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Student Workshops for 2024

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. 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!

3. Bouncing Into Polymer Chemistry

Chemistry: Polymers

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!

4. Build Your Own Electric Vehicle

Physics: Electromagnetism

The Tesla roadster is cool? What does make EVs so powerful compared with gasoline vehicles? It is the magic of electromagnetism! In this workshop we will figure out how electrical power drives the motion of electric motors and electric vehicles. Particularly, you will have the opportunity to build your own toy EVs using simple tools, including a funny magnetic train that runs on a coil rail and a simple electric motor spinning fast.

5. 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.

6. 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!

7. 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 fun art along the way! As a synthetic chemistry detective, see if you can use the technique of chromatography to figure out the brand of your mystery marker and then mystery solved!

8. cool_beat.exe

Computer Science: Programming

Music? From code?! Our workshop will answer both of these questions with a *resounding* yes! In it, we are going to learn how to program synths and beats using a language called SonicPi. Come and make a .wav file full of cool vibes and good memories! 🎵😎

9. DIY-o-sphere

Environmental Science: Climate Change

Plants draw down carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This process is an important part of the global carbon cycle, and results in carbon being sequestered in forests. For this reason, and because excess CO₂ in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is currently heating up the planet, forest conservation and reforestation are important parts of the suite of climate change solutions that people around the world are implementing. Here, we will create the world's smallest climate model: a miniature, living model of plant photosynthesis on a tabletop to demonstrate how plants draw down CO₂ and change the atmosphere around them.

10. Enigmatic Magnetics

Physics: Magnetism

What do computer memory, hydroelectric power and electric cars have in common? Magnetism! Magnetism is used every day to encode information on computers, harvest clean energy to power our cities and power electric cars. Explore how the technology of tomorrow will use magnets!

11. 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 to introduce notions of strategy and mathematical analysis.

12. 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. Join us to learn about the chemical reactions these microbes carry out, both inside your intestines and during the production of some of our favorite foods!

13. 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!

14. Meals Made with Microbes!

Biology: Microbiology

What comes to mind when you think about microbes? Bugs that make you sick? Mold on your bread? Microbes do so much more than that! Learn about food and drinks made using microbes and get hands-on experience making your own. Students will take home their own starter cultures to make sourdough bread and kombucha.

15. Plant Domestication and Adaptation: A Seed Dispersal Game

Biology: Genetics and Evolution

Become an ancient plant and adapt your “seeds” for dispersing in the wild, then, become a modern plant and domesticate your “seeds” to help early farmers make plants more suitable for agriculture in a 10,000 year long process called plant domestication.

16. Program Your Own Animation!

Computer Science: Programming

Do you love animated movies? Interested in how animators make cartoons fly? Do you like to play 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 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 interactive and fun effects! Come make animations and discover how the inner details of programming can help you create!

17. Radioactive World

Chemistry: Radioactivity

From energy to medicine to everyday life, radioactivity is all around us. As scientists, we solve problems and learn about different systems by using radioactivity in techniques including carbon dating and cancer therapy. Join us as we learn how to identify, detect, and understand fundamental nuclear chemistry!

18. Red Light, Green Light

Physics: Electronics

Get ready for an enthralling adventure in the field of electronic with a miniature traffic light project! You will explore the basic concepts in creating a functional electronic circuit that is easy to build and test in a short amount of time. Experiment with a myriad of analog components such as the capacitors, resistors, light emitting diodes (LEDs) and transistors. Learn how to time and blink different color LEDs in a fun, innovative approach. No coding required and a simple 9V DC battery is sufficient to provide power for the circuit. A simple equation is what it takes to calculate the value of resistor and capacitor to time each LED.

19. 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.

20. 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!

21. Squeaky Clean Brains

Biology: Neuroscience

Almost ten years ago, the Ice Bucket challenge went viral, generating millions of dollars to help fund research for ALS. In this workshop, we dive into the science behind neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Perhaps you’ve wondered how these diseases affect the brain and what causes them to arise. Wonder no more! Cells, just like people living in a city, produce garbage. Cells can’t function if the garbage is not cleaned off the streets. Therefore, cells in our body use specialized “garbage trucks” to remove this cellular garbage to maintain our health. In this workshop, you will be responsible for removing litter from the brain until it’s squeaky clean before it’s too late! Come learn what brain cells do to stay clean, and how cellular garbage can otherwise cause diseases like ALS and Alzheimer’s.

22. World Builders

Economics

What if we did a science experiment on COUNTRIES to figure out what they should do to make their people better off? That could be useful, but also impossible (and probably unethical!) So how about instead we run experiments on models of countries? Join us for a role-playing game where you can be a country deciding what to trade. See how a simple game can teach us why the US buys so many goods from other countries. We’ll also play a game (with prizes!) to learn why things like national defense, public parks, weather prediction, and broadcast television cannot be provided by private companies in the same way as, for example, telephone service or cable television can be.

9th and 10th Grade Workshop Descriptions

Schedules will be available on the day of the conference.

23. Catch a Wave, a Wavelength of Light that is…

Information Science: Image Analysis

The light we can see is made of electromagnetic energy that travels in waves. Do you know sensors can also capture waves of energy beyond the visible? With hands-on activities we will explore imagery of different spectra to learn about the environment on earth. You will be introduced to remote sensing applications, as well as academic and industry career opportunities in the field of geospatial science and technology.

24. Crystals from Salty to Sweet

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!

25. 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!

26. 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!

27. Holey Cow

Biology: Animal Science

How do cows turn hay into milk? Come meet Sunny, our fistulated cow, and explore a cow’s stomach and experience aspects of life as a dairy cow. Learn what cows eat and how food gets digested. You will get to place your hand in a cow's stomach (called a rumen) and look at its contents under a microscope. NOTE: Dairy products, hay, fur, latex involved. Students should wear clothes they do not mind getting dirty.

28. Observing Moiré Patterns in the Classroom

Physics: 2D Materials

What is a Moiré pattern and how are they created? Students will discover how sounds can create patterns and then look at how 2D layers can also create patterns. They will then test different variables to see how they affect the Moiré pattern.

29. 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.

30. The Hidden Rainbows 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).

31. Turning on the Lights

Physics and Engineering: Electricity and Magnetism

Have you ever passed by a wind farm and wondered what the “windmills” were for? Wind farms convert the energy in the wind into electricity that can be used to power your computer or phone. Join us in this exciting workshop, where you will get to build your very own wind electricity generator and test it to turn on real lights!

Previous Years’ Workshops