On Thursday, Oct.10, in Stoffer Science Hall, the Chemistry Club held its second meeting of the semester from 5-6 p.m. where the Great Pumpkin Experiment was conducted in the presence of Chemistry Club students. 

 Before the experiment, the president of the Chemistry Club, Mia Wendt, senior forensic chemistry major, talked about upcoming meetings, events, open board positions as well as additional volunteer opportunities and explained the process of carving a pumpkin, removing the inside parts and creating the design or other patterns.

Bell Gonzalez, freshman forensic chemistry major, enjoyed the experiment with pumpkins and appreciated the club’s social aspects and learning opportunities.

“We drew a cat face in our pumpkin which was pretty fun,” Gonzalez said. “It’s only my second meeting, but I like the people and I feel that it is a good resource to learn more about chemistry.” 

Wendt shared her experiences in the club as exciting and encouraged students to join the club.

“What I enjoy most about the club is just the connections. We’re still science related but we’re adding a more fun [and] interesting spin than your normal…classes, lectures and labs. So it just adds that fun little spin in it,” Wendt said. “We are going to use calcium carbide with water trapped inside of the pumpkin, wait 30 sec, light it and cause an explosion and then the face cutout blows and reveals the face that you made.” 

Shelby Hammett, freshman pre-pharmacy major, participated in the carving experiment. She enjoyed the process and described the event.

“We carved out the pumpkin and put 20mL of water and calcium carbide [in] and it exploded. I really enjoyed the experiment,” Hammett said.

Gaea Tradio, senior forensic chemistry major, discussed her experiences in the Chemistry Club, including the experiment with pumpkins.

“I have been an active member of the Chemistry Club since my sophomore year and I enjoy working closely with friends and planning outreach events and social media activities,” Tradio said. “My pumpkin didn’t explode because it was too big and we only had a gram of calcium carbide.”

The Chemistry Club is planning to host its next meeting in November as well as a fundraising event and game night. For more information on the Chemistry Club view its Instagram page.

Edited by Stuti Khadka and Morgan Albrecht