The Waynesburg University American Chemistry Society (ACS) chapter hosted many events last week in celebration of National Chemistry Week.

National Chemistry Week, which according to the American Chemical Society’s website was from Oct. 22-28 this year, is a week devoted to advancing the sharing of chemistry, said Dr. Evonne Baldauff, chairperson for the Chemistry and Forensic Science Department.

Trying to share information about chemistry throughout the week, the department hosted it’s eighth annual Haunted Chemistry Lab Oct. 25, in the fifth floor of Stewart Science Hall.

Members of the community and university students participated in the walk-through haunted chemistry lab.

While Baldauff would have liked to have seen more people attend the event, she said the event was a success for those who did attend.

“The kids looked very engaged,” Baldauff said of the children who attended the event with their parents. “I saw a lot of kids that stayed at one demonstration for a long time, like playing with the different things, so that’s encouraging.”

Baldauff said there was over 20 students who volunteered, and there were just as many demonstrations.

She said the number of volunteers this year was the most the event has ever attracted, something she believes brings a positive thought on the future of the event.

“It’s really encouraging – it means that the students like it, they find that it’s a meaningful thing to spend their time doing and it’s also a nice draw to the community,” she said.

This year, students from the Forensic Science Club and the Biology club also volunteered their time to help run the demonstrations.

Baldauff said this was the first year the Biology Club helped, something she hopes continues in the future.

Sophomore Harrison Scott, a bio-chemistry major with business management and music minors, spent a part of his evening volunteering at the Haunted Chemistry Lab.

Scott, a member of the ACS chapter, oversaw a “snow” demonstration, where adding water to a polymer would cause it to expand and use the water to grow into fake snow, he said.

He dressed warm, bundled up in winter gear to add to his demonstration, and said this specific demonstration was fun to lead.

Children and university students both enjoyed their time at the snow demonstration, as Scott saw an equal amount of excitement from the two groups.

“It’s really cool and it’s a joy to be able to see them have fun,” Scott said of those who attended the event.

Baldauff said there were multiple classrooms filled with the demonstrations.

Other demonstrations included, but were not limited to, elephant toothpaste, forensic science club’s fake blood and analytical lab, and an exploding miniature ghost in a bag.

A new part of the event this year was a Harry Potter room, which Baldauff said went well but she would like to continue to improve for next year’s event.

She noted one of the most popular demonstrations was the screaming gummy bear, where a gummy bear would create an energetic reaction to a substance, making a loud noise and a small explosive of flames.

There was a magnetic slim demonstration that Baldauff said her young son loved.

“He begged ‘Can we take it home?’ so that makes me happy, not just because it was my kid but because it was a kid wanting to explore science.”

Scott said the event included a lot of good, family safe events, which he believes was beneficial for the local parents of the community who brought their children to participate in the event.

He said having the opportunity to help teach children, the next generation, is an incredible experience.

The Haunted Chemistry Lab is one of the ways Waynesburg University students are able to help those interested in science.

“To be that role model while we ignite their passion for science—it’s a real joy,” Scott said. “[If we can] ignite a passion for something that’s educational but yet fun, that’s really great to see.”