Elizabeth Rcz knows she'll hear about the Sunday with a Scientist event for weeks.

Rcz, who is finishing her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's School of Biological Sciences, helps out with exhibits at the event and also gets to watch her 5-year-old son's reactions to the hands-on experiments.

"He loves it," she said. "He'll talk about the small things for days. ... He remembers the little details amazingly and sort of processes it over the next week."

On Sunday, the University of Nebraska State Museum celebrated Darwin Day with specialized exhibits focusing on evolution.

The celebration is part of the monthly Sunday with a Scientist series, where UNL students and professors set up interactive displays and games to get kids involved in science.

"It's always fun to see someone learn and take home a message from it," Abhilesh Dhawanjewar said.

He and Rudy Villegas, both graduate students at UNL's School of Biological Sciences, helped kids learn about plant seed dispersal by crafting miniature parachutes.

"What we really wanted to come up with was an activity with plants because everyone thinks they're really boring because they don't move," Villegas said. "We had a video, too, to try to kind of blow their minds with the cool stuff plants can do."

The event is beneficial for graduate students because it offers them an opportunity to share and talk about their work while also benefiting elementary-aged children, saidJen Shaughney, who helps to coordinate Sundays with a Scientist.

Each month has its own theme, so Shaughney said that with Darwin Day being on Feb. 12, it was a natural fit. About 150 to 300 people usually attend the event, which takes place on the third Sunday of every month.

LaVonne Uffelman, who brought her four grandchildren, enjoyed the variety of activities and had a hard time convincing the kids to leave.

"There's something for everyone," she said. "Even grandma got to learn something."

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Sunday with a Scientist makes evolution fun - Lincoln Journal Star