Valparaiso's Spooky Science Night

On Saturday, Valparaiso University turned the Center for the Sciences into a lively lab for a Haunted Science Lab night. Students and teachers made experiments fun for families who came to explore.

One station had two people sit opposite each other and toss a ball while a volunteer spun a contraption. Kids had to aim where the other person would be, not where they stood when the ball left their hand. Max Murray helped explain inertia and motion, and he said everyone loved it. Nearby a pendulum swung in circles, and a fire tornado flickered, drawing comments from parents like Katie who said the hands‑on stuff was awesome. Their son Cody dressed as a cow, and Dana wore a prisoner outfit, adding a playful animal theme.

Jake Johnson set up a domino line that grew bigger, showing how a tiny push can knock down a huge block. Caiden Reillo used liquid nitrogen at minus 320°F to freeze flowers and a bouncy ball, making them shatter like glass or sound like a hard ball. Nick Rosasio showed a water‑repellent paint that made water slide off tiles, and Meghan Hamlin used a pumpkin story to teach Indiana geography, pointing out Lake Wawasee as the biggest natural lake. Vincent Grisolona demonstrated flame colors, with copper giving green flames and potassium giving pinkish hues, which kids found dazzling.

Kids cheered as they knocked down dominoes, watched the frozen flowers break, and laughed at the water dancing on the tiles. Parents said the event felt like a hands‑on museum that kept them longer than trick‑or‑treating. Many families promised to return next year, and the physics students said explaining science to any age is a key goal. The night showed how fun experiments can spark curiosity and learning.