If you’ve been to the Museum of Discovery since the renovated space reopened in 2012, you’ve probably seen Kevin Delaney, Visitor Experience Director. He’s the guy who takes scientific principles and makes them explosively fun (literally explosive, sometimes). Delaney is such a science superstar that he’s even appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where he has made vortex cannons from trashcans, as well as a giant cloud that enveloped the entire studio. Learn more about Delaney below and visit the Museum of Discovery to watch his science demonstrations!

What was your background before arriving at the Museum of Discovery? Following college, I entered the field of science communication at a zoo in the education department—writing programs about animals and conservation. I learned a lot about informal education by working with the zookeepers and vet staff, thus starting my passion for science education.

Explain your job at MOD. I make sure our visitors have a great time at the museum. I oversee floor shows and programming, such as our adults-only event, Science After Dark. I also handle media appearances on behalf of the museum.

How do you come up with new demonstrations? I’m always reading and researching and keeping an eye out for something fascinating to share. A lot of the demonstrations we do are commonly seen in classrooms and science museums all over the world. We all share techniques and tips—it’s a really supportive community. I also work with our exhibits staff, scientists and educators from local and not so local universities, and other museums to develop new and different ways to demonstrate science.

What is your favorite part of the job? I love the opportunity to learn and to share what I’ve learned in fun and creative ways. I also get to do a good amount of traveling which is a lot of fun, especially around Arkansas which happens to be one of the most beautiful states.

Which science demonstration is your favorite? And which is an audience favorite? Gallium is a favorite element of mine to demonstrate. Gallium is a metal that has a very low melting point. Scientists used to mold it into spoons so that when their colleagues would take a spoon from the drawer, it would disappear as soon as it was submerged into hot liquid. It was hilarious as it sounds. The audience favorite is definitely freeze-frying Cheetos Puffs in liquid nitrogen and then eating them.

Do you have any new demonstrations planned for spring break week (March 23-27)? We will have multiple demos each day. Check out the museum’s Facebook page to see the schedule. We are also excited to partner with our friends at AETN to host Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat the Monday of spring break and Peg + Cat on Tuesday. They’ll meet and take pictures with museum visitors.

Now that you’ve been on national TV, do you get specific requests from museum visitors? I get asked to take a lot of pictures with visitors which is always fun.

What’s the funniest question you’ve ever been asked by a museum visitor? How about an answer? When discussing electricity, I asked a group of students to give me some examples of good conductors. One young man answered Beethoven. He was not wrong.

When you were a kid, what was your dream job? Did anyone inspire you? I wanted to write ghost stories. Specifically, I wanted to live at the beach in a haunted lighthouse and write horrifying stories about all of my ghost roommates. I still hope to do that someday. I’ve been inspired by lots of people—my uncle was a geologist and palynologist, and is certainly to blame for my early love of science.

You’re a New Jersey transplant—what’s the biggest change about living in Arkansas? Being so far away from the ocean.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Little Rock? I love to visit Pinnacle Mountain.

What neighborhood do you live in; what do you like about living there? I live in the Hillcrest area—it’s a great neighborhood with lots of trees and friendly people and dogs. There are lots of great places, but Hillcrest Artisan Meats is definitely a favorite.

Here's Kevin in Action!

Editor’s Note:  Do you remember Sesame Street’s “The People in Your Neighborhood” songs, which highlighted all of the various men and women that make up a community—firefighters, teachers and postal workers? We were inspired by those classic segments for our new feature, “The Neighborhood.” Each month, we’ll answer the question “who are the people in your neighborhood?” by interviewing the diverse, interesting characters that make up the vibrant central Arkansas community.