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Student Workshops for 2025

Have you participated in any of the workshops before? Please note that the workshops offered in the past will present the same contents as they did last year.

7th and 8th Grade Workshop Descriptions

1. Beyond Bacon: Why Fats are so Important

Chemistry: Chemical Biology

Fats are a major component of some of our favorite foods, from bacon, to ice cream, French fries, and potato chips, but that is not all that fats are or do. This workshop delves into the amazing world of unique roles that they play in our bodies. Fats help keep animals warm in the winter, hold your body’s cells together, keep you from turning into a mummy, and so much more. Join us to learn how they do it!

2. Seeing the world differently: A look into the variation in eyes

Biology: Animal Science

Why do goats have rectangle pupils? How can cats see at night? Come learn about how eyes work and how they vary between animals. In this workshop, you will learn about how eyes work through hands on dissections.

3. Exploring Math: Patterns and Puzzles

Mathematics: Probability

Do you know how to win games every time? Or how to calculate and maximize your chances of winning a game? Or what happens when you can teleport across the board while playing tic-tac-toe? We will explore these ideas using twists on common games, trying to introduce notions of strategy and mathematical analysis.

4. Fueling Your Gut Reactions!

Biology: Microbiology

Did you know that there are TRILLIONS of tiny microbes living inside your gut? Scientists refer to this community of microbes as the gut microbiome. In this workshop, you will learn about the chemical reactions these microbes carry out, both inside your intestines and during the production of some of your favorite foods. Join us to build a gut model (out of cake!) and get hands-on with some of these chemical reactions!

5. Googling with Paper Airplanes

Computer Science: Networking

Have you ever wondered how computers talk to each other? How a video from California gets onto your phone in New York? Would you like to throw paper airplanes? In this workshop, you will learn how the internet works by throwing paper airplanes!

6. How Thin Can It Go?

Chemistry: Nanoscience

Have you ever wondered what happens if you keep cutting a material smaller and smaller? Join us to explore the fascinating world of graphene, a material that’s only one atom thick! In this workshop, you will create your own graphene using just a piece of tape and observe it under a microscope. Then, see how graphene conducts electricity even at just one atomic layer by drawing conductive patterns with a pencil. Discover how nanoscience is shaping the future of technology!

7. Bouncing into Polymer Chemistry

Chemistry: Polymer Chemistry

Making useful items like sticky glue, rechargeable batteries, and plant-based plastic is all part of polymer chemists’ daily jobs. In our workshop, we’ll explore how chemists string together long chains of atoms to create polymers, and how they build different materials from these polymer chains. Come make your own custom stretchy slime and bouncy balls from polymers, which you can take home with you!

8. Have you seen a human brain?

Biology: Neuroscience

This workshop will spark students’ curiosity about the human brain! Many people, especially children, have never had the chance to see a real human brain. In a lab setting, we’re going to show students Cornell’s human brain collection, giving them a hands-on opportunity to touch, interact with, and discuss the brain. This experience will help them better understand how the brain works and its essential role in our lives. They’ll also explore the similarities between the human brain and a sheep brain, learning about shared anatomy between humans and other animals in an engaging and memorable way. 🎵😎

9. Reverse Your Taste Buds

Biology: Cells

How do we differentiate the tastes of so many different foods? How does our tongue work to allow us to taste sweet, salty, or sour? Wouldn't it be nice if vegetables tasted sugary sweet? Well, maybe they can! The miracle berry fruit contains a compound that will turn your taste buds upside down! With this workshop, discover the science behind taste and the molecular signaling events that make it all possible.

10. Somebody Call the Plant Doctor

Biology: Plant Pathology

Somebody call the doctor… the plant doctor! Have you ever wondered what’s spoiling your favorite fruits and veggies? Plants can get sick, just like you. Take a trip with us to the lab and solve the mystery of what is killing your tomato plants, ruining your strawberries, and making your potatoes a rotten mess!

11. Colorful Chemistry Detectives

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry

You've probably used different brands of black markers before, but did you know that although they all look black on paper, each company uses different mixtures of dyes? Explore the chemistry of colorful dyes by making your own dye from crushed bugs, study the effect of chemical interactions on your dye, and make some cool art along the way! As a synthetic chemistry detective, see if you can use chromatography to figure out the brand of your mystery marker and then mystery solved!

12. Sorting snapshots of nature for science

Ecology

Did you know that anyone that snaps a photo of nature can be a scientist? Join us in examining photos taken by community members and posted online of the spotted lanternfly, an insect that is threatening the environment and agriculture in the Finger Lakes. We’ll investigate the plants the lanternfly is feeding on in the snapshots as the insect progresses through its life cycle, extracting data that can be used to protect valuable vegetation. Discover how science improves when everybody participates!

13. Crack the Code: Secrets of Cryptography

Computer Science: Cryptography

Ever wondered how spies kept their secrets safe or how your phone locks away your private messages? Cryptography, the art of secret communication, has been around for centuries, protecting treasures, governments, and even your texts. This workshop invites you to explore the thrilling world of secret codes! From cracking ancient ciphers to creating your own coded messages, you’ll uncover how simple patterns can hide powerful secrets.

14. Fantastic Plants and How to Build Them

Biology: Plant Biology

How do plants grow to create complex shapes and structures? Plants have repeating structures such as leaves and petals that form beautiful designs such as spirals and branching patterns. These natural plant designs are a great source of inspiration for art and architecture. In this workshop, we will explore the intersections between architecture and nature. We will look to plants for inspiration, uncovering the simple rules plants use to create complex and beautiful patterns, and use them ourselves to create paper cup models of our own.

15. Black Widow vs. Wonder Woman

Biology: Molecular Biology

Ever wonder what you have in common with Black Widow and Wonder Woman? Your body does amazing things and you just don’t know it! Like the super spy Black Widow, it can decode secret messages. It can also make sure your cells only tell the truth when talking to other cells, just like Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth! These superpowers help make us who we are and allow us to do incredible things. Come discover how “super” you are and better understand some of your favorite heroes!

16. Cell City Relay

Biology: Cell Biology

Have you ever wondered how the tiny cells that make up our bodies ultimately govern everything that we do? Or how your cells communicate with each other to fight off pathogens? Join us as we shrink down to become the organelles inside of a cell and conduct our own cell signaling relay race. You’ll also get to stain a slide with your own cells and see different cell types under the microscope!

17. Mushroom Mafia

Biology: Microscopy

Do you have what it takes to survive the mushroom mafia? Fungi partner up with just about every other organism on Earth and it can be tricky to figure out when they are friends or foes. Come decipher these fungal relationships through our mafia-inspired game and by seeing them in detail for the first time under the microscope!

18. Vortex Dynamics

Physics: Biophysics

A vortex is a swirling motion of fluid (air or water). The beautiful and intriguing swirling pattern of fluid flow occurs every time birds beat their wings and each time jellyfish squeeze water out for jet propulsion. We will use simple tools to visualize the vortices created by biological organisms, allowing us to closely observe the otherwise invisible complex flow near these organisms.

19. Color Me Curious: the science of every shade

Chemistry: Spectroscopy

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue, leaves are green or your shirt is red? There are many different sources of color around us and each can teach us a lot about the world we live in. From observing tiny organisms under a microscope to analyzing the chemical composition of rocks in space, the humble world of colors prove to be an exceptionally powerful tool once they’re understood. Deep dive into the study of color - “spectroscopy” and get exposed to how scientists and engineers take advantage of color to do cool science! In this workshop, you’ll get your hands dirty separating colors from leaves, creating mock butterfly wing colors and making your own glow in the dark paint; and in the process understand why there is more to color than what meets the eye.

20. Dynamic Diseases

Biology: Epidemiology

Waking up with a cold is not fun. But have you ever wondered how a simple cough can become an epidemic? Join us and learn how diseases move from person to person and how vaccines work to keep you, and the people around you, healthy. Come play a card game that will demonstrate the power of diseases and vaccines in the fight for your health!

21. Program Your Own Animation!

Computer Science: Programming

Interested in how animators make cartoons fly? Do you love puzzle games? If you’ve ever wondered about what it takes to make something creative with the computer, this workshop is for you! We will teach you the basics of Scratch, a popular free program, to make characters fly. We’ll teach you computer science techniques to make your animations super cool with interactions and fun effects! Come make animations and discover how the inner details of programming can help you create!

22. Holey Cow

Biology: Animal Science

How do cows turn hay into milk? Come meet our fistulated cow, Snowflake, to explore a cow's stomach and experience aspects of life as a dairy cow. You will get to put your hand in a cow's stomach (called a rumen) and look at its contents under a microscope to tell if she's healthy. Then learn how we can turn her milk into yummy cheese!

NOTE: Dairy products, hay, fur, latex involved. Students should wear clothes and shoes they do not mind getting dirty.

23. Build your own foldscope

Biology: Microscopy

Have you ever wondered how things look beyond what your eyes let you see? How fun would it be if you had your own microscope, simple yet powerful enough for exploring the microscopic world with you on the go? Attend this workshop where you can build an origami-inspired mini microscope using paper and lenses! We will use the microscopes we build to look at biological samples and see what types of cells are in an orange, a flower, and your body! You will also be able to take your microscope back home with you to continue exploring the microscopic world.

24. Invisible Rainbows: The Secrets of Light

Chemistry: Spectroscopy

Did you know that white light from everyday sources, like light bulbs, the sun, or mobile phone screens, contains hidden colors? In this workshop, you’ll uncover these "invisible rainbows" by building your own spectrometer—a tool scientists use to split white light into its colorful spectrum. But that’s not all—discover why regular water stays colorless under blue light while tonic water glows bright blue and create your very own lava lamp with your favorite colors. You can even take it home!

9th and 10th Grade Workshop Descriptions

Schedules will be available on the day of the conference.

25. Electrifying Chemistry

Chemistry: Electrochemistry

How do submarines replenish their oxygen? What about the International Space Station? How are scientists trying to fuel cars with water? Join us to learn about how we can use electricity to power chemical reactions. In this workshop you will construct your own electrochemical cell and use it to split apart water molecules and deposit metals!

26. Turning on the Lights

Physics and Engineering: Electricity and Magnetism

Have you ever passed by a wind farm and wondered what all of those “windmills” were for? Wind farms convert energy from the wind into electricity that can be used to power an entire home! Join us in this exciting workshop, where you will get to build your very own wind electricity generator and use it to Turn on the Lights!

27. Peering into the mysterious world of molecules

Chemistry: Spectroscopy

Why do apples turn brown when you cut them open? Why do your lips turn blue in the cold? Color is everywhere within our world but it also shares secrets about the atomic world with us. As chemists we try and decode what our colorful world is telling us. Join us in this workshop, where we will use spectroscopy, the study of light, to learn just how much color can teach us about the world around us. In this workshop, you will learn about how molecules manifest color in our food and drink and how we can use it to learn about changes that are happening on the atomic level.

28. My Amazing Brain and Me

Biology: Neuroscience

Discover how the brain shapes everything we feel, think, and do! In this interactive workshop, you'll explore cool neuroscience tools like brain scanners (MRI), eye trackers, and heart monitors. Learn how scientists ask questions and use these methods to uncover the brain’s role in our health, emotions, bodily sensations, and more. Learn how to connect the brain to your everyday life!

29. The Hidden Rainbow of Plants

Biology: Plant Biology

Rainbows aren’t just in the sky, they exist everywhere…even in plants! Join us in the lab to discover what colors are inside your favorite plants, fruits, and vegetables- and learn how plants use their hidden rainbows to survive!

NOTE: Plant/pollen allergens. Food allergens (fruits & vegetables present but not consumed).

30. Crystal Clear: Sweet, Salty, and Changing the World!

Chemistry: Crystals

Come take a look up-close at some of life’s most important crystals forming in real time under a microscope and learn about all the sizes and shapes they can come in. We will explore the world of crystallization and how you can change their environment to customize their appearance and texture. We’ll then use what we know about crystallization to make ice cream like you’ve never seen before and use crystallization to fight climate change!

31. De-spelling the magic of coding

Computer Science: Programming

At first glance, coding seems a lot like magic. It requires knowledge of different commands and components that are put together to cast incredible spells! While coding won’t let you shoot fireballs or make yourself invisible, it can allow you to do amazing things with your computer! In this workshop, learn how to navigate the mystical world of your computer and put together “potions” using the Python coding language. This workshop does not require a background in coding and is designed to help beginners learn some of the basics of coding through fun and magical activities!

32. Laser Sailing to the Stars

Physics: Astronomy

Have you ever wanted to send something to space? Students at Cornell are doing exactly that! Learn about exciting techniques to travel from orbit around Earth all the way to other star systems, and gain some of the skills to make your very own spacecraft!

33. Discover the Nature of Light

Physics: Optics

Our eyes capture the world’s light, which brings us the beauty of the world and visual information from day to day. But do you know the nature of light? It has an unusual motion, which deforms at different boundaries and can be used to detect a wide range of things, from DNA molecules to gravitational waves in the universe. Join us in a hands-on activity to discover the nature of the mysterious light!

34. Molecular Lego: Building Blocks of Life

Chemistry: Chemical Biology

Did you know your body is a molecular factory, building and fine-tuning proteins to keep you alive? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll create amino acids—the building blocks of proteins—and decorate them with modifications that act like switches, turning proteins on or off. You’ll also explore how unusual changes can damage proteins and lead to disease. Join us to uncover how tiny molecules shape life and health!

Previous Years’ Workshops