Spooky Science Saturday will make its return this weekend.

Last year, The Haunted Physics Lab and the Creepy Chemistry of Spooky Science Saturday lab attracted more than 1,700 visitors.

“We hope to expose children to the physical sciences, physics and chemistry, in a fun way,” said Patricia Sievert, STEM outreach coordinator. “We want them to start looking for the science in their everyday world and to continue to take science courses in high school and college.”

Since last year’s event drew such a big crowd, this year’s event has been expanded to two campus buildings. Visitors will be allowed to take a tour of the labs in the Faraday Hall West. There will also be activities located in Faraday Hall.

The two buildings, which are adjacent to one another, are connected by a tunnel, which will be used for traveling between the two buildings.

The program’s original motive was to attract young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math before they reach the age where they can attend college.

“Most second graders won’t beg their parents to bring them to an open-house at a physics department,” Sievert said. “But many of them are quite eager to go to a haunted lab. A good science education is important for everyone, not just those going into science, engineering or medicine.”

There will be darkened laboratories with displays of glowing liquids, a duck-in kaleidoscope, a flash shadow wall, levitating globe, periscopes and fun-house mirrors. The program will also have “rainbow glasses” for the visitors where they can watch the lighting bolts in a plasma globe.
Sievert also noted that they have arranged traffic patterns and spread out the displays in more areas to cut down the length of lines.

Last year, the NIU Chemistry Club helped kids create take-home slime, and Sievert promises this year there will be more slime-creating stations with a variety of materials. They will also be giving away mood pencils that change colors depending on the temperature of your hand.

Kenneth Mitchell, senior business management major, brought his younger brother to Spooky Science Saturday last year and they both enjoyed themselves.

“I never expected that I would enjoy the event but I think I had just about enough fun as my little brother did. We are definitely returning to the next one,” Mitchell said.

The program is funded by STEM outreach, and the department of chemistry and physics. Visitors are encouraged to give a $2 donation which will offset some of the funding for the newly added displays and projects.

The open house event is held from 1 to 5 p.m. and the event is free.

Sievert is currently seeking more volunteers from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Faraday West 200. People who are interested are encouraged to e-mail her.

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