CSTEM Students Make Science ‘Spooky’ for Kids

Eastern Washington University's Interdisciplinary Science Center bustled with witches, creepers and countless other ghoulish gatherers for a night of Spooky Science.

The Halloween-themed evening of fun, held Oct. 24, included loads of interactive tricks and treats, all meant to show that even the spookiest of science doesn't have to be scary. More than 100 EWU student volunteers applied their skills to create an evening of fun and learning for the hundreds of kids who attended.

During the event, well over 500 children of all ages roamed the floors of the ISC building, dropping in on activities such as slime-making, boo-bubbles, touching bugs, bones and glowing rocks, and, of course, fun with liquid nitrogen. Even the "make your own nitro ice cream" station - a fan favorite for returning Spooky Science goers - was broken down into easy-to-understand steps that connected simultaneously to real-life practices used in professional and academic laboratory settings.

Ashley Lamm, an EWU professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and biology professor Joanna Matos joined forces to spearhead the planning of the three consecutive annual Spooky Science events that have been held since the event took a break due to the pandemic.

The event was hosted by the departments of Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Physics, Geosciences, and Mathematics.

"We're very big on getting kids immersed [in science] and increasing their confidence," said Lamm, emphasizing that Spooky Science also functions as a great teaching experience for the undergraduate volunteers who run each station. "They're learning how to talk to the community about science."

The frightful fun is all about taking the intimidation out of potentially scary subjects such as science, math and engineering.

"There are so many different kinds of science and so many different kinds of ways you can be good at science," Lamm said. Children cheered in the background as a beaker overflowed with 'elephant toothpaste,' and she added, "We want to expose our community to that."

Lamm, who admits that she loves making her own nitro ice cream at home, said 'Boo-Bubbles' was also among her favorite Spooky Science stations.

Brycelyn Marcotte, an elementary school-aged veteran of Spooky Science who attended with her mother and younger sister last year, said she isn't typically drawn to science class at her school, but Spooky Science makes the subject fun. This year, Brycelyn was most excited for the botany station, though the nitro ice cream was still fresh in her mind from last year.

Martyna Stepniak and Organ Beni Mbabazi, undergraduate chemistry students and first-time Spooky Scientists, entertained an entire auditorium with their live chemistry demo. Experiments ranged from a banana dipped in liquid nitrogen-then smashed to pieces with a mallet-to the finale, in which "elephant toothpaste" erupted in fluffy ribbons from a beaker, captivating children and adults alike.

Stepniak and Mbabazi said the crowd's reaction was exactly why they wanted to participate in Spooky Science: for the unique way it brought the Eastern community together.

**Story written by Rachel Weinberg. Photography by Natalie Ekdahl, Rachel Weinberg, Ashley Lamm, Mark Paluch, and Viktoria Taroudaki.