This week, 10th grade students in Chemistry Lab had the opportunity to see the different properties of ionizing radiation and to simulate the decay of radioactive materials. In a brand new lab activity, students used the newly-purchased geiger counter and low-level radiation sources lent by the Yeshiva College physics department, as well as the inside of a smoke detector, to determine the types of material that alpha, beta, and gamma radiation can penetrate. They also used large collections of pennies to simulate half lives, removing pennies that flipped over after being shaken in a box. This is the first time this activity has been done in YUHSB and students were excited to see actual demonstrations of what they have been learning in Mr. Goldberg's chemistry class. To quote one student, "Lab makes it real. We learn about something in class, and then the next period we do it." We continue to look forward to the ever-expanding collection of lab activities designed by Mr. Goldberg, Mr. Berenson, and Ms. Klugmann for our chemistry, biology, and earth science classes and take pride YUHSB's reputation as a leader in STEM education.