NOVA’s Manassas campus celebrated National Chemistry Week with a student-friendly display in Colgan Hall from Oct. 19 through Oct. 23. Colorful-molecular models and an Erlenmeyer flask with a lime-green solution sat underneath posters about the use of chemistry in detecting counterfeit bills and preventing sunburns. At the edge of the table, a small glass display showed differences in atomic size and ionic size for several elements. Other displays showed differences in color in various lead compounds and the molecular makeup of a variety of crystals.
Students celebrated Halloween along with Chemistry Week by taking a Tootsie Roll from the plastic jack-o-lantern on the table. Then they could select a beginner-level quiz from a folder on the table and submit it for a chance at a prize.

Burke Lake Park, Fairfax County hosted around 2.500 people of all ages, who made a chilly Oct. 25 into a pre-Halloween holiday. Scooby Doo, Winnie the Pooh and giant pumpkins among other characters were the main attraction for children who formed long lines  in the early morning to get on the Ghost Train.
Starting at 8 am, the event organizers from NOVA’s Park and Recreation program along with more than a 100 volunteers, met at the entrance of the park to initiate a day full of scary fun and enthusiastic …