A sophomore was injured Tuesday in one of MIT's main lecture halls when a theatrical device exploded in his hands.
The student suffered hand injuries and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital by ambulance. He was treated for cuts and burns on his hands and released later that afternoon.
He and several other members of Phi Kappa Sigma were promoting a Halloweeen party thrown by the fraternity when the accident occurred. The fraternity sponsors a major biannual Halloween bash known as Skuffle to raise money for the Leukemia Society of America. The students in costume were in Lobby 10 promoting the Saturday night party.
In promoting the party, several of the students marched into a lecture in Rm 10-250 shortly before noon. The student who was injured was carrying the device which he believed would send out sparks or a puff of smoke. MIT Campus Police said it exploded in his hands.
The Cambridge Police Department bomb squad and the Cambridge Fire Department joined MIT Campus Police in investigating the incident. The site was sealed off. A second device similar in nature was found in the lobby and confiscated by the Cambridge bomb squad.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 27, 1999.
