On April 25, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) participated in Maryland Day, the University of Maryland’s annual open house event. This marked the 28th year that the university held the event, and the 26th time ESSIC has participated. Over 20 ESSIC faculty and staff volunteered to share ESSIC’s work with the public and make the day special.
At the event, ESSIC gave away booklets, stickers, pamphlets, bookmarks, and keychains that celebrate the science that goes on at the Center. The bulk of these materials were generously donated by the Center’s federal partners at NASA and NOAA.
The ESSIC booth prominently featured the ESSIC/CISESS Lightning Group, which includes Guangyang Fang, Joseph Patton, and Damian Figueroa. The group exhibited and demonstrated “Faraday Lightning Safety”, a virtual reality game based around guiding Spark, a virtual owl, to safety by moving it to various locations like a car, beach, or house. The game demonstrates how the Faraday cage effect – the phenomenon where an enclosed conductive structure shields its interior from external electric fields by redistributing charges and blocking electromagnetic waves – protects people from lightning during a thunderstorm. The group also distributed stickers and temporary tattoos with lightning safety slogans as well as answered questions about lightning safety that the community had.
For the first time, ESSIC shared its tent space with the Department of Geographical Sciences. The group, led by Renata Johnson, held a quiz game about climate science.
Thank you to all who participated in Maryland Day 2026!
