You're listening to shortwave from NPR.

Hey, hey shortwavers.

So the arrival of spring makes me think of a lot of things, you know, mowing the lawn,

tulip bulbs and crocuses and freaking out the Whiffle Ball.

It is a quong family tradition.

And if you've never heard of a Whiffle Ball, well, you're in for a treat because today

we are oncoring a classic shortwave episode featuring my former co-host Maddie Sophia

and our guest, Jen Stroud-Rosman, professor of mechanical engineering at Lafayette College.

Jen's specialty is fluid mechanics, which is basically the behavior of liquids and gases.

And as an engineering professor, Jen is always looking for ways to make learning about fluid

mechanics a hands-on experience for her students.

Enter the Whiffle Ball.

Here's Jen.

I love baseball.

So I'm always looking for ways to share things I love with students' period.

But the fact that I also love fluid mechanics meant that I was looking for ways to get students

excited about fluid mechanics.

And her teaching career is notable for combining the two.

It started with baseballs, but Jen soon embraced the Whiffle Ball.

And in 2002 she began using Whiffle Balls to teach fluid mechanics to undergraduates

and run experiments in a wind tunnel.

So we're talking Whiffle Balls like baseball style, plastic balls with holes in it.

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