Hot-headed pumpkin blows top for science

A college-wide email sent the previous afternoon had warned all UF College of Education faculty and staff recently to expect a BIG BANG the next morning, emanating from a Norman Hall science education lab. As the accompanying photo suggests, a BIG BANG is exactly what occurred, along with a brief flash of shooting flames.

It turns out doctoral fellow Stephen Burgin (pictured), in the School of Teaching and Learning, was merely blowing up a left-over Halloween pumpkin in Assistant Professor Troy Sadler’s elementary science methods class to…um… spark a discussion on the use of demonstrations by teachers in science classrooms.

The eye-popping experiment blew the pre-carved facial features right out of the pumpkin, with pieces landing several feet away. Not to worry, though, as students sitting within the blasting zone evacuated the area in time for a 10-second countdown before the pumpkin blew his top. The pumpkin survived the blast with its pulpy rind still intact, despite some serious charring in its hollowed-out core.

Burgin caused the explosion by mixing calcium carbide with water inside the pumpkin to form acetylene gas, and then used a hand-held igniter to trigger the combustion reaction. The demonstration served as an example of how to recognize chemical changes versus physical changes—and how to engage students so the lesson sticks in their minds.

(Staff photo and caption by Larry Lansford, Director, COE News & Communications)