All Eyes on Allen

Potatoes can be magical — especially when part of a cheesy casserole topped with cornflakes (mmmm, hash brown casserole) — but the apples of the earth can be scientific as well. Allen Kurzweil is an expert on these more technical matters, and he comes to the Central West End location of Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; 314-367-6731 or www.left-bank.com) to share his starchy knowledge and his new book, Potato Chip Science: 29 Incredible Experiments ($17.95). This chip-bag-packaged tome helps children learn about aeronautics, biology and more through the humble potato, its chips and their bags. To encourage your eight- to twelve-year-old kid's interest in science, get a jump start on that looming science-fair project and find out for your grown self just what these taters can do, head to the shop at 7 p.m. when Kurzweil does some demonstrating. Admission to the event is free, but you and yours are going to want to take a copy of his book home to further your studies.
Tue., Sept. 21, 2010