Messenger - Vol. 2, No. 1, Page 24 Fall 1992 What in the World Eric Beyeler '85M, '88Ph.D. begins his science demonstration before inquisitive teenagers with a composites sample in hand. "I ask them to guess what it is," says the Du Pont Co. senior research engineer in the advanced composites division. "Generally, the answers range from tin to plastic. Very few know it's carbon fiber and polymer." The middle and high school students then actually handle composite products, like a bicycle wheel and aircraft floor panels that Beyeler has brought. "They're amazed at how light they are, but still very strong," he says. President of the Engineering Alumni Association (EAA), Beyeler and fellow EAA volunteers have visited schools since 1990 through the Delaware Science Alliance. Called "What in the World," the program seeks to interest students in science careers, he says. The EAA also contributes $250 toward the alliance's outstanding volunteers program. A letter from a Sussex Central Middle School teacher has encouraged Beyeler that his efforts are having an impact. "You and the Du Pont Co. have opened my mind to a new dimension of thinking," the teacher wrote. "Whenever we can demonstrate something from the real world that you need science to accomplish, that's such a plus," Beyeler says." "The kids don't believe that math or physics have any value out there." For information about the Delaware Science Alliance's programs, contact Melanie Vinson at (302) 454-2420. To join the Engineering Alumni Association, call the College of Engineering at (302) 831-2401. -Bill Clark, Delaware '82