The UNI Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society, in collaboration with students from other science departments, will be hosting a “Halloween House” Friday, October 25th from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., on the second floor of McCollum Science Hall. UNI students will be performing Halloween- themed science demonstrations and supervising hands-on activities in rooms such as the “Pirates’ Cove” “and “Frankenstein’s Lab."

This event is free and open to the public. Costumes are welcome. The activities are intended for elementary school age children, but can be enjoyed by children of all ages.

Halloween House is held in conjunction with National Chemistry Week and is a program of the American Chemical Society student chapter designed to reach the public with a positive message about chemistry. With the inclusion of additional student organizations this event has grown to encompass an exciting range of STEM activities.

Halloween House is organized by the following UNI science clubs:
– UNI Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society
– Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society
– UNI Physics Club
– Sigma Gamma Epsilon Earth Science Honor Society
– National Science Teaching Association
– Pre-Medical Club

Frequently Asked Questions:
Is this event scary?
This event is not a haunted house and none of the activities are intended to be scary. However, very young children may be frightened by some of the Halloween elements (students in costume, Halloween decorations, etc.).

Is my child too young to attend this event?
This event is planned with elementary school age children in mind, although we frequently have guests outside of this age range. Older children will still enjoy the science demonstrations while younger children may wish to spend more time on the hands-on activities or at the table serving liquid nitrogen ice cream! However, the chemical demonstration shows may be inappropriate for very young children (especially infants), as there are reactions that create a loud “bang” and a flash of light that can be startling. (The audience is warned before each of these demonstrations.)

Is this an educational event?
Halloween House is meant to be a fun introduction to science. The activities and demonstrations are entertaining in addition to incorporating educational components.

Why do some of the rooms have specific show times while others don’t?
Three of the demonstration rooms have specific show times, running at half hour intervals, while the remaining rooms for demonstrations or hands-on activities will be continuously open. The chemical demonstrations require a substantial amount of planning in order to have enough of each reagent prepared, so it is practical to have a set number of shows.

Having specific show times for these demonstrations is also useful for maintaining crowd control and ensuring the safety.