BREA, LA HABRA : Einstein Stand-In Takes Students on Scientific Quest for Answers

Hundreds of students at Arovista Elementary School in Brea and Imperial and Washington middle schools in La Habra were treated Wednesday to science lessons conducted by none other than Albert Einstein.

With his bluish-gray wiry hair on end and dressed in a torn sweater, worn jeans and sneakers, actor Ed Metzger played the part of the late Nobel Prize-winning physicist to get students excited about science.

The students heard about Einstein’s fascination with compasses and yo-yos--toys that aroused his curiosity as a youngster and inspired him to wonder about such forces as gravity and inertia. Those questions opened a path to his famous theory of relativity..

Einstein touched on a variety of topics ranging from energy to quantum mechanics and atomic research.

“What is the magic ingredient that is the fastest thing in the universe?” Einstein asked enthusiastically during his first presentation Wednesday at Arovista.

“Light,” a student responded.

Applause accompanied the correct answer.

Einstein’s visit to the local schools was provided by Beckman Instruments of Fullerton as a community outreach program designed to get students interested in science.

“Kids are very impressionable and very curious, and this encourages them to ask questions,” said Elke Eastman of Beckman Instruments.

David Lipinsky, 11, said the program, “Close Encounters with Einstein,” piqued his curiosity about science.

“I learned about the atoms and why the sky is blue,” David said. “I want to know more.”

Arovista Principal Anne Flesher said she believes the students learned to seek out answers and solve problems through the program.

“It let them know that the larger-than-life figures they read about are really regular people and that they, too, can be successful and productive members of society,” Flesher said.