Happy Halloween everyone! As everyone is suiting up in their costumes to feast off pounds of candy, we are hitting you up with one more Halloween related science experiment of the week, thanks to Mr. Steve Spangler.

This week's experiment is about making dry ice crystal bubbles with a few household items and of course dry ice.

Here's How It Works: 


When you drop a piece of dry ice in a bowl of water, the gas that you see is a combination of carbon dioxide and water vapor. So, the gas that you see is actually a cloud of tiny water droplets. The thin layer of soap film stretched across the rim of the bowl traps the expanding cloud to create a giant bubble. When the water gets colder than 50ºF, the dry ice stops making fog, but continues to sublimate and bubble. Just replace the cold water with warm water and you're back in business.


Here's How To Do It: Parental Supervision Advised.

1. Mix 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of liquid dish soap with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water in a plastic cup.
2. Cut a strip of cloth that is about 1" (25 mm) wide and 18" (46 cm) long.
3. Soak the strip of cloth in the soapy solution you made in step two. Make sure the entire cloth is submerged in the solution.
4. Find a bowl or bucket that has a smooth rim and is smaller than 12" (304 mm) in diameter. You don't need a clear bowl or bucket, but trust us, you'll want one.
5. Fill the bowl half full with warm water.
6. Using heavy gloves or tongs, transfer two or three pieces of dry ice into the warm water. You don't want too little or too much fog to be produced.
7. Dip one or two fingers in the soap solution and run your fingers on the lip of the bowl. (Be careful not to get soap in the water, otherwise you'll end up doing another experiment.)
8. Remove the strip of cloth from the soapy solution and run the cloth between your thumb and forefinger to remove excess soap.
9. Stretch the cloth between your hands and slowly pull the soapy cloth across the rim of the bowl. The goal is to create a soap film that stretches across the entire bowl.
   
   HINT: Getting the soap film to stretch across the rim of the bowl can take a little practice until you get the technique mastered. If all else fails, try cutting a new strip of cloth from a different type of fabric (try an old t-shirt) or change the soap solution by adding more water or more soap.
    
10. Once you've made the soap film, it will start to expand and fill with the dry ice fog. Once it bulges out, it looks just like a crystal ball.
11. When the giant bubble bursts, the cloud of "smoke" falls to the floor, followed by an outburst of ooohs & ahhhs!

As a kid, I always love watching scary movies that had smoking bubbles, and now thanks to Steve Spangler, I can do it myself :D. By creating smoke-filled bubbles that you can hold in your hands, you make dry ice fun an experience that everyone can really "grasp."

Here's how it works:
When you add dry ice to warm water, you immediately see the dry ice begin to bubble and create fog within its container. This effect, which we've lovingly titled "burping, bubbling, smoking water" is directly caused by the rapid warming of the dry ice. Dry ice is frozen, compressed carbon dioxide gas and when you add it to warm water, it combines with the water to create the fog (carbon dioxide and water vapor) that you see bubbling out of your cylinder.

Adding soap to burping, bubbling, smoking water creates a whole new effect. Instead of the dry ice just bubbling in the water to make a cloud, the soap in the water traps the carbon dioxide and water vapor in a soapy bubble. Bursting the bubbles in your hands (or as they flow out of the cylinder) releases the gases in a brilliant cascade of fog.


Here's How To Do It: Parental Supervision Is Advised.

1. Fill your graduated cylinder half-full with warm water. If you don't have a graduated cylinder laying around, you can use something similar, like a flower vase or another tall, narrow container.
   
   NOTE: Before handling any dry ice, put on a pair of heavy gloves. Dry ice is so cold (-110ºF/-78ºC) that it will burn your skin!
    
2. Make sure that you have pieces of dry ice that are smalle enough to fit inside your graduated cylinder. If not, put on a pair of safety glasses and use a hammer to break the dry ice into smaller pieces.
3. Once you've created the small pieces, drop a few into the graduated cylinder. Once in the water, the dry ice will begin bubbling and producing a smoke within the cylinder. Eventually the smoke flows right over the top.
4. Take your bubbling, smoking cylinder to a whole new level with… soap? That's right, just put a squirt of dish soap into the cylinder and watch what happens! Before you know it, a column of bubbles begins to form at the mouth of your cylinder.
5. Don't be afraid, grab those bubbles and give them a squeeze! These bubbles burst with an amazing explosion of fog.

Back again with this week's experiment coming from SICK Science. This week's experiment is about creating secret messages using a highlighter and a black light.

Highlighters have a number of uses, from helping acknowledge important text to acting as brightly-colored markers in our favorite coloring book. Highlighters aren't just brightly-colored - they're actually fluorescent and glow underneath a black light! The secret messages and floating images you'll create with this experiment are sure to create screams of joy and shrieks of excitement for Halloween! 

Here are the instructions: 

1. Use a pen to trace the circumference of a plastic cup on a piece of white paper. Don't use thick paper like card stock or construction paper. Just pull a piece of paper out of a printer… that'll work perfectly!
2. Use Sharpie highlighters to create brightly-colored designs within the circle you traced. Try using different colors when creating your design.
3. Cut the traced circle out with a pair of scissors.
4. Carefully poke a small hole in the bottom of the plastic cup using the scissors. Try to poke the hole as close to the center of the cup as possible.
5. Apply a thin layer of glue around the edge of the circle. Make sure the glue is on the back side of the circle, away from your design, otherwise your design or message will be backwards. (Depending on what your design or message is, this could be a big deal!)
6. Press the mouth of the cup onto the glue-covered edge of the paper circle. We recommend letting the glue dry before moving on to the next step, but hey… we aren't here to slow you down. (Remember to clean up any glue that squeezed out and onto the table where you're working. Happy parents make for happy scientists.)
7. Now that your cup and design are attached, push the Mini Black Light's bulb into the hole you poked in the bottom of the cup.
8. Are you ready for this? Turn the lights off and turn on the Mini Black Light. 
9. Whoa! The ink from the highlighters glows in the ultraviolet light!

As Halloween quickly approaches again, we present to you the Science Experiment of the Week: Halloween Edition; Glowing Pumpkins. This experiment is great for people who want their pumpkins to glow in the dark, but do not want to go through the hassle of craving the pumpkin and putting a candle inside. The solution to this problem is glow powder!

Here's the science behind it!

Fluorescence - This type of luminescence occurs when some form of radiation, such as light, causes an object to glow. For example, fluorescent papers and poster boards glow in the daylight. They may seem to glow even brighter under black light (ultraviolet), but in either case, as soon as the light is removed, the glow stops. Fluorescent things do not glow in the dark all by themselves – they require some other form of energy such as ultraviolet light to “excite” them.

Phosphorescence - Phosphorescence is just like fluorescence, except that the glow continues even after the light used to excite it is removed. “Glow in the dark” toys phosphorescence brightly in total darkness after being “charged” or excited by ordinary white or ultraviolet light.

Glow Powder works by absorbing surrounding light energy and then releasing that energy when the lights go out. 

Here are the directions. Adult supervision is advised.

1. If you are using real pumpkins, start by wiping them off with a damp cloth to remove any dirt from the pumpkin patch. Once rinsed, dry the pumpkin thoroughly.
2. Draw the face pieces on the contact paper and cut each piece out. Peel the pieces off the paper backing and arrange them as a face for your pumpkin.
3. Once your jack-o-lantern face is complete, take your pumpkin outside and place it on the drop cloth. If you need to do the experiment indoors, make sure that you are in a well-ventilated area and place the pumpkin in the cardboard box.
4. Spray sections of the pumpkin with the spray adhesive, immediately following with the Glow Powder. For best results, hold the adhesive 10-14 cm (4-6 in) away from the pumpkin and spray a heavy coat. When sprinkling the powder, you may also want to tilt your pumpkin to get it evenly covered.
5. Pour the Glow Powder from its jar into an empty salt shaker. This will make it much easier to sprinkle the powder onto your pumpkin.
   Alternately, you can pour the Glow Powder into an empty portion cup. Cover the top of he portion cup with aluminum foil and hold it in place with a rubber band. Use a thump tack to poke holes in the tin foil... just like a salt shaker!
6. Continue spraying and powdering each section of the pumpkin until the entire pumpkin is completely covered with powder. Carefully shake off any excess powder as you go.
7. Collect the excess Glow Powder and pour it back into the shaker.
8. Repeat steps four and five to ensure that your pumpkin is evenly and completely covered with powder.
9. After the adhesive is completely dry, spray the entire pumpkin with the sealant to make sure that the Glow Powder stays affixed to the pumpkin.
10. After the pumpkin is dry, your spooky Halloween decoration is ready! Carefully pull the contact paper off of the pumpkin.
11. Place the pumpkins next to a black light for an extra bright glow on Halloween.

Check out the wicked video below!!
For more information and experiments check out Steve Spangler's website

Monday, was the UAlbany STEP Program's College Shadow Day. The event was created last year by assistant coordinator Felita Orr. Shadow day was a hit last year, and returned even stronger this year.

The purpose of shadow day is to give high school students a taste of college before they head there themselves. Shadow day integrates high school with college by allowing high school students to get a true college experience by being on a university campus.

The event was from 9am to 2pm and over 20 students came out to partake in Shadow day. High school students were paired up with University at Albany students, who are also our STEP tutors. The pairing was based on the student's interest and the major of the college student. Majority of the students went to two college level classes, and after the classes asked the college students questions about the college experience.

Highschool and college students walked away from the experience happy as can be, and have expressed interest at attending the next Shadow Day in November. To learn more about Shadow Day or to find out how you can get involve in it, stop by the STEP Club. We are located in room 325, Monday thru Thursday, from 3 to 5pm. If you can not make it to the club, hit us up at the c-section below.

To hear testimonials from the students and staff STAY TUNED!

The UAlbany STEP Club provides an enriching experience that money cannot buy. Students that have actively attended the program over the years, describe the STEP Program as a second family, and the STEP club is no different.

What makes the club unique is the academic and social support it provides. The club provides free tutoring to the high school students with our diverse groups of University at Albany tutors. The tutors are able to help in any subject that students need assistance in, whether it's math, science, english, history or even a foreign language!

The club also provides junior and seniors college readiness by providing free SAT Prep sessions during the fall and spring. The SAT prep sessions readies you for the real test and provides tips and methods on how to score well on the SATs.

The tutors provide social support, by just simply lending an ear. They are always available during programming hours to listen and talk to you about whatever you may need, whether it is about the college experience, SAT's, music, movies, or just comforting words about your day. The tutors are always there to help!

"The icing on the cake", are the enriching trips that the club provides. Last year students that attended the program went on recreational and educational trips. Some of the most notable trips last year were: the Bodies Exhibit, Niagara Falls, University of Buffalo, UAlbany Shadow Day and the STEP Conference.

If you want to join or learn more about our amazing program from our tutors or other students, please stop by Mrs. Mall-John's class, which is room 325. The club operates at Albany High School from Monday thru Thursday from 3pm to 5pm.

Hope to see all of you wonderful students there, and good luck on the school year! -- A.A.G.

Welcome! Ahlan'wa sahlan! Velkommen! Welkom!
Bienvenue! Wolkom! Willkommen! Καλώς ορίσατε!
Aloha! Shalom! Benvenuto! ようこそ! 환영합니다!
Тавтай морилогтун! Velkommen! Bem-vindo!
Bienvenido!  Välkommen! Mabuhay! Merhaba!


Welcome to the first post of our wonderful official blog: "The UAlbany STEP Club Blog." The club has been in existence since January 2012, and has returned with a bang this academic year in September.

The purpose of this blog is to provide supplementary support to the students that attend the club. The blog was  created to be multifaceted. The blog will provide access for students to find educational and professional opportunities, in addition to posting interesting links and articles within the S.T.E.M fields. The blog will share current events within today's world,  and post the funniest phrases said during each day of the program. The blog's overall aim is to achieve a deeper integration with the students, the high school,  the UAlbany staff and the STEP program.


The UAlbany STEP Club, is located in room 325 (Mrs. Mall-John's room) from 3pm-5pm; Mondays thru Thursdays.