The Environmental Change Initiative will host a Halloween-themed Science Sunday event from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 29) at the Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility (ND-LEEF) at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend.
Children and adults are invited to attend the event — in or out of costume — and learn about ND-LEEF and the overall scale and scope of environmental research at the University of Notre Dame amid the natural beauty of St. Patrick’s County Park.
Faculty and graduate students will be on hand to lead demonstrations and hands-on activities appealing to children and adults of all ages. Cookies and other treats will be available. Kids will have the opportunity to make “dragon bubbles” and a “magic” potion.
Free soil lead testing will also be available courtesy of the Notre Dame Lead Innovation Team. Interested individuals can bring soil samples from one or more of three areas around their home: the garden, any outdoor children’s play area and/or the roof drip line along the foundation of the home.
Brett Peters is the assistant director of ND-LEEF.
“This year we are excited to include some new partners from Notre Dame,” Peters said. “The Notre Dame Lead Innovation Team will be providing free soil testing to screen for lead, and the Notre Dame Museum of Biodiversity will be presenting some specimens from their collection, including skulls and skeletons.”
The event be indoors at the Red Barn inside St. Patrick’s County Park.
ND-LEEF is a globally unique research facility featuring linked stream, pond and wetland ecosystems. It includes the Morrison Family Education and Outreach Pavilion, a hub for outreach to local school groups, as well as a nesting pair of bald eagles.
For more information, visit environmentalchange.nd.edu/resources/nd-leef/.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on October 25, 2023.