Centre holds dedication ceremony for Foucault Pendulum in Olin Hall
Specifically, to Olin Hall, Demoranville said the pendulum was a key feature of the old building.
“At that time, it was inside the front entrance, although the bob was below the entrance, halfway in the basement,” he added. “Early on, we weren’t sure how it would be incorporated in the new building, but the architects proposed the new entrance on the West Walnut Avenue side of the building. With a generous grant from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, the budget for the building was increased, and we are able to add the spectacular entrance that now exists and highlights the pendulum in an even more prominent way, allowing all passing by to see it.”
At the dedication ceremony, President Milton Moreland gave the opening address and Associate Professor of Physics Jim Kelly explained the science behind the pendulum. In addition, Ella Aponte ‘22, member of the executive committee of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Student Organization, and Brian Hutzley, chief financial officer, spoke during the event.
“COVID-19 has made celebrations hard,” Demoranville said. “It’s nice to finally be able to celebrate the amazing work that was done to create the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Science and Mathematics and to renovate Olin Hall. It was wonderful to have a broad representation of the campus community surrounding the pendulum to celebrate.”
Demoranville said keeping the pendulum was really important for lots of reasons; particularly since there aren’t many of them around, it’s distinctive to have one on Centre’s campus.
“Additionally, several of our science classes actually use measurements of the pendulum as a teaching tool,” he added. “In fact, our partners at Omni Architects and CMTA engineering consultants, with the input of Jim Kelly, designed the lighting to make these observations easier. And highlighting the pendulum so those outside the building can observe it further encourages the wonder of science to anyone who passes by.”
