Houghton University student club, Sigma Zeta, hosted a Saturday lab event for high school students on November 19th. Students from homeschool groups, Cuba-Rushford, Fillmore and Cornerstone Christian School completed three different labs in the areas of chemistry, biology, and physics. The labs for this semester’s event were examining the triple point of carbon dioxide using dry ice, dissecting a sheep eyeball, and learning about momentum with carts and tracks. The Sigma Zeta Houghton students guided the high school students through each exercise. 

One student said, “The teachers were wonderful! They were very helpful and friendly. We were kept engaged throughout the labs, and I would come again.”

“The Sigma Zeta Lab Saturday event enables high school students to get hands-on lab experience in a university setting,” said Karen Torraca, professor of chemistry and faculty advisor for Sigma Zeta. “With the help of Houghton University students who are passionate about science and math, participants are able to connect with science in fun and meaningful ways,” 

The Sigma Zeta club is a national honors society to promote excellence in the natural sciences, computer science, and mathematics at Houghton. Sigma Zeta started putting on these lab events in 2014 as a way to allow high school students to experience what a college lab is like. The Sigma Zeta students organize the event by setting the date, planning the labs that they want to do, and teaching the labs to the high school students. These events give the Sigma Zeta members a great opportunity to teach some of the interesting labs that they have learned, and help high school students get a better understanding of some of the different areas of science.