For almost 25 years, Mad Science of St. Louis has been famous for giving out hands-on science experiences for children through after-school programs, workshops and other events.

On July 5, the company visited the Wellsville Public Library to give a demonstration to 20 children who were in

attendance. The visit was part of the library’s Mart E. DeTienne Summer Reading Program, which is titled, “Oceans of Possibilities.”

For an hour, children learned about water pressure, jellyfish, whales and an octopus’ ink through experiments. St. Louis resident Ted Drury was the scientist who gave the presentation.

“Mad Science is about getting kids excited about science,” Drury said. “It’s something that you can do and it’s something that can be fun and interesting.”

Drury teaches English and theater full-time at the Ferguson-Florissant School District. He has been working as a part-time scientist at Mad Science for 10 years.

“They actually hire actors more often than not because they find it easier to teach science to actors than to teach acting to science,” Drury said. “I started this before I was teaching.”
Wellsville Public Library Director Jeana Houf said she found out about Mad Science from the Missouri State Library.

“Once I got hooked with them, I just contacted them,” Houf said. “They send me emails telling me what the program is going to be. They also try to do a program that focuses on the nationwide theme.”

Mad Science has been coming to Wellsville for the last three years. In 2019, the company sent an instructor to teach the children about what it’s like to travel into space. Last year, another instructor came to the library to teach the children about air.

Houf said getting Mad Science to come to Wellsville is not cheap.

“That’s why I had to get grants,” the director said. “I had some money that was donated, then I had a Dollar General grant. They charge $250, but they charge mileage. So that’s another $123 for the mileage.”

The Wellsville summer reading program has been held every Tuesday afternoon since June 7. That day, 20 children signed up and learned about the water cycle and ocean zones and listened to stories.

The program also had an appearance from Will Stuck, a St. Joseph resident who is a full-time storyteller, entertainer and educator. He visited Wellsville on June 14, a day after he did two programs at the Montgomery City Public Library.

Now, there are just two weeks left in the summer reading program, which is named after a longtime Wellsville resident who is deceased. Children will be learning about lighthouses on July 19. On the final day on July 26, they will be making ocean-related projects and will get to choose some books. Both sessions will start at 1:30 p.m.