Both groups in Szeged took part in the event ’Researchers’ Night’. Group 2 attended the ’Soils of our Future – the role of soil in environment protection’ lab practice organized by the Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics of the University of Szeged.
During the programme the children did lab experiments where they filled out worksheets. At stage 1 they got to know the structural set-up of different kinds of soil. The organizers put emphasis on the introduction of types and structure of the soil in the Alföld region and also on the environmental problems of soil pollution. At stage 2 we examined the water permeability of the sand and the loam, and students were shown the water balance of the soils. For us the most interesting stage was stage 3, as the students had to find out the pH value of different soil samples, which were collected from different regions in Hungary, with the help of indicators. Students could also get an insight of field soil tests at this stage. At stage 4 we did the demonstration of lime content in soils with a simple chlorhydric acid test. At the end we were shown the standardization of water hardness explaining the conneciton between the water hardness and the dissolution of washing powder.
After we went through all the stages, we received presents from the students of the department. Just like last year, we finished our Researchers’ Night with dinner at Boci Milk Bar.