STORM LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) -

Officials say five students from a Buena Vista University physiology class ingested caffeine as part of a student-led experiment. That experiment, however, went terribly wrong. Officials say the students ended up in the hospital after an overdose of caffeine.

BVU's Dean of Students, says students are a priority, and she's very concerned about their safety. That's why they are taking the precautions that they are.

"We don't want to interrupt the student's learning and educational experience. We just want to ensure that we are taking the proper steps to let them go forward and complete their semester," said McKeon.

Randy Hummel was in that physiology class. He says the students had separated into groups to do their experiments. He wasn't in the same group as the students who overdosed. Hummel says the objective was to see how the body reacts to different levels of substances.

"When we first heard about it, we didn't think it was that big of a deal, but then we heard about the dosage and it was extreme and we don't know how it got there," said Hummel.

Officials say students took high levels of caffeine orally, mixed with a liquid. While moderate levels of caffeine are okay, high doses can make you sick.

"School officials say the students' symptoms included nausea, dizziness, and jitters. Those are all consistent with the effects of caffeine.

"We're very grateful that the students are all healthy and appear to be doing well and that the situation will be corrected," said McKeon.

Those students will be in the hospital through Wednesday. McKeon says their fellow students are sticking together.

The rest is here:
UPDATE: Five college students hospitalized after science experiment