Families Invited to Fermilab's Free Open House Today From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

This year's Family Open House at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27. The open house will offer family-style, hands-on activities, science shows and question-and-answer sessions with scientists. The event is free of charge. Advance registration is necessary for tours and is available at http://ed.fnal.gov/ffse_new/openhouse/. Registration is not necessary to attend the open house. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend.

The highlights of this year's program will include hourly cryogenics shows by Jerry Zimmerman as "Mr. Freeze," the popular Ask-a-Scientist session on the 15th floor of Wilson Hall, and hands-on exhibits designed and built by area high school physics students.

"The Open House offers activities for the entire family," Spencer Pasero, an education program leader at Fermilab, said in a press release. "Mr. Freeze and his cryogenics show are always a hit, and I'm very excited about the activities the high school students are contributing. This is a party for children who bring an adult with them to learn about the world of physics."

About a dozen scientists will be on hand to answer questions in the exhibit area on the 15th floor of Wilson Hall where visitors can get a bird's eye view of the Fermilab site and the surrounding towns.

Admission to the open house is free, and made possible by an anonymous donor to Fermilab Friends for Science Education.

Fermilab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory operated under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance, LLC. The DOE Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the nation, and helps ensure U.S. world leadership across a broad range of scientific disciplines.