Chemistry club members hosted Boom in the Night for its 16th year in the Henry Science Center and the Amphitheater.
Boom in the Night is a Halloween fun-filled night open to the Dallas community as well as staff, faculty and students.
Jessie Suski, Chemistry Club President, has been working hard with more than 70 other students to create what she said is a memorable and spectacular event. “I have been volunteering for the event since my freshman year, and I just love everything about it,” she said.
Suski said the event was a great way for students to hang out and give back to the Dallas community. There were a lot of interactive science experiments that were open to engage the kids.
The event began in the Henry Science Center. “We have a bunch of demonstrations that the kids can get their hands on, so they make slime and foam. They get to take some of that home with them as well as some sensory things to get to experience the science close up inside,” Suski said. She said the foam seemed to be a hit with the kids because they got to experience foam being made right in front of them while also they also helped make it. The creation was the action of two polymers combining to form a rigid solid after a few minutes. The kids got to choose a color and help stir until the mass formed.
Kids got to choose the type of glue, color, and accessories they wanted in the slime, really making it one of a kind. she said.
The night ended with a mind-blowing experiment–literally. “We have an outdoor show where we have a big demonstration for them in the amphitheater, and so they get to watch the puking pumpkins,” she said.
The kids gathered around the amphitheater ready to see many of the experiments the chemistry club was demonstrating. The experiments ranged from heating up cans and crushing them with cold water, to making sour patch kids do flips on a Bunsen burner, and, of course, the puking pumpkins. “Most of us have probably seen the experiments, but to the kids it is mind blowing,” said Sahara Perez, a freshman who watched with her friend at the amphitheater.
The night ended with the famous puking pumpkins, which seemed to be the crowd’s favorite. “If you have seen elephant toothpaste online, it’s that reaction. We have carved jack lanterns, and the foam comes out of the front, so they are puking.” The foam seemed to shoot out in all different ways, causing lots of cheering and giggling from the crowd, she said.
Boom in the Night activities are more valuable to the community than they may seem on the surface. “I would describe them as a great bridge to learning chemistry. To us they are very simple, but a lot of the kids were now wanting to do chemistry,” said Perez.
