Lab Gauntlet

Test your lab skills on a series of short, fun, one-minute challenging lab activities. Those who run the gauntlet will receive a t-shirt. Those with the highest scores are entered into a drawing to win a prize!

An entertaining trial in analytical sample preparation. Your hands-on experience with pink flamingo chaos, including polymer toy samples and the powerful Pulverisette 29, is a prerequisite for next level chemical analysis. Who will win when every second counts? Embark on a fast-paced challenge where the stakes (and the laughs) are high! Can you achieve suitable results? Will particles be uniform and homogeneous? Let’s see who finishes first in this exhilarating face-off! Aloha shirts and yard flamingos set the scene, but precision milling does the work. Count on FRITSCH to make great sample prep unforgettable-and FAST.

Participants will drop a chip down a vertically mounted board featuring pathways representing different aspects of the battery application. Where the chip lands determines the topic of a quick multiple-choice question. Participants who answer correctly within two minutes will earn a prize.

Land the cat safely in their cat bed. See how small adjustments in pressure and mass flow affect the flight path of a Maine Coon.

Think your analytical instincts are sharp? Put them to the test! Review each glass item and identify which ones contain radioactive oxides. Your choices unlock mini insights into formulation, color chemistry, and mid century manufacturing quirks. Disclaimer: Some of the pieces you’ll see today were created using trace materials that were commonly used in mid century glassmaking. These materials emit extremely low levels of radiation—comparable to what we encounter in everyday life. The pieces are completely safe to handle, and no special precautions are needed.

Place the IR bar in the correct place on the light spectrum and learn what food additives can be seen using FT-IR technology. Using Bruker’s teaching level FT-IR ALPHA II we will look at popular drink mixes and see what makes them different chemically.

Each participant will construct a barge of aluminum foil that can support a cargo. They will predict the amount of cargo the barge will hold and will load cargo until the barge takes on water.