Dates: 12-16 July, 2010. Level and eligibility: San Joaquin Valley girls, grades 1-12. Cost : $250, ($200 for Girls SEE Alumni). Application deadline: May 28, 2010.

Girls Summer Engineering Experience (Girls SEE)

The Lyles College of Engineering at California State University, Fresno, is offering central San Joaquin Valley high school girls an opportunity to attend the 2010 Girls Summer Engineering Experience (SEE), a week-long day camp for high school girls interested in engineering or construction management. Structured hands-on activities, speakers, technical workshops and field trips, will make this a fun filled educational experience for all participants.

Girls SEE, which runs July 12-16, is available to girls entering grades 10-12. Applications are due by May 28, 2010 and notification of acceptance into the program will occur by June 4, 2010. Activities are designed to build upon leadership skills while promoting a female science- and math-based community.

Applicants must submit:

• Completed application form.
• Unofficial high school transcript.
• One-page personal statement demonstrating passion for science and mathematics.
• Letter of recommendation from an instructor.

Click here for the online application, or visit the Website.

Cost of the camp: $250, ($200 for Girls SEE Alumni)

For more, and updated, information, please check the Website, or contact: Lisa Craig, Pathways, Student Services, Lyles College of Engineering; 559.278.1076; girlssee@csufresno.edu

Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Students’ Summer: Girls’ Engineering at Fresno State. 12-16 July, 2010

Spark!Lab

Everybody can envision the “Eureka!” moment of invention, when the idea suddenly strikes and—BOOM—there’s a new product ready to change the world. Spark!Lab, the newest hands on space for families and others visiting the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, shows the real story behind an inventor’s work.

For online access, visit the Spark!Lab Website for activities and experiments, inventor profiles, and a list of resources.

What is Spark!Lab?

Spark!Lab is a hands-on invention activity center where visitors learn that invention is a process and that everyone is inventive. The fun activities incorporate history, science, engineering, technology, and art to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Young visitors can play games, conduct science experiments, explore inventors’ notebooks, and even invent! Lab bench experiments are offered at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

Where is Spark!Lab?

Spark!Lab is located on 1 West of the National Museum of American History on the National Mall. It is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, every day except December 25.

What age group should visit Spark!Lab?

Visitors of all ages are invited to visit. Most activities have been designed for children ages 6-12, though younger and older visitors can also learn from the wide range of activities. Spark!Lab has a section designed especially for children under the age of 5 and their parents/caregivers, though these children are invited to explore the rest of Spark!Lab under adult supervision. Children under the age of 13 must have an adult with them in Spark!Lab.

Are there school programs in Spark!Lab?

There are no scheduled school programs in Spark!Lab, but teachers are invited to visit with their groups on a space-available basis. Groups larger than 15 students can be split into smaller groups and rotate through Spark!Lab and several other exhibitions in the Museum. For more information about planning a group visit, please contact sparklab@si.edu or see http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/educators/visiting.cfm.

Who can participate in the lab bench experiments?

Anyone is welcome to participate in the lab bench activities. For safety reasons, children under the age of 5 must have an adult accompanying them.

When are the lab bench experiments offered?

Experiments are held at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., although the schedule may be altered according to other programs and events at the museum on a given day. Check the Spark!Lab schedule on the day you visit.

A sampling of Spark!Lab’s online experiments and activities:

Design and Play a Drum: Make a drum from materials available at home or school. Look in your recycling bin for inspiration.

Invent a Musical Whirligig
Since antiquity, people have used their imagination and common materials to invent toys, many of them active, kid-powered, and noise making–like the whirligig.

Make a Yo-Yo from Recycled Stuff

Thomas Edison said, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” With these words of wis dom in mind, we challenge you to create your own yo-yo using items found in your recycling bin

Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab for Inventors. Washington, DC

When: Saturday, Apr 10, 2010
Where: 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata, MD

The College of Southern Maryland, La Plata campus will be using the popular VEX Robotics Competition Clean Sweep game in their Senior division robotics competition. The Junior division is called “The Save the Bay Robotics Competition,” and it consists of eight robotic challenges designed to mimic the types of tasks a robot would accomplish if it was cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. The Junior division is for elementary and middle school students, while the Senior division is for high school students.

This is a regional event that draws teams from Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Registration is by invitation. Please contact the college for information on attending. Visit their website for more information.

Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Event: CSM VEX Robotics Challenge

NASA satellite image showing an oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico

A rescue squad has been dispatched to help contain an oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico, but this time it’s not the Planeteers – it’s robots.

Since the explosion of a BP oil rig off the coast of New Orleans last week, oil has been leaking underwater at a rate of about 42,000 gallons of oil per day. To combat this hazardous situation, BP and the U.S. Coast Guard have deployed a team of robotic submarines. The bots will functioning in a similar capacity to NASA’s Robotnaut 2 (using dexterous limbs to operate controls), and their goal is to close off the leaking oil well by activating a large valve.

Captain Planet would be proud.

U.S. Coast Guard photo of a robotic arm at work underwater

Want more robots? Be sure to check out our post on National Robotics Week.

Filed under: e-News, Mechanical, Ocean | 5 Comments »

Another important advancement is on the way in the world of 3-D bio printing. Biomedical engineers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have created an inkjet bio printer that sprays skin cells over wounds, helping them heal more rapidly.

This incredible device uses a laser-equipped computer to scan and gauge the shape of the patient’s wound, and then delivers specially-crafted layer of skin cells to help heal infection-prone injuries such as burns. The printer also uses stem cells to encourage proper tissue regeneration.

So far, test results have been promising. Researchers at Wake Forest have teamed up with the U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine to find ways that the printer can be used to aid wounded soldiers.

Watch as Kyle Binder, a Wake Forest biomedical engineer, describes this amazing project:

[Reuters]

Filed under: Biomedical, e-News | 5 Comments »