Halloween Magic Show to Prove Hypothesis that Science is Anything But Boring
Professor Kayode Oshin, left, helps chemistry club
students put on the show. Kate Bussey '15, club
president, is pictured in the center.Media Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579
October 10, 2014 (Notre Dame, Ind.) — It’s no trick. Science is a treat! Students in the chemistry club at Saint Mary’s are prepared to prove this hypothesis at the second annual Halloween Chemistry Magic Show. Grade and middle school-aged kids and their parents/guardians are encouraged to attend.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29 in Rice Commons of the Student Center (note that this is a different location than last year). Click for a campus map. Monetary donations will be accepted at the door. The club will use any money raised for future community outreach events.
“By showing kids how fun science can be, we grasp their attention early. Ideally, we hope to encourage them to pursue a STEM field later on in their education,” said Kate Bussey ’15, president of the club Saint Mary’s Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SMAACS). STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
“We do a lot of hands-on experiments with them and try to get them as involved as we can. Safety is always our first priority and for that reason, we save the bigger scale experiments for the end and do them as demonstrations for the kids,” said Annie McGlone ’16, vice president of SMAACS.
This year’s magic show has a fire and ice theme and features “tricks” with intriguing names like the glowing crystal ball, colored fire, and ice bubble. Children will also get to manufacture snow, make ice cream, and write a secret message that will mysteriously appear before their eyes. Each child will leave with a small container of glowing slime.
The Saint Mary’s students will be dressed as mad scientists for the magic show and children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and be prepared to part of the fun.
“The hands-on experience is what makes our magic show stand out. Sure, magic shows have volunteers from the audience. But with our magic show, the kids are not in the audience. They’re the magicians/chemists doing the experiments and making the magic occur,” said McGlone.
Last year, Dawn Green of South Bend brought her kids to the Halloween Chemistry Magic Show. “My children ages 4, 7, and 9 were truly amazed, and my husband and I were impressed that they got such an individualized experience,” she said in an email to the College.
Before arriving, their eldest son, Patrick, told his parents that he didn’t like science. His perspective changed after the show. “We asked him, 'Do you still think science is boring?' He said, 'No, I was wrong. Science is pretty exciting.’”
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College’s single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it’s a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.