Haunted Lab offers hands-on activities to community youth
On Monday, Oct. 26, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the fifth floor of Stewart Science Hall was taken over by witches, vampires and ghosts all participating in spooky science experiments.
The students in Waynesburg University’s American Chemical Society Student chapter (ACS) held its seventh annual Haunted Lab.
The event was open to the public, and admission was free, which drew an audience of all ages.
Faculty and members of ACS dressed up as Halloween characters, and then performed Halloween-themed experiments at activity stations.
One of the first stations was centered on the scenario of Dracula’s blood being stolen, and those participating had to find out who stole the blood by comparing the fingerprints. As an added bonus, everyone who participated had the opportunity to get fingerprinted.
Another station was called ‘Rainbow Milk.’ Participants dropped food coloring into a bowl of soap and milk and created a tie-dye effect within the milk.
An experiment called ‘Oobleck,’ was featured which consisted of a large container filled with cornstarch and water.
For this experiment, the cornstarch and water could be poured slowly and flow like a liquid. But if a participant tried to force objects into the mixture, the mixture would get firmer. If the participants pushed hard on it, the liquid acted more like a solid.
In total, there were about 25 experiments spread throughout the classrooms. Experiments such as exploding ghosts, unbreakable bubbles, clear nail polish rainbows on paper, snow making, ice cubes sticking on string, boiled eggs sucked into jars, exploding gummi bears, dissolving Styrofoam, expanding and compressing Peeps Marshmallows, liquid nitrogen snacks and monster toothpaste all provided participants with a hands-on experience.
“My goal is for them [the participants] to have fun,” said Jelena Kyle, senior forensic science major and president of ACS. “I also want them to learn something about science. Even if it is something simple, as long as they leave having learned something they didn’t know earlier in the day. Plus, the experiments are simple enough to do at home, so I would always encourage the kids to go home and do experiments with their families.”
Josie McKinley, junior biology major and vice-president of ACS, agrees with Kyle and hopes that kids walk away with a similar mindset.
“I hope the kids walk away with a better understanding of the sciences, and maybe even more of an interest in learning more,” said McKinley. “Science is a passion of mine and I like having the opportunity to encourage that passion among kids.”
Though the event was a success, ACS members admit that it did take a lot of work to make the event as successful as past years.
“We had to come up with all the experiments, decorate the hall in Halloween decorations, find and make costumes for ourselves and spend a lot of time advertising the event so we could have a good turnout for the event,” said McKinley. “All the work was worth it once you see the kids having fun and learning.”
Kelly Pace of Waynesburg had tried to bring her daughters Haley, 11, and Emily, 7, to this event in the previous years but was unable to because of schedule conflicts. This year, schedules allowed her to finally attend the event with her daughters, and she felt that it was definitely worth the wait.
“I have tried the past 6 years to bring the girls to this event, and I’m happy we finally have made it,” said Pace. “The girls had so much fun trying the nitrogen food and trying to break the bubbles.”
According to McKinley, the event was very successful, and ACS will continue to hold this event for years to come.