Program
2017 Workshops
Middle School - Grades 5 to 7
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Architects are tasked with designing buildings, but engineers are tasked with making them stand up. Structural engineers are constantly presented with challenges of creating structural systems for new and existing buildings. They collaborate with architects to incorporate use and design into their proposed ideas. They work to ensure that buildings stand up to applied forces such as gravity, weight and weather. In this workshop we will be designing and constructing simple structures to support an increasing amount of weight. We will be working in teams to brainstorm and collaborate on ideas, build models, and present them for testing. Each group will have time to construct and then reconstruct their models to stand up to the applied forces. Come ready to join forces with your fellow designers, engineers and builders to learn more about the intersection of structure and architecture.
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Have you ever been walking in the park and wondered what lives in the pond? Did you think about the types of microorganisms that call the pond home? In this workshop, you will learn how to collect water samples as well as prepare and examine your own wet mount slides using a compound light microscope. What do you see? Can you figure out what your microorganism is? What does that tell us about the pond?
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While Pokemon Go brought Augmented Reality into the news, its use is not limited to games. This workshop will teach students how it works and the many ways it can be used in every day life. Participants will work with existing AR products and also create their own using iPads.
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Engineers tackle all sorts of problems and come up with solutions. Often these are practical and help to make our lives healthier and safer, but sometimes they can be silly and just for fun. In this workshop, you will design and build a treasure grabber that can move over a surface and pick up items along the way. Once constructed, you will test it and modify it to prepare for a series of contests.
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This workshop will discuss the world of cybersecurity and computer engineering. We will explore concepts of cyber espionage, code breaking, and hacking. Topics that will be discussed will include history of codes and ciphers, encryption and security technologies and how they work, famous ciphers, and other relevant cybersecurity topics The workshop will be extremely interactive and will challenge participants to crack codes like real cryptanalysts.
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Learn to fly a Cessna 172 to the Statue of Liberty by planning the math and flying the flight.
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A famous female scientist has hired YOU to design and code her new website! In this workshop, you will be introduced to the principles of web development, including the use of HTML tags and CSS styling. By the end, you will have designed, coded, and deployed your own web page.
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Do you enjoy helping the environment? Do you enjoy building, creating, and designing? Giving everyday items a new purpose instead of throwing them in the garbage can have a positive impact on our earth! In this creative hands-on challenge, you will use your imagination and sense of innovation to design and build a new product that repurposes an everyday item to save it from the landfill.
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In this workshop, you will get the opportunity to learn the basics of computer programming by designing a story, developing an app idea, or coding up a computer game- you choose! You will get the chance to work in Scratch, the introductory coding language designed by MIT researchers. This is a good workshop for those who have never coded before, but want to learn what it's all about using a beginner-friendly coding interface!
Upper School - Grades 8 to 12
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From computers to traffic lights to cars, circuits are all around us and are vital to our way of life. While we currently have so many uses for circuits, there are still numerous problems that could be solved using circuitry. In this workshop, you will learn how to construct a variety of circuits using different inputs (pressure sensors, reed switches, and tilt sensors) and outputs (LEDs motors, and buzzers). Then using your newfound knowledge, you will work in groups to design and share an innovative solution to a problem of your choice using circuits!
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A passenger train collides with a freight train at 60 mph causing the trains to derail and hundreds to be injured and killed. You are called in the middle of the night and must go the accident site to piece together what happened. As you arrive on scene with your steel toe boots and hard hat, you must uncover the forensic evidence that turns chaos and tragedy into knowledge and lessons learned.
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If you love to cook or eat food, you know that there are all sorts of gadgets to make it easier - but there are still so many problems to solve! Work with a product engineer from OXO to design a new tool for your favorite food, and build a prototype to test out your idea. This workshop looks at where product ideas come from and how they become real.
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Do you have big ideas, like really big? Ideas that could change the world? Have you ever been told that your idea is too crazy, too bold or “ambitious"? Well, it's NOT. Come learn how to ideate, graph and prototype using a battle-tested process to create solutions to some of the most difficult challenges facing humanity. And even more importantly, learn how to become a team with the other girls in your workshop to get a big project finished.
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Startup Secrets will explore some of the world’s most successful startups (Facebook, Uber, Rent the Runway, etc.) and delve into the core aspects of the technology that makes them most appealing to users. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate with other workshop attendees to brainstorm and pitch their own startup ideas.
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Who says science is boring? It seems like these days everyone is interested in the latest advances in technology. Open a Seventeen magazine and you will find young female scientists and entrepreneurs showing how cool science actually is. The field is dynamically changing to make space for the new generation of scientists - you! Come to this workshop to learn how to develop your own personal brand, and in the process, relate "boring" science/engineering topics to "fun" things like social media and fashion!
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New York City is filled with some of the most iconic bridges in the world. In this workshop we'll be building models of bridges and learning about the different aspects that make them work! Girls will learn how to map the load path, calculate the forces applied to the bridge, consider safety factors, and talk about efficiencies of bridge design.
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In this workshop participants learn how technical drawing can be a valuable tool for developing and communicating a design idea. Using the conventions of technical drawing, such as cross sections and axonometric projections, workshop participants will draw and analyze a model they have built from toy blocks. They will then disassemble the models and trade with other participants to test whether or not the model can be rebuilt from the information they have provided.
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Apples or oranges? You might be using both to design and build a sea-worthy vehicle during this workshop with a designer and engineer from OXO! Working with the material properties of the fruits, vegetables and other foods given to you, you will work on a team to create a“boat”that will compete for prizes at the end of the workshop.
