It’s the smell of elephant ears, mustard and fried everything. It’s the uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach as you clickety-clack up the first hill of the roller coaster. It’s the South Carolina State Fair, and it’s also Midway Physics Day, when thousands of kids from across the state learn that science can be cool.

For 15 years and counting, Midway Physics Day has been showing S.C. kids how the laws of physics influence everything around them, bringing classroom learning into the real world — a really fun real world.

“It’s fabulous when you can actually go play with something and it connects with what you’re learning in the classroom,” explains USC physics professor Jeff Wilson, who, along with fellow professor Dave Tedeschi, leads the physics day at the fair.

Last year, USC faculty and students brought physics to life for more than 3,000 students from 49 middle schools and high schools. Led by Jeff and Dave and a host of help from the university, the kids are able to see the laws of physics at work during hands-on experiments like dipping a balloon into liquid nitrogen before heading out to the Midway.

For most of the kids, that’s when the thrills begin. But even taking a spin on the Himalaya or the Ferris Wheel can teach them about physics. Armed with instruments like accelerometers and barometers, students take measurements while flipping and soaring through the autumn air. It’s a thrilling experiment, one ride at a time.

The uploaded photo is of EPI students taking on a project with Project Angel Tree at Christmas with the Salvation Army. We’ve bought dream toys for the last 3 years for local children in need. They collect the money and purchase the gifts.

We’ve had many wonderful moments at EPi to introduce our students the the concept of giving back to the community and volunteering.

She has poor eyesight. Talking is difficult. And loud noises upset her. Scott Price knows learning music is hard, but he is honored to give piano lessons to children with special needs.

A professor of piano pedagogy in USC’s School of Music, Scott didn’t set out to teach piano to students who have to deal with problems like hearing or vision impairments, Down Syndrome, ADHD or autism. Really, he sort of backed into the role.

Years ago, a young family with a daughter who had severe autism came to Scott for help. She was born four months prematurely, was blind from birth and was severely mentally disabled. But she showed an astounding knack for music, so her parents sought out a piano teacher, unsure if she could even take piano lessons.

They were referred to Scott, who figured, “Sure, I’ll give it a shot.” And none of their lives were ever the same.

His students learn to tap into skills they would never know about without the encouragement of a professional. And in turn, the kids are teaching Scott an awful lot. “With these students,” he explains, “you really have to know the basic literal specifics of everything you need to teach because you have to break everything down into step-by-step details at a level that is foreign to the traditional piano teaching model. Then you build the students back up in the process — that’s what this kind of teaching is all about.”

Scott says that teaching children with special needs can improve teaching in general.

“Here are kids who would normally be overlooked who are redefining many of the things we thought we knew about piano pedagogy, how we teach piano. It’s really a magical thing.”

“If we listen to their ‘voices,’ they can show us what isn’t really important and often counterproductive in traditional teaching because they force you to go back to the drawing board completely,” Scott says. “And they show us — they teach us — how to be truly authentic in our communication of our craft.”

Thanks to the work of Scott and a few of his peers, music educators across the nation have started to take notice. The Music Teachers National Association, for example, is devoting a daylong session to teaching kids with special needs this year, and Scott is helping to lead that discussion.

That’s just one more step that Scott is taking to try to gain more support so he can help more students, in order to “involve more people who’ve gone underserved and neglected when they really don’t have to be,” Scott says.

Don’t shower Scott with praise, though. He insists that he doesn’t want or deserve it. “Whenever we’re doing fundraising or anything, I always ask myself, ‘Are you doing this for some kind of reward? Are you doing this to advance your own career? Or are you doing this for the students?’”

For some it might be easy to cross that line and go for individual accolades. But Scott is constantly reminded of his piano students with special needs, and he is humbled by them. And while the lessons can be difficult, the beautiful music makes it all worthwhile.

The elementary school is silent, the children gone for years. The lights of the once glimmering grocery store no longer shine, its shelves empty for decades. Life can be hard in Columbia’s poorest neighborhoods.

But Toriah Caldwell and her colleagues haven’t left. “We feel an obligation to be here for those who are in the greatest need,” said the USC clinical nursing professor who directs the Children and Family and Healthcare Center, a nurse-run medical practice located on Two Notch Road.

As a primary care facility, the center serves as an important alternative to emergency room care. “One of our most important roles is showing our patients how to access healthcare,” Toriah said. “In addition to providing a medical home for our patients, we teach them how to discern between treatment appropriate for the emergency room and treatment that’s best offered in a clinic setting like this one.”

From infant immunization and wellness check-ups to physicals for high school athletes as well as managed care for chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, the staff at the center handles a wide array of health needs. “We see patients of all ages and all types,” Toriah said. “And we see everything from acne to arthritis.”

“We feel an obligation to be here for those who are in the greatest need.”

Toriah always knew she would be a nurse. As a child, she witnessed the distinction and dignity the profession offered and realized she had a calling to help others. That desire continues to motivate her everyday. “I define success one patient at a time,” she said. “I know I’ve been successful when I’ve touched a person’s life in a positive way.”

The healing hands of the Children and Family Healthcare Center are always in reach, providing care in addition to hope. The families of this Columbia neighborhood haven’t abandoned their homes, nor will Toriah and her colleagues.