"Sometimes you'll meet with the professors 15 minutes before the class," Rueckner says. "Sometimes, they'll ask us for things as the class has begun."

Nevertheless, Rueckner says his job remains "fun and challenging."

The newest member of the science demonstrations teams, Nils Sorensen, joined the team only this September. Sorenson says the job has been more fun than he expected and has also allowed him to combine two of his passions--physics and theatrics.

"I've always enjoyed physics, and I also grew up with a lot of theatrics," he says. "The demos involve some presentation ability--plus the hands on."

The science demonstrations team works out of Room B-08A in the Science Center basement, where they build and design most of the equipment for the demonstrations.

Much of the equipment the team uses can be bought from catalogues or modeled upon the products shown in catalogues.

For example, the ripple tank that the team uses to show wave interference patterns is not commercially available, Rueckner says. Therefore, the team uses commercially-available equipment as a model and then designs equipment to meet the needs of larger lectures.

Most of the team's services are used in undergraduate and extension school classes, but other students can also take advantage of the team's services, staff members say. The team provides the demonstrations for Project Teach, a program that brings seventh-grade students to the College for science lectures given by Harvard professors. The staff also helps ExperiMentors, Harvard undergraduates who teach weekly science lessons to public school classes