trying to raise $15,000 to replace it. For more information, go to www.physicsfactory.org

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