Summer break had just ended, all the students were returning to their schedules and attending school. Everyone was excited to have Mr. Robinson as their teacher and start the science unit! It was the first week of school and Mr. Robinson was going over safe conduct and what rules to follow in a laboratory. After that, he asked each student what their favourite laboratory equipment is and its function. One of the students put his hands up and announces, “My favourite science equipment is the Florence Flask. I like the Florence Flask because it has a cool name, and I also like its structure. It has a round body, flat bottom and I have used it before to hold and heat liquids.” To continue the discussion furthermore, another student participates and says, “My favourite science equipment is the Well Plate as it helps you mix very small chemicals together and helps you compare results.” Another student explains how their favourite was the Buret as they had used it to conduct one of their experiments with acids. A buret helps measure a specific amount of liquid. It also releases small amounts of acids/bases into solutions. Everyone was enjoying and listening to the discussion and Mr. Brown walks into the class. He also participates in the discussion and says, “My personal favourite is the Scoopula. It has the simple purpose of scooping solids/powder. I use a scoopula every day, and it is very helpful. Mr. Robinson, what is your favourite science equipment?” Mr. Robinson replies, “Well, I like dissecting, so my favourite is the forceps. While I’m conducting any dissection experiments these come in handy as they help in grasping the tissue or picking up small items during the dissection.” Time flew by and class came to an end.

The next day, Mr. Robinson directs everyone to the lab. He was happy because everyone had listened to his instructions and wore appropriate clothing. Everyone with long hair had their hair tied back, no one pulled out snacks and dangling jewellery was put in the bag. Just as Mr. Robinson was appreciating the class, a student walks in with her long not tied back, wearing sandals and shorts. She had just come back from Hawaii and was still stuck in the vacation mood. Mr. Robinson warned her to tie her hair back, wear proper clothing and substitute her sandal for shoes but she was being disobedient and didn’t follow Mr. Robinson’s instructions. Mr. Robinson introduced the new assignment, which was the Candle Lab. Everyone wore their safety goggles and began the experiment. Everything was going smoothly but the student who didn’t listen to Mr. Robinson and proceeded to not tie her hair got herself in trouble. She wasn’t paying attention during the experiment and her hair caught on fire. She panicked and ran to the fire extinguisher instead of telling Mr. Robinson first. This just made the problem even bigger, and the fire kept expanding. Mr. Robinson called 911 at once and she was taken to the hospital. Thankfully, apart from her hair, everything was intact. The lab was shut down for a couple of days for repair and Mr. Robinson went over what to do when a situation like this happens. He said, “That was very unsafe conduct and those injuries could have been so much major. In cases like these, I expect students to inform me first instead of running around the class. If anything like this occurs in the future, I expect students to make the right decision and demonstrate safe conduct.” Everyone was a little worried after that incident and to cheer students up and get them talking, Mr. Robinson brought up an ethical dilemma in science. He asked the class, “Does research cause more harm than benefit to humans and other organisms?” He gave the class a minute to discuss and asked each table group their thoughts on this question. Table group 1 comes up with a solid argument and explains, “We believe research is a positive thing. Research has brought humanity to where it is today. Without research and learning we wouldn’t have been able to come up with cures for complicated diseases for both humans and other organisms. Not only that, but research has also helped us develop efficient ways to help agriculture, the economy and the environment.” Table group 3 agrees with them. Table groups 2 and 4 however, disagree. They say, “There are always two sides to everything. We believe that research isn’t necessarily a positive thing. We believe it is more on the negative side. Research can be used for educational purposes but when in dangerous hands, it can destroy us. As research is expanding, it is also destroying us. Through research, we are creating scientific and technological advances. This research can be used for war or peace. Creating a machine to help the world or to destroy the world. Experimenting to cure a disease or spread a disease. Research is a dangerous thing and can cause a lot of harm to humans. It is important to understand the negative aspect of it too.” Everyone presented their thoughts on the dilemma excellently and the disastrous day turned into an entertaining class at the end. Just as students were packing up to leave the class, Mr. Robinson made an announcement and gave everyone a heads up for their test on the WHMIS symbols and Consumer Hazard test which will be happening in the next class.

Everyone arrived the next day and was handed the test, here’s an example of how the test looked,

Identify the following symbol and write it’s definition:

1. : Any product with this symbol indicates that the product may cause a fire or an explosion if not handled properly.
2. : Any product with this symbol indicates that the product is extremely hazardous and has potential to cause long-term health issues.
3. : Corrosive: Dangerous; Product can burn skin and eyes and harmful if inhaled.
4. : Explosive: Caution; Container/object can explode if heated or not handled properly. Also signifies chemicals with explosive properties.

Once everyone finished writing the test, Mr. Robinson took everyone back to the lab to continue their Candle Lab. This time, everyone wore appropriate clothing but one student kept his charging out in the open. Another student was walking with a lit candle and tripped over the charging cord. The charging cord caught on fire but this time, the student immediately informed Mr. Robinson and he took the right steps to extinguish the fire. No one panicked or caused any ruckus which is why the situation wasn’t major and no injuries happened.
It is important to take care of the little things in the lab because they can make a big difference. If everyone follows safe conduct, it will result in a safe environment and everyone can learn efficiently!