Saturday, December 3, 2011 — 1st Floor Blocker Building, Texas A&M University
Expanding Your Horizons
A sixth grade girls conference
$5.00 Registration Fee
CAREER EXPLORATION WORKSHOPS
New workshop selections are posted daily - space is limited - REGISTRATION TODAY!
| Bright Future or Bright Idea??: Do you know what makes things glow in the night? Here we will explore fluorescence and its glowing properties. Come partake in hands on activities that will really brighten things up. We will be taking ordinary things and turning them into glowing attractions, make your own neon sign or cook up some glow in the dark recipes. |
| Butterflies, Ants, and Beetles…Oh My!: Explore the exciting world of insects with Entomology! You'll get up close and personal with these tiny animals as you have the opportunity examine them under microscopes, design an experiment to learn how they communicate, see the insects of College Station and the world, and visit the insect zoo. |
| Chemistry In The Kitchen: Ordinary kitchen ingredients have extraordinary chemistry uses! Find out how to make a lava lamp, see colorful and bubbling demonstrations, and finally, make an invisible ink out of regular items, and take your secret pages home with you. Come and discover the science hiding in your kitchen. |
| Creating your own molecules, proteins, and DNA using the computer: The computer allows researchers to view molecules in 3-dimensions and apply mathematical models to gain an understanding of how they will behave. This workshop will allow you to create your own molecules, including proteins and DNA, using the same programs that researchers use to take a closer look at their structure and properties. If you like computers, you will love this workshop! |
| Eggstruction: How does an egg survive being launched from a chicken, shipped in a carton, or dropped of the edge of a building? Come learn about design, architecture, and construction by exploring shapes and materials used in structures while building your own Egg Protection Device. Will YOUR egg survive the fall? |
| Food Engineering: Is it magic or science?: Have you ever really thought about what your food is made of or why it tastes the way it does? Food ingredients are biological materials with unique properties. Come explore Biological and Agricultural Engineering and learn what happens when these materials are treated or processed in unusual ways. Bon appétit! |
| Forensic Science: Using science to solve crimes: Have you ever seen the television show CSI? Do you want to learn how to be a crime scene investigator using modern science and genetic techniques? This workshop will teach you the science behind fingerprints, blood types, DNA testing and more. Learn how insects can be used to decipher crime scene timelines. Then become a novice investigator to help solve a crime using the techniques you just learned. |
| Geology ROCKS!: Everything goes in cycles, even rocks!You’ll explore the three types of rock — igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary and learn examples of each kind. How cool is it that one of these types is actually made out of living things! You will also find out how heat, pressure, and erosion all play a part in the process that can transform igneous rock into metamorphic rock...and then back again. You’ll never look at a rock the same way again! |
| Going On, In, and Under water to measure the health of our aquatic ecosystems: Find out why rivers, wetlands, estuaries and oceans are the lungs and circulatory system of our nation; what fishes, crayfish and ‘wet bugs’ can tell us about what humans are doing to the land and water; and why we need to remind ourselves that ‘we all live downstream’. |
| Good Microbes, Bad Microbes: Do you know what a microbe is and how to find out which ones are good and which are bad? You will learn how to grow a culture and what to look for to decide if the microbe is harmful to people and animals, or if it is a variety that we all need to live! |
| Making Your Own GAK!: Have you ever wondered how plastics are made? Explore the world of polymers and fun chemistry by making your own GAK! Design it, play with it and take it home! |
| Micro-Gravity, Macro-Fun: Before NASA can send people to space, science experiments and equipment are tested right here on earth. Find out how astronauts experience microgravity aboard the Weightless Wonder airplane and other artificial gravity simulations. Then build your own accelerometer to measure the gravitational forces you experience every day. |
| Potions & Lotions: What is the science behind nail polish, exfoliant, sun screen, bath bombs and other fun girly products? Come to find out, make some beauty products, and take some goodies home with you! |
| Robot Buddy: How can you tell if a robot is happy, sad or surprised? Learn first hand by helping give our rescue robot, Survivor Buddy, some personality! Come to our hands-on demonstration and see how robots are much friendlier than they look in the movies! |
| The Business of Engineering: The Price Is Right: Engineers and scientists are full of great ideas, but how do you turn those ideas into reality? What if the design and parts are expensive, but the product can only be sold cheaply? It takes an engineer that understands both technical designs and business concepts to perform a cost estimate and make sure the Price Is Right! “Come on down” and in this session we will play our own “The Price Is Right” game to explore the relationship between business and engineering. We will also discuss the many jobs scientists and engineers do to bring their products to life. |
| The Future of Science is SMALL!!: Think of the smallest thing you can see. The tip of a pencil, a knot in a string, for example. Now think of something a million times smaller! That is what nanotechnology is all about. Scientists are moving around SINGLE atoms and molecules (the smallest things that make up the world) to make COOL new devices. Nanotechnology could change lots of things in our everyday lives. In this workshop, we will be performing demonstrations and doing hands-on experiments to show you how nanotechnology could be used to solve lots of science problems that affects daily living. |
| What Does Your Brain Look Like?: Ever wonder how your brain works or how you use it to make your heart pump, to breathe, to run or walk, or even learn new things? Neuroscience researchers work on answering these questions every day! We will look at how the brain is organized (what it looks like!) and how we use it. We’ll even look at how the brains of different animals are, including how they compare to us. |
| Why the Titanic sank and Other Material Facts: Learn about metals and how their properties affect our everyday lives. Use actual laboratory equipment to test metals and compare their strengths. Learn why the material testing and properties at the time led the sinking of the Titanic. |
9:15-9:45 Check-In: 1st floor Blocker Building
9:45-10:00 Opening / 10:00-10:45 Workshop I / 10:50-11:35 Workshop II
11:40-12:25 Workshop III / 12:30-1:00 Lunch / 1:00-1:45 Chemistry Road Show /
2:00-2:30 Closing Remarks
9:45-10:00 Opening / 10:00-10:45 Workshop I / 10:50-11:35 Workshop II
11:40-12:25 Workshop III / 12:30-1:00 Lunch / 1:00-1:45 Chemistry Road Show /
2:00-2:30 Closing Remarks