The doe-eyed fascination of mixing household chemicals in the bathtub when the baby sitter left the house to pick up a case of beer and her boyfriend.

For many, the science fairs of the olden days were a time to express the repressed emotions of deep-rooted love that students had for physics — and the fundamental laws that govern existence.

From the frothy, cottage cheese magma ejected down the sides of countless miniature volcanoes to the laser beams piercing through the hides of rotting horse carcasses, science fairs brought to life the imagination and the creativity of children — who dreamt of being the first ones to pilot a rocket ship all the way to the moon.

There are many who still hold dear those days of scientific wonder and the doe-eyed fascination of mixing household chemicals in the bathtub when the baby sitter left the house to pick up a case of beer and her boyfriend.

Those who still nurture the fascination for science have been bestowed with a tremendous amount of good fortune. On Friday, Feb. 17, the Milwaukee Art Museum in conjunction with Cedar Block, a locally run physics enthusiast group, will be presenting “Bruce Nauman 101.” The exhibit will showcase the work of local mad scientists, writers, musicians, artists and gypsies who have put together projects that correspond to many of the Bruce Nauman pieces that are on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The science aficionado will be able to bask in the glory and splendor of a PowerPoint presentation on the Black Plague, to witness the free will vs. determinism debate through old school arcade games, to transcend time and space by way of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, to have their minds read with the aid of film and much more.

The assignments in “Bruce Nauman 101” cover a wide range of subjects, not just physics. There is also history, philosophy, astronomy and sociology. To say the age of science is upon us is the ultimate truism. So it’s time to leave the monster truck rallies and reruns of “Hee-Haw” behind us. The world may not be flat.

“Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works with Light” runs until April 9 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Tickets are $14 adults, $12 seniors, $10 students, children 12 and under are free. This is an all-access ticket that includes admission to the collection. For more info, call 224-3200 or visit mam.org.

On the Web: myspace.com/cedarblock or cedarblock.com

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