It's USU Physics Day at Lagoon Amusement Park Friday, May 12, 2023

Ready, set, GO: It’s been a long winter and one of Utah State University’s favorite harbingers of spring — USU Physics Day at Lagoon — is ready to provide thrills, chills and STEM-learning fun Friday, May 12, at Davis County’s popular amusement park.

“The weather forecast looks great and we can’t wait to jump on Lagoon’s roller coasters to experience gravity and inertia, g-forces and centripetal acceleration, while screaming at the top of our lungs,” says USU Physics professor J.R. Dennison, a founder and longtime coordinator of the event, which started in 1990. “This will be our 32nd Physics Day and we’re excited to welcome our participants.”

Some 10,000 teens from Utah and surrounding states are expected to descend on Farmington, Utah’s überplayground for a day of rides, STEM exhibits, demonstrations and competition, along with an academic Physics Bowl contest.

“What better laboratory to entice young people than an amusement park?” Dennison says.

USU Physics Day at Lagoon is coordinated by USU’s Department of Physics and Idaho National Laboratory. The event receives funding support from a host of public and private sponsors.