We are confident that this experience provided the students with an inspiring insight into Science and STEM disciplines.
Perhaps, for some of them, this week will represent the first step toward choosing a scientific path in their future academic journey.
A special thanks to out team: Cristina Demarchi, Jessica Brago, Martina Lavazza, Cesare Borroni, Carolina Pistochini e Davide Secchi
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Discovering Rheology
Science and fun at the Maino Institute in Gallarate
Reading time: 2 min
The Common Thread: Rheology
From 5th to 11th February 2026, we held a new training session with the second-year students of the Maino Secondary School in Gallarate.
Over the course of the week, we involved 9 classes, more than 180 students and 18 teachers in an engaging journey made of lessons, hands-on experiments and educational fun.
The “fil rouge” of all our activities was rheology, the science that studies how materials flow and deform.
Through simple yet surprising experiments, students explored the differences between Newtonian, plastic and pseudoplastic fluids, discovering that not all liquids behave in the same way.
The Viscosity Horse Race
For the first experiment, students prepared a very special “horse race.”
Divided into teams, the students evaluated the viscosity of different solutions contained in small bottles and ranked them from the most fluid to the most viscous.
Once the predictions were made, the race began:
- Three drops of each solution were placed on laminated paper
- At the starting signal, the sheets were positioned vertically
- The solutions began to flow downward
The students compared the actual results with their predicted rankings.
The teams with the most accurate evaluations were rewarded with candies, adding a sweet touch to scientific discovery!
The Surprising World of Dilatant Fluids
The second experiment focused on the behavior of a dilatant (shear-thickening) fluid.
Students prepared the famous Oobleck, mixing:
- 2 parts cornstarch
- 1 part water
- Edible colorants
The result?
A fascinating non-Newtonian fluid that behaves like a solid under pressure (when punched or squeezed) and a liquid at rest (when flowing or dripping).
This messy and sensory STEM activity sparked curiosity, laughter and amazement — and proved that science can be both rigorous and fun.
From Liquid to Slime
The final experiment introduced students to a real chemical reaction.
A CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) solution was first colored and then reticulated using aluminium sulphate.
What started as colorful liquid drops was later transformed into jelly-like slime masses to the great surprise and excitement of the students.
This activity clearly demonstrated how molecular interactions can dramatically change the properties of a material.
The students
