In the bowels of the Science Center is a huge dark room filled with bizarre maniacal constructions straight out of old black and white science fiction movies.

But this isn't fiction.

This is Wolfgang H. Rueckner's domain.

For the last 13 years, Rueckner, a wiry, youthful-looking bearded man, has managed the Lecture Demonstration Services in the Science Center. Translation: if there is a demonstration in the Science Center, he is responsible for it.

"Wolf," as his box in the Prep Room is labelled, is a man with a Ph.D. in experimental and atomic physics from Brandeis University. As might be guessed, Rueckner was born in Germany. The greater of his years, however, were spent growing up in Springfield, Vt.

The bizarre room, dark because no one has bothered to change the light bulbs, is full of more than 600 demonstrations that Rueckner and his staff assemble and prepare for professors at the drop of a hat. Every year, Rueckner and his team of three full-time assistant scientists -- two physicists and a chemist -- concoct and build a dozen or so original demonstrations, which are eventually stored here. Aside from these tried and true experiments, Wolf says that when a professor has a specific wish, "we see what we can do."

Caged Profs and Other Fun Stuff

Walking among the disassembled demonstrations, Rueckner's serious academic air gives way to the enthusiasm of a kid at show and tell.

Center stage in his prep room is one of his more interesting "toys." The structure looks like, well, a giant bird cage with a chair for a professor in it. Electrical current is run through the ungrounded cage. Sparks flying, the professor, unharmed, is able to lecture from within. Sound like fun?

Other popular toys include not one, but two homemade rocket cars powered by carbon dioxide fire extinguishers to illustrate Newton's Third Law. Donning crash helmets, aviator scarves and goggles, the professors pilot the rockets across the stage of a Science Center lecture hall, while offstage, Rueckner and his troupe simulate a crash.

The 'shoot the monkey' demonstration of gravity with a cannon and a Curious George also wins rave reviews, says Rueckner. In this one, George is dropped from his high perch at the same time that a cannon, aimed right at him, is fired. Gravity eventually does poor George in, bringing the cannon ball down just enough to still hit him.

Though beyond this author's meager comprehension, another of Rueckner's popular demonstration--this one for quantum physics classes--illustrates how light interference patterns occur, even when "particles" of light are sent though double slits, one by one. It might not mean much to most, but to physics fiends, its a blast.

Like the rocket car demonstration, many of the experiments feature the professors as the stars. Another, in which the professor inhales sulfur hexaflouride, transforms the professor's voice to that of Darth Vader's. Don't try this one at home.

Stagefright

Is it frustrating for those who are the brains behind the concoctions to watch the professors steal all their glory? David J. Tavilla, one of the physicists on Rueckner's team, says no, not at all. His reason is a simple one: stagefright.