2002 EYH Workshop Descriptions

Here is all of the current workshop titles and descriptions:

1. Can Sticks and Stones Break My Bones?

• We all have skeletons that we use every day to walk, run, and jump. Our bones are smart structures that grow and heal themselves. What does it take to break a bone? And how can we fix a broken bone? Come learn what mechanical engineers do to solve medical problems. (Biomechanics)

2. Nanobiotechnology: What's That?

• Have you ever heard of a lab on a chip? Can you imagine motors smaller than cells? In this workshop, you will learn about the latest scientific discoveries in the exciting new field of nanobiotechnology. You will create a computer aided design drawing and explore career options related to nanobiotechnology by talking with scientists and engineers from Cornell. (Nanobiotechnology)

3. 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)

4. Water Critters

• Do water critters get sunburns like you and me? How come some little creatures don't get washed down the creek? Where does all the rain go? We will explore aquatic ecosystems and the environment that effects them. We will look at how increased temperatures due to Global warming may affect aquatic systems and how animals react. Visit us and learn what you can do to better understand your lakes. (Ecology)

5. ...And the Walls Came Tumblin' Down: Building an Earthquake-Resistant Building

• It's 3 AM. You wake up and the whole house is shaking. It's an EARTHQUAKE!! How does your building stay standing? Why doesn't the 50-story office building downtown collapse, while the 3-story apartment building across the street is in ruins? Come learn about how architects and urban planners help protect the people in their buildings by making them earthquake resistant, and try your hand at building a shake-proof office. Can you make the most stable design? Or will your building come crashing down? Take the challenge and find out! (Geology)

6. How DNA technology can save the Earth's biodiversity

• Learn how to extract DNA from plants (you can even take some home!) in a real research laboratory. See how this and other laboratory techniques (including robotics) can help discover, save, and use the Earth's biodiversity: all living organisms. (Genetics, Molecular biology)

7. 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)

8. Sunny Weather or Knot

• Have you ever wondered how a meteorologist makes a forecast? What data do they use and where they get it? Well, take this trip to the Game Farm Weather Station minutes from the Cornell Campus and you'll learn how measurements are taken and made into forecasts. We'll launch weather balloons and you'll receive a packet on how to make your very own weather station. Come and enjoy the weather. (Atmospheric Sciences)

9. Symmetry and Tesselletations

• Any repeating pattern of shapes that cover a plane (or a floor that goes on forever) is considered a Tesselletation. Tilings and Tesselletations can be found in many cultures, both ancient and modern. Join us to discover how to use mathematical objects and ideas to construct beautiful tessellations! We will also de-construct some of the artwork of the famous Dutch artist M.C. Escher! (Applied Math)

10. Traveling with Viruses

• Did you know that the flu is caused by a virus? In this workshop, you'll see how the influenza virus infects living cells. You'll learn how to stain live cells and view them on a microscope, then watch as a fluorescent flu virus travels through the cells and replicates. (Microbiology)

11. 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)

12. The Secret is Increasing

• How much weight can a piece of paper support? When is a straight line better than a curve? Find out how folding paper into different shapes affects its strength and stability. Learn about other uses for folding in daily life, like airbag folding, deployment of large telescopes in space, and even houses! (Applied Origami)

13. ER

• We all get sick, but then we get well. What keeps us healthy is our immune system. When you aren't feeling well and go to the doctor to find out what's wrong, she or he will decide what you have and how to treat you based on your symptoms and a variety of laboratory tests that look at how our immune system is functioning. In this workshop, you'll be the doctor! You'll learn about your immune system and how it works by performing some of these tests "stat" for a patient who has arrived at the ER late at night. Using the results of these tests and your patient's history as clues, you'll make the diagnosis! (Immunology)

14. Ithaca is Gorges

• Interested in learning about the geology of the Finger Lakes Region? Rock on! In this workshop we'll discover how the Finger Lakes and gorges were formed. We'll search for fossils of organisms that lived 450 million years ago, such as trilobites, crinoids, and brachiopods! Weather permitting, we will also take a field trip into Cascadilla Gorge to look at the real thing! (Geology)

15. Visitors from Space!

• Ever wonder what the universe is made of? Ever heard of an electron? What about a muon or quark? How many of these particles would you guess go through your body every minute without you noticing? All of those tiny "visitors" 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'll get to build your own detector and collect evidence for these particles yourself! (Particle Physics)

16. Galaxies Galore!

• Galaxies house most of the matter in the Universe, from the brightest stars, to the coldest gas, to the biggest black holes. Come join us to learn more about these distant giants! In this workshop you will explore different types of galaxies, classify a few for yourself, see how they evolve, and take home a set of your own. (Astronomy)

17. A Chemical Mystery

• Put your detective (and scientific) skills to the test as we try to solve mysteries using a wide range of scientific lab techniques. We will be using investigative tools traditionally employed by scientists in the fields of chemistry, biology, and geology to identify unknown substances, in order to solve our own mystery. (Chemistry)

18. The Magical House

• This workshop explores the mysteries of polymers. What?!?! You don’t know what a polymer is! Good, we’ll show you!! Not only is this material capable of stretching up to a thousand miles, polymers have also proven to be important in our everyday lives, from the nylon in pantyhose to the rubber in your car tire. Each person will have an opportunity to make her own polymer during this workshop. Next, we will explore the chemistry of other substances by doing some science with materials we use in our everyday lives. (Chemistry)

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)

• Join us inside Cyberspace for a tour of the Jumping Genes Greenhouses and Gardens. Think of the Bee Farm in the X-Files only friendly. We will pop you into the avatar of your choice and then walk, run, and fly to the nearest teleport for an adventure in a virtual world. (Cornell Theory Center)

21. Turning Fields into Forests: 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 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! (Plant Science)