Coast Day 2026

When he was 6 years old, University of Delaware assistant professor Bradley Pitcher knew exactly what he wanted to dress up as for Halloween: a geologist.

Since the internet wasn't widely accessible yet, Pitcher jokes that his parents and neighbors just had to "trust what my 6-year-old self said a geologist looked like."

Now a real-life geologist in UD's Department of Earth Sciences, Pitcher's research focuses on volcanoes, and he will once again hold his popular Trashcano demonstration at Coast Day, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.

There is no magma involved in the demonstration, just liquid nitrogen, water and lots of colorful balls that explode out of a trash can.

"I love coming up with creative ways to explain things, and I love seeing the light bulbs go off in people," said Pitcher. "I feel lucky I get to combine these two passions: this research with volcanoes that I've wanted to do forever, and then I also get to teach and get to do things like Coast Day where I'm able to talk to a couple thousand people about volcanoes."