Sessions
[Cow Eye Dissection ]
The eyes of cows are structurally and functionally similar to the eyes of humans. During this activity, you will dissect a cow eye. You will observe several important features of the eye and develop your understanding of how each part functions to make vision possible.
[Chemistry of Bonding and Paper Marbling]
Sumi Nagashi is the Japanese art form of paper marbling. In this session, students will learn the basics of the solubility rule of "like dissolves like" and chemical bonding as students are involved in the hands-on creation of art.
[Microscopic Look at Wings of Critters]
Explore just how intricate wings are of many species as we look at their wings under the microscope.
[Keeping Wildlife in Your Future]
Seeing native falcons, owls and hawks up close, and hearing about their place in our environment, is fascinating. These are magnificent and beautiful birds. Understanding their role in our natural world, and the natural and human-made hazards they have to face, are vitally important to their survival in the far distant future. Lost of habitats, migration, climate change, windmills, cars, outside cats, rodent and lead poisoning, etc., are just the tip of the iceberg. My goal is to encourage young people to appreciate these creatures, and keep them in their daily and life plans one way or another. If humans don't care, these wild ones will definitely disappear over time. It will take inspired and dedicated young people to figure out how to protect all wildlife and wild places. Getting outside regularly to go hiking, do outdoor sports, bird watching and citizen science opportunities are important. Long term, we need more women in all fields of science, education, law, veterinary medicine, and politics. I have some concrete ideas to help you help the wild ones. FB page for wild birds in rehab and releases is: Wild Mountain Birds.
[Meet Mini Monsters!]
Come meet the fascinating, and often weird looking, creatures that live underwater in our rivers, lakes and streams! This session will feature live organisms, (many of them still babies!) and focus on their adaptations and life cycles. The session will also include a quick introduction to microscopes and participants will have an opportunity to view some of the smallest residents of the underwater community.
[Make Your Own DNA Necklace]
A fun and fascinating laboratory activity not only shows students how to isolate human genomic DNA, it lets them create DNA necklaces they can actually wear.
[Owl Pellet Dissection]
Interested in exploring ecosystems, and who eats who in a food web? Look no further-- come and dissect an owl pellet to see what this predator ate! You'll then identify and sort the bones of the prey. If you're lucky, you might even be able to reconstruct a partial skeleton of one of the prey!
[Worlds in Comparison]
Do you know the relative sizes of the planets in our solar system? Give it a try with some Play-doh! Model, in 3-D, the relative sizes of the planets.
[Optical Illusions ]
In this session we will learn how to trick our eyes using optical illusions. Each student will make their own 3D paper illusion to take with them for endless fun.
[Do You Have a Steady Hand?]
Do you have what it takes to pass the "test" of a steady hand? Participants will explore the wonder of circuits and create a game using common materials to test their creativity, hand and eye coordination, as well as their reflexes. Participants will use critical thinking and engineering/design skills to explore circuits and will be able to take their game design home with them at the end of the session.
[The Great American Solar Eclipse]
April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will traverse the United States of America from Texas through Maine, passing right through the northern part of New York State. This session will describe what causes an eclipse, safe viewing practices, what to expect during an eclipse and where to best view the eclipse.
[Anatomy and Chicken Wing Dissection]
Calling future surgeons! Bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage. We will discuss these parts of the human musculoskeletal system and then dissect a raw chicken wing to examine these same parts and observe their interaction during locomotion.
[Combating the Plastic Plague!]
In this hands-on session, explore the pervasive issue of plastic pollution around the world and in our bodies! Then engage in a design and build challenge to limit its impact on our environment and health!
[Sharks- Past, Present, Future]
Sharks are ocean animals that are always getting a bad rap. From their sheer size and sharp teeth, to their deadly attacks, humans have treated these animals as expendable. However, these animals have a rich, diverse history on our planet. Students will be able to explore the rich history of sharks by uncovering 60 million year old fossilized shark teeth from North Carolina rubble. We will look into the current state of the modern day sharks of our waters as well as examine a future ocean without sharks. Can we afford to remove these balance keepers from our seas?
[Fantastic Forensic Fingerprinting]
Everyday, you leave unique identifying marks behind every time you touch something - your fingerprints! Students will learn about the different types of fingerprints, how to identify them, and use 2 different techniques to make their fingerprints visible.
[Seeing the Invisible with Infrared: Heat, Light, and the James Webb Space Telescope]
Come explore the invisible world around you using infrared cameras! Together we will learn about the forms of light that we cannot see with our own eyes, and the technologies we use to detect them. Learn how astrophysicists are using the new James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, to peer beyond clouds of gas and dust to reveal the origins of stars and planets in our universe.
[Be Your Kind of Beauty]
During this hands-on session, students not only learn about ingredients of concern in everyday personal care products but will make their own safe and clean version from simple ingredients found in the kitchen.
[Bottles and Boxes]
First students will put their building skills to the test when challenged by a set of giant building blocks. Second students will dive into their understanding of density by building density demo bottles.
[Be the MAGICIAN with Inertia]
Erin's workshop description