Ted Lawrence
Slap Stick Science

Web Site: slapstickscience.com

Ted Lawrence is a teacher and professional science demonstrator. After studying Electrical Engineering at UVM, Ted was awarded a BS in Secondary Ed (Mathematics and Physical Sciences) in 1985. He then went to finishing school at the renowned Ringling Bros. Clown College and toured with Ringling for two years. That adventure was followed by 5 years teaching in high school classrooms where he taught Chem, AP Chem, IPS, Physics, AP Physics, Algebra, and Circus Skills. For the fun of it, Ted would dress as a wacky professor and teach classes in character on Halloween and April Fool's Day. That experience led to an epiphany: kids learn better when they're laughing and asking their own questions - then they're invested in learning the answers. Lawrence also realized that the circus was a fabulous physics lab. "Kids always asked, 'How did you do that?' when I was in the circus, but when I was teaching, I didn't hear that anymore - even though I was often doing the same thing." In 1992 Slapstick Science was created as Lawrence's grass roots campaign to get the next generation interested in science. Dr. Quinton Quark, Lawrence's alter ego, is famous for doing back flips over Shag's head (off a lever), flying kites in the gym, falling off stages, eating fire, and exploding bubbles, flying from one basketball hoop to another (using a stunt double), and demonstrating the Laws of Motion using a beefed up fire extinguisher and roller blades. Lawrence brings his assemblies to 100+ schools per year in the northeast U.S. www.slapstickscience.com has downloadable study guides on the topics of Kinetic and Potential Energy, Simple Machines, Newton's Laws of Motion, Combustion, Solids, Liquids and Gases, and Flight for the public to use.