Health science students from McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Ga. got a first hand look at how college chemistry can be fun via an exploding Cheeto during a recent visit to Gordon College in Barnesville, Ga.

The students, a mix of juniors and seniors, are all considering a career in the health science field, said teacher Marsha Snyder whose daughter, Molly, is a Gordon graduate and in her first year of pharmacy school at Mercer University in Macon.

The students were greeted by Dr. Dan Jackson, professor of chemistry, Linda Kucher, assistant professor of nursing and Hal Wilkinson, admissions. All three took turns telling the students about health science occupations, the basic education requirements for those careers and the advantages of starting out at a smaller school like Gordon.

Dr. Jackson also gave the students a mini-lesson on how calories are burned within the human body. He heated a test tube containing a small amount of reaction agent and dropped in a single Cheeto, the popular orange-colored, snack food. The subsequent flash and burn elicited more than a few shrieks from the students.

“I can’t say enough good things about Gordon College,” Snyder said. “It was so important to my daughter who turned down the University of Georgia to attend here. Dr. Jackson is just wonderful and so well respected all over the state. He is a big part of her success so far.”

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