The Washington College held its annual exploding pumpkins bash, using science to infuse Halloween with excitement and inspire kids to be more interested in chemistry.
The Maryland school’s Chemistry Club delighted the crowd with their gourd detonation, reveling in science-based fun.
The event, which is conducted in conjunction with the American Chemical Society and a Chemistry Honor Society, draws students from Kent and Queen Anne’s County public schools, and combustion-loving Eastern Shore community members each year ahead of Halloween.
Students put together several experiments to test the best way to either explode designs into pumpkins to create unique jack-o-lanterns or generate emissions of various ooze and smoke to come out of unique designs.
This year, methods used to induce cool explosions and Halloween-themed demos included glow-in-the-dark luminol, color changing acid and base paired with dry ice, liquid nitrogen, and elephant toothpaste.
The oozing pumpkins caused a frenzy without any detonation, by using a foamy substance caused by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, using potassium iodide or yeast and warm water as a catalyst. (Play Their Instagram Video Below–See More Videos at the Bottom…)
“We take immense pleasure in sharing the wonders of chemistry with our students and the promising leaders of tomorrow,” said Sarah Arradondo, Assistant Professor of Chemistry.
“For nearly a decade, our campus has eagerly anticipated in the annual tradition that unites the community through captivating autumn experiments and thrilling displays of chemical phenomena.”
Washington College’s Chemistry department regularly conducts events and activities to engage the local community in the wonders of using science in an effort to encourage more interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related degrees and careers.
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How to create the oozing jack-o-lantern? Watch the science video below…
Watch last year’s exploding pumpkins from the college’s YouTube channel…
INJECT Some Science Excitement to Your Social Media Feed–SHARE for Halloween…