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hosted by Cornell Center for Materials
Research1. Visitors From Space!
Ever wonder what the universe is made of? Ever heard of an electron? What about
a muon or a quark? Did you know that some of these particles are created somewhere
in outer space and reach the surface of the Earth? How many do you think go
through your body every minute without you noticing? All of those particles
were discovered using detectors designed by physicists. These detectors can
be small enough to fit on your desk, or as big as a small house. Come see our
detector and learn about how we study the universe. You will get to build your
own detector and collect evidence for yourself. (Particle Physics)
2. Crash Landing:
Helicopters are important for medical transport, military, and commercial flight.
Take a ride in a virtual helicopter in a new dimension until you crash land
in a new dimension. Then explore with your friends a virtual game world built
by team of young engineers. Learn about how helicopters fly and how we can make
them safer. (Cornell Theory Center)
3. How DNA technology can help save the Earth's biodiversity:
Learn how to extract DNA from bananas in a real research laboratory (and use
the leftovers for banana smoothies!). See how this and other laboratory techniques
(including robotics) can help discover, save and use the Earth's biodiversity:
all living organisms. (Institute for Genomic Diversity)
4. Shake, Rattle, and...CRASH!!!
Have you ever been in an earthquake? Do you wonder why the local convenience
store is in ruins after a quake, but a downtown high rise is undamaged? Ever
wonder how engineers predict and plan for earthquake damage? Come out to the
geology department and learn all about what happens when the ground shakes and
rattles. Learn what seismology is, how a seismograph works, how engineers and
city planners plan for earthquakes, and try your hand at building an earthquake-resistant
structure! (Geology)
5. Galaxies Galore!
Almost everything in the Universe lives in one galaxy or another: from the brightest
stars, to the most exotic planets, to the biggest black holes. Come join us,
and learn more about these distant giants! In this workshop, you will explore
different kinds of galaxies, "observe" a few for yourself, orchestrate
a catastrophic galaxy collision, and take home your own galaxy mobile. (Astronomy)
6. Muscles, Mad Cows and Molecular Machines:
Within every cell, millions of machines made from single molecules work together.
We study molecular machines to help cure diseases, develop new uses for nature's
machines, and even learn how to make own molecular machines. Come make your
own "ghost" cells, artificial tendon and cook an egg without heating
it. And, we'll visit the labs where scientists learn about muscle proteins,
mad cow prions and other molecular marvels. (Biophysics)
7. A Bird's Eye View:
Birds are among the most fantastically diverse animals in the world! Can we
tell where birds live and what they do, by how they look? Together, we will
catch local wild birds and examine museum specimens from all over the world.
You will discover how scientists measure traits that give us clues about how
these animals make a living in the wild. After all, a bird in the hand makes
two in the bush! Come prepared to spend some time outdoors. (Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology)
8. The Scoop on Dirt:
Have you ever wondered what is it about dirt that produces plants? Dirt and
mud are just brown, dull and dirty, right? Hey, don't be so quick to judge!
If you were a plant, you'd think dirt was great food - better than pizza! Ah,
and did you know that plants grown on dirt can even help you run your car? Come
learn about the magical world of soil and learn why it's so important to our
survival. (Crop Science)
9. This IS Rocket Science:
Have you ever wondered how the Space Shuttle rockets work? Have you ever wanted
a chance to build and launch your own rocket? Then come explore the exciting
world of rocketry! In this workshop, we'll investigate how both big and small
rockets work, build a model rocket from a kit to take home, and if weather permits
everyone will have a chance to launch their rocket. (Astronomy and Space Science)
10. Make An Itty Bitty Picture:
How could you possibly draw a picture that is smaller than the width of your
hair? It sounds impossible, but scientists and engineers at the Nanobiotechnology
Center do this every day. In this workshop, you will create a computer aided
design drawing, transfer your drawing onto photosensitive paper, and use special
technology to shrink the image. (Nanobiotechnology)
11. Horse Power:
Sure horses can be fun, but they can be interesting and exciting as well! Come
learn some of the powerful science behind our hooved friends such as why a horse
eats what it does, why proper grooming is so important, and what new things
scientists are researching. Whether you know a lot about them, or a little,
this will be a great opportunity to learn more, including how horses can be
your career too! It's a great chance to get your hands on a horse in ways you
might never have thought of. (Cornell Horses and Ponies Society)
12. Maps and Colors:
How many colors does it take to color a map? Bring your best guess and we'll
test it out on our way to discovering the famous four-color theorem in Math.
We will see how even simple maps open up a whole branch of mathematics. You'll
go home with a map of the US that will pleasantly surprise your geography teacher.
(Math)
13. The Secret of Nim:
Have you ever played a game that you knew you couldn't lose? Nim is a game that
you play using piles of beans (or for us, M&M's) where two players take
turns removing M&M's from one of the piles. The winner is the person that
removes the last M&M. We will study patterns that happen when playing Nim,
and use that to develop a winning strategy. (Math)
14. Colors and Chemistry:
Put on some safety glasses and get ready for some fun in the chemistry lab!
We'll take a look at colors in a variety of experiments. See how we can change
the color of a flame, separate the components of marking pens, and change the
color of a solution with dry ice. (Chemistry)
15. Holey Cow!
Why can a cow eat hay but we can't? Because of her rumen. Come explore a preserved
rumen, a real rumen, and learn what a balanced diet for a cow looks like. Don't
miss the hands-on (and hands-in) introduction to ruminant nutrition. (Animal
Science)
16. Design and Make Your Own Perfume:
Come, dive into the world of Chemical Engineering and make your own perfume!
People have used perfume, oils, and unguents on their bodies for thousands of
years. Perfume as we know it, was developed in the late19th century due to advances
in our knowledge of organic chemistry. In this workshop, we will describe the
steps used to make perfume, and then give everyone a chance to design and make
their own. While we wait for the perfume to distill (a purification method)
we will try to answer the question "What is a chemical engineer?"
(Chemical Engineering)
17. The Incredible Edible Foam:
Did you know that there is a science to making ice cream? Join us in the Food
Science Pilot Plant to make your own ice cream! We will try variations of the
traditional recipe for this popular foam (yes, ice cream is a foam!) and try
to imitate our favorite store brands. We'll see and taste how changes in ingredients
such as fat and air (yes air!) can change the look, mouthfeel, and flavor of
the final product. (Food Science)
18. Help the Town of Fruitvale Solve its Water Pollution Problem!
Learn how to combine chemistry and earth science in this exciting workshop!
You will play the role of a geologist hired by the government of Fruitvale to
trace the source and path of groundwater contamination. Using simple analytical
chemistry, the water quality of various wells from all over town will be tested,
and you will map the progression of groundwater pollution. From this data, you
can solve the pollution problem. Help save the town of Fruitvale before it is
too late! (Geochemistry)
19. Crazy Cascadilla Creek:
What crazy creatures live in Cascadilla Creek? Explore the stream to catch and
meet the fish and invertebrates that call Cascadilla home. We'll have the D-nets,
dip nets, seines, viewing boxes, sieves, and electroshockers - you bring your
rubber boots and sense of adventure. (Natural Resources)
20. Money, Power, and Electrochemistry:
In this workshop, each girl will take a pre-1982 penny (we'll explain) and use
electrochemistry to plate it with gold. It isn't real gold, but that can be
your secret. We will also demonstrate how chemistry is used to make batteries
work. Finally, we'll have a little fun using chemistry to produce an explosion
that will send a projectile flying across the room (earplugs provided). (Electrochemistry)
21. Magical Movement:
We muggles (non-wizard folk) just can't move like some animals can. Can you
jump 20 times your body length? Frogs can! Can you use your fingers to fly?
Bats can! How about swinging from branch to branch like a bushbaby does? Can
you sleep standing up? A horse can! These animals have the same bones we do.
Come to this workshop to find out how animals perform these feats and why we
can't. (Biomedical science)
22. Slicing and Dicing DNA - how and why????
DNA is the essence of life. What is DNA made up of? Why do we study it? How
do we study it? We will take cellular DNA, chop it into pieces using special
proteins called restriction enzymes and then figure out the sizes of the different
pieces. The end result will give the answers to these questions AND a photograph
of the pieces of DNA you cut up to take home with you. (Molecular Endocrinology)
23. Crackling Noise!
The science of things that crackle has recently made great strides. Paper crackles
when you crumple it in your hand. The earth crackles as the tectonic plates
holding the continents drift past one another (Earthquakes!) We'll both do some
real experiments and some computer experiments to explore what crackling noise
is and how scientists try to understand it. (Physics)
24. Turning Fields into Forest: Saving Tropical Forests with a Computer:
What does a computer have to do with tropical forests? The Tropical Forestry
Initiative (TFI) is a group of people working to turn abandoned Costa Rican
pastureland back into biologically diverse tropical forest. You can help them
figure out how to do this by using a computer simulation model. After taking
a "virtual" trip to Costa Rica to learn about their research, you'll
return to your lab to discover what mixture of tree species the TFI should plant
in order to best grow a tropical forest. You'll be able to watch your trees
grow on the computer and do something that the TFI can't do - grow trees for
100 years to see what happens. Maybe you'll discover something that will help
them grow a real forest! (Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research)
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