Our 2023 conference will be held on March 11th. Our 2023 conference will be held on March 11th. Click here to register for the student workshops!

Did you know that the coins in your pocket can power a light bulb? We will build our own batteries with coins and learn the chemistry behind how metals can provide electricity.

How do doctors know what antibiotics to prescribe a patient with an unknown bacterial infection? They need the help of a microbial detective, the medical microbiologist! In our workshop, we will be identifying unknown bacteria using the Gram stain method, which is a type of biochemical test used regularly by the medical microbiologist.

Have you ever wondered what humans have in common with yeast? There’s more to these unicellular fungi than meets the eye. Humans have harnessed the power of yeast for millennia - you can too, while using the tools of a scientist. In this workshop, you will use balloons to demonstrate how bread is made; come experience the beauty of yeast!

What makes the best SLIME? Stretchiness? Bounciness? In this workshop you will run experiments mixing various household chemicals to make your perfect slime!

Join us for a lesson in food science. Students will learn about protein structures and enzymes through a pineapple jello experiment. Learn about molecular biology and its broader applications in this fun and tasty workshop.

Have you ever wondered what goes onto the design of a video game? In this workshop, we will learn about user research and design fields of computer games. In the interactive portion of the workshop, we will design a user interface of a video game and then conduct a user research study to see what works well.

Did you know that humans have 60% of the same DNA as strawberries? Join us to smash some strawberries and learn some exciting chemistry to extract their DNA! We will get to see what DNA looks like and learn why it's so important for all living things.

Have you ever wondered how your brain works? In this workshop, you will learn about how cells in your brain communicate and allow you to understand the world around you! You will gain hands on exposure to the neuroanatomy of animals and humans, as well as learn about neuroscience research.

We use them once, then we throw them away! How can we replace these plastics with more sustainable (and tasty) materials? This workshop will have you make your own edible water capsules, discover green chemistry, and explore solutions to the single-use plastics problem like a scientist!

Budding naturalists unite! Our instructors (a botanist, ornithologist, and herpetologist) will have a brief classroom session going over the basics of local plant and wildlife biology and identification. We will focus on the easiest ways to tell certain plants and animals apart and explore the evolutionary reasons behind those features. After a brief course on some of the wildlife and plants students may see around campus, we will head outside to put our identification skills to the test!

We live in a world of machines that can "see": cars that tell you when you depart from a lane, doorbells that recognize when a package has arrived, and phones that recognize your unique face to unlock. But what does it mean for a computer to “see” something? How do people create computer programs to make decisions from visual data? Come learn about machine perception with fun examples and a DIY project.

How does your brain work? In this workshop, we'll use experiments designed to trick your brain to explore how different parts of your brain work together to help you see, think, read, and do just about everything! We will also use real, preserved human and nonhuman animal brains to study how different animals' brains relate to their behaviors and environments.

We will use science to make tasty ice cream in this workshop. Learn how the freezing point of water (and cream) can be altered and allow us to make our own frozen treat in the classroom!

How sweet is the food we eat?We will use a color-changing solution to test just how sugary our food is. We'll learn the chemistry behind how our test detects sugar molecules.

Watch red cabbage juice transform into a rainbow of colors and see the color disappear from fabric before your eyes as we explore the chemistry of color change. We will learn about acids and bases, chromophores, and how different chemistry makes color changes either temporary or permanent.

We will put our engineering skills to the test by building cars that run on wind energy. Can you design a model that drives the fastest?

If we lived on the moon, how would we obtain our food? Our class will make science fiction a reality as we learn about the influence of the environment on life as we know it. We will shoot for the moon with this workshop focused on climate and technology.

Let your curiosity take flight in this workshop that explores what makes birds and planes fly. You'll test your ability to problem-solve a flight challenge and use the physics of air resistance to achieve new heights!

Fight the forces of gravity as you learn about the physics behind what makes objects, big and small, stay balanced! You will experiment with your balancing abilities in this hands-on workshop that makes natural forces come to life.

What does it take to build something sturdy and steadfast? Using ideas of geometric shapes and 3D design, work to create and compete against other teams to make the highest and most supported structure!

Get an up-close look at animal anatomy in this workshop! We will learn about and observe which characteristics make animal skeletons unique.

Get hands on experience with some of the steps involved in making a prosthetic device. You will get to use a 3D scanner, take a cast and assemble real prosthetic parts.

It’s a dangerous world out there! Learn how animals adapt to their environment by changing their bodies and behavior over time. Get a lesson in natural selection, and then test it out for yourself with an animal of your own creation! Can you survive the wild?

 

Have you ever wondered why the statue of liberty is green, or why metals rust? Oxidation chemistry is all around us! Not only does oxidation chemistry control reactions we see in our everyday life, but it also helps us understand fuel cells, which produce clean energy. Come learn more about oxidation chemistry through a fun workshop and an experiment you can try at home!

Worksheet: Pretty Penny Worksheet

Worksheet: Genes and Strawberries
Worksheet: Self-Driving Cars Worksheet
Worksheet: Code Your Own Music Worksheet
Worksheet: Microscopic & X-Ray Vision Worksheet
Worksheet: Mirror mirror Worksheet
Worksheet: Playing with Fire Worksheet
Worksheet: Feeding Plants with Air Worksheet
Worksheet: Sherlock Bones Worksheet
Worksheet: Science of Slime Worksheet

Worksheet: What Makes Us Different Worksheet