See Jimmy Fallon’s science guy, more at free TRAC event

The annual Hanford Safety Expo has been reinvented this year to give the thousands of people who attend the event a fresh experience.

It has been renamed Safety Connect and will have new activities to go with its new name, including demonstrations by the resident science presenter on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The event is still free and at the same location, TRAC in Pasco. Doors will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

The event has been moved up from its traditional May dates to allow more school children to participate. Organizers heard from schools that April dates would be better.

This year about 2,000 students are expected to attend on field trips, said Bill Johnson, president of Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance.

The goal has been to make the event bigger than in past years and with more variety, he said.

Visitors, from students to Hanford workers, will see some old favorites, but also more exhibits and demonstrations than at past expos, he said.

In addition to safety- and health-themed information for work and home, visitors will see STEM exhibits for science, technology, engineering and math education, with many interactive and hands-on activities.

Mission Support Alliance wants to interest students in STEM topics and also help them understand what kinds of careers are available at Hanford, Johnson said. Hanford contractors are among exhibitors.

Kevin Delaney, of The Tonight Show fame, has science experiments scheduled at 10:15 a.m, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

Exhibits expected to be popular include a heart that visitors can walk through and demonstrations of drones, robots and virtual reality. Fluor will display two Van De Graaff Electrostatic generators, which make hair stand on end when the charge is transferred.

STEM jeopardy competitions with local schools competing, and Hanford K-9 demonstrations, have been scheduled on the main stage.

Traditional activities that are returning include a vehicle accident demonstration, with emergency vehicles and the jaws of life, in the TRAC arena at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Kids can ride in a bicycle rodeo at 5 p.m. each day.

This year also features a dinner tonight with Capt. Richard Phillips, who was captured by Somali pirates. Tickets have sold out for this opening event.

More information about Safety Connect, including a schedule of events, is posted at connect-tricities.com.

This story was originally published April 16, 2017 at 3:31 PM with the headline "See Jimmy Fallon’s science guy, more at free TRAC event."