Meteorologist's visit -- and his Segway -- excite Einstein students

When CBS 2 meteorologist Ed Curran recently visited The Einstein Academy in Elgin, it's hard to say whether students were more fascinated by the weather information he shared or by the Segway he rode in on.

Curran, who also serves as technology reporter for the Chicago television station, made quite an entrance on his Segway Personal Transporter.

And after talking weather with students, he allowed second-grade teacher Terri Anderson and two attentive children to ride the Segway, too.

Max Romano, a fifth-grader, earned the privilege by correctly remembering how many lightning strikes Curran had said hit the earth in a year's time -- 20 million, on average. Sixth-grader Hannah Stultz won her Segway spin by telling how wide the average lightning bolt measures -- just 1 to 2 inches across.

Curran gave kids the lowdown on clouds, high and low pressure systems, thunderstorms and weather technology. He even offered a fun idea for the next hailstorm.

After the storm has stopped, he suggested, kids should ask their parents to pick up a hailstone and cut it in half.

"It will look like an onion with rings," he said. "You can count how many trips it made through the storm by how many rings there are."

After the assembly, Anderson thanked Curran for his visit by presenting him with gifts from the academy, including two items decorated with the school's logo: a baseball cap and -- most appropriate for a meteorologist -- an umbrella.

The Einstein Academy is a private school for academically talented students located on the north side of Elgin. With class sizes limited to 12 in order to meet individual needs, the academy enrolls students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. For details, call (847) 697-3836.