The Center for Educational Outreach at the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University offers a summer course for high school students interested in engineering and we need your help to make it a great summer.

 

Our course is called Engineering Innovation and is intended to show interested and qualified students what it would be like to study engineering in college and get them excited about engineering as a career! The course is an introductory engineering course that covers mechanical, civil, chemical, materials science and electrical engineering sub-disciplines. The course runs for 4-5 weeks in July, is taught at the college level and includes group projects, assignments, and a final exam. If students do earn an A or B in the course, they receive 3 college credits from JHU! Tuition for the course is $2000 but students can apply for need-based financial aid and roughly 60% of our students receive some level of financial support to attend the course.

 

We offer Engineering Innovation at multiple sites around the country, including locations in Maryland:  Baltimore, Frederick, Montgomery County, Elkridge, Calvert County. Also sites in California, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. 

 

We are currently in the process of recruiting students for all of our sites and we need your help! So we are giving you and the Girl Scouts a special challenge. If your organization can get at least 5 students to complete applications to the program, we will donate $250 to your organization's educational outreach efforts!  Just have your students indicate "Other" and write in Girl Scouts on the application under the question: How did you hear about Engineering Innovation?

 

You can also support our course in other ways: 

·     You can include information on our program in newsletters that your organization distributes.

·      You can circulate information in your office, place of worship, or community center.   

Thanks for your help in recruiting future engineers to the discipline and please let us know if you are interested in becoming more involved in Engineering Innovation.

 

Application deadline is May 9th, 2011. To obtain an application form click here.  For more information about the program, fees and qualifications go to Engineering Innovation 2011.   

 

For more information, please contact Christine Newman, Assistant Dean for Engineering Outreach Education, Whiting School of Engineering, John Hopkins University by email or phone 410.516.4473.  

As part of our continuing initiative to promote access to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects for blind youth, the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute hosted its second Junior Science Academy (JSA) in the summer of 2010. This year we received a record-breaking 130 applications from elementary school children across the country. Thirty students and their parents were selected to fill the two four-day sessions held at NFB headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

The JSA involved parallel learning tracks for children and parents. Based on the theme "Gear Up for Greatness!" the program introduced the children to hands-on learning in the field of physics. Participating parents learned how to start gearing their children toward success. Though the lessons in the student and parent curricula looked very different, the learning objectives were closely related. By the end of the program, participants of all ages realized that a child's potential greatness need not be limited by blindness.

 

During the JSA sessions, students learned about the workings of machinery through practical applications. They used levers to lift refrigerators and launch goalballs across the classroom. Rubber band cars were assembled to demonstrate the uses of the wheel and axle. Students investigated the mechanical advantage of the wedge by hammering dull and pointed nails into pieces of scrap lumber.

 

In later lessons, students learned how complex Rube Goldberg devices combine the mechanical advantages of multiple simple machines. After exploring a Goldberg machine built by the staff at the NFB Jernigan Institute, each pod (consisting of three children and a blind mentor) took a diverse collection of household items and built its own Goldberg creation. Students turned old doorknobs and ear-bud cases into pulleys. They stretched balloons over cans to make trampolines. Each pod created a machine that moved an object at least three feet. The methods for moving the objects varied greatly, but each mechanism incorporated multiple simple machines.

 

The student activities culminated in a field trip to a local amusement park. While they delighted in the various attractions, the students learned about the physics involved in each ride. At one attraction, they used multiple pulleys to rescue an instructor from an "emergency" on the ropes course. They learned about the application of Newton's laws of motion through simple machines used in the go carts and roller coaster. The students even discovered physics concepts in a game of laser tag!

 

While the students were busy building confidence in their ability to do science, their parents learned from blind adults and NOPBC leaders how to foster independence in their children. On one panel, blind adults shared their experiences, expressing what they wished their parents had known about blindness when they were growing up. That panel really seemed to help the parents open up, and they asked the panelists some probing questions. They explored such issues as how to get a child to be more sociable and how a blind person can be a parent.

 

To read more about this program or to view pictures from the most recent sessions, please visit NCBYS. For information on the 2012 program contact Mary Jo Hartle, Director of Education, NFB Jernigan Institute,  by email or phone 410.659.9314, ext 2407.  

 

SciLife 2011 Event

Spring and Fall || Washington DC

Contact: C. Moore

Phone: 301.402.2470

Email: moorec@mail.nih.com

Website: http://science-education.nih.gov/SciLife.nsf/WebPages/Home+page 

Address: JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, WDC 20004

SciLife is a half-day program that focuses on career exploration in health and  biomedical fields. Each year SciLife offers inspiring speakers, unique activities, food and entertainment. A typical SciLife day starts with a morning assembly and welcoming address. Workshops focus on practical topics such as exploring career options, selecting a college, writing college essays, and funding an education. Theme: Looking Ahead to Tomorrow. There is a wait list for the Spring session; registration for the Fall event opens in August.

Dates: April 30, 2011; August registration for Fall event; 8:30am - 1pm

Ages: High School; parents, educators

Fees: Free.

 

American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute and Beyond Benign Outreach 

June 23, 2011 || Washington DC

Contact: Joyce Kilgore

Phone: 202.872.6109

Email: mailto:moorec@mail.nih.com or mailto:moorec@mail.nih.com

Website: http://acswebcontent.acs.org/gcande/ 

Address: Capital Hilton Hotel

As part of the joint 15th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, an outreach event will be held for metro Washington DC 4th - 7th grade students. They will learn about basic green chemistry and engineering concepts by conducting live experiments. This event will be held Thursday afternoon, June 23, 2011 at the Capital Hilton Inn.

 

If you know of an organization (summer camp, summer school, etc.) that would like to participate, please contact the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. Please note that all attendees must register in advance by phone; no walk-ins allowed.

Dates: June 23, 2011; afternoon.

Ages: 4th - 7th grades.

Fee: Free.  

 

C-Tech2 - Computers and Technology

June 26 - July 9, 2011 || Blacksburg, VA 24061

Contact: Susan Arnold-Christian

Phone: 540.231.3973

Email: susanac@vt.edu

Website: http://www.eng.vt.edu/ctech2

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering invites 11th and 12th grade girls to participate in a program called C-Tech2 - Computers and Technology at Virginia Tech. A primary focus of the program is to help develop and sustain interests of women in engineering and the sciences. The program allows you to explore applications of engineering, math, and science in a way that is fun and exciting. Participants will spend the majority of their time involved in hands-on activities designed to increase interest in and knowledge of applications of engineering, math, and science to real world situations.

Dates: June 26 - July 9, 2011

Ages: Rising junior and senior high school girls.

Fees: $800 for 2 weeks. Full and partial scholarships are available based on financial need.

 

Physics Department Summer Girls Outreach Event

July - August 2011 || College Park, MD

Contact: Bernadine Kozlowski

Phone: 301.405.5949

Email: berniek@umd.edu

Website:  http://umdphysics.umd.edu/summergirls.html 

Address: 1120 John S. Toll Physics Bldg., College Park, MD

Created in 1990 by two faculty members, this program for 9th grade girls has grown from one to two, two-week sessions and a program for 11th grade girls. During the 9th grade program where the focus is on traditional physics, attendees will listen to lectures, participate in demos, write in journals, and complete hands-on experiments from a lab manual. At the end of the two-week program, parents, teachers and siblings are invited to a closing ceremony where Summer Girls present their favorite demonstrations.

 

In the 11th grade program, the girls in the morning will be introduced to the exciting world of modern physics (relativity, antimatter, quantum mechanics, and more). The afternoons will be filled with hands-on lab activities, visits to labs, discussions with professors and projects to make discussions of modern physics more tangible. Students will be introduced to topics that will not be likely offered in their high school classes, from the thought experiments of Einstein to current applications in code breaking.

Dates: 9th Grade:  

Session I: July 5 - 15, 2011, 8:30am - 4pm.

Session II: July 18 - 29, 2011, 8:30am - 4pm.

11th Grade:  

Session: August 1 - 12, 2011; 9am - 3pm.

Ages: 9th and 11th grade.

Fees: Free.

 

National Federation of the Blind Youth Slam :  A STEM Leadership Academy

July 17 - 23, 2011 || Towson, MD

Contact: Mary Jo Hartle

Phone: 410.659.9314, ext 2407

Email: youthslam@nfb.org or mhartle@nfb.org

Website: http://www.blindscience.org/ncbys/default.asp

Address: Towson Univerrsity, Towson,  MD 

There's sure to be something for everyone at the third biennial NFB Youth Slam. Learn the science behind building apps for your iPod, use cutting-edge equipment and technology to determine chemical reactions in labs, build robots, or learn how to use non-visual techniques to perform real dissection. Over 150 blind and low vision high school students will be selected to attend this 5-day adventure at Towson University that will engage, inspire, and encourage the next generation of blind youth to consider careers falsely believed to be impossible for the blind.  If you interested as a student or volunteer visit BlindScience.

Dates: July 17 - 23, 2011

Ages: High School

Fees: $250 registration fee for those that are accepted.

 

SISTER (Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research)

July 18 -22, 2011 || Greenbelt, MD

Contact: Terri Patterson

Phone: 301.286.4398

Website: http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/sister/

Address: The Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 160, Greenbelt, MD

The Goddard Space Flight Center is offering a five-day Summer Institute for the purpose of increasing awareness and providing opportunities for middle school girls to explore non-traditional career fields with research scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

Dates: July 18-22, 2011; 8:30am - 4pm

Ages: Girls entering 7th or 8th grade.

Fees: Free.

 

Sweet Briar College Summer Engineering Course for High School Girls

July 24 - 29, 2011 || Sweet Briar, VA

Contact: Dr. Hank Yochum

Phone: 434.381.6357

Email: mailto:hyoakum@sbc.edu

Website: http://www.sbc.edu/engineering/explore-engineering-high-school-girls  

Address: SBC, Sweet Briar, VA  24595

Try on engineering and earn college credit! Engineers use their imagination and analytical skills to invent, design and create things that matter. At our week-long event, students will apply the engineering design process to solve various problems in a team setting. An emphasis will be placed on engineering design as a creative process. Students will explore the iterative design-test-improve cycle using tools such as three-dimensional computer-aided design and analysis software. Participants will earn one college credit hour. On the last day there will be a project exhibition, award ceremony and lunch.

Dates: July 24, 2011 4:30 - 5:30pm dinner

           July 25 - 28, 2011 Course

           July 29, 2011 Exhibition, award ceremony, lunch.

Ages: Rising female seniors (class of 2012) and juniors (class of 2013).

Fees: $550/participant, includes meals, lodging, supplies and tuition. Need-based scholarships are  available.

 

Rochester Institute of Technology - National Institute for the Deaf TechGirlz Camp

July 30 - Aug 5, 2011 || Rochester, NY

Contact: Dr. Angela Lee Foreman

Phone: 585.475.2439

Email: alfnts@rit.edu

Website: http://www.rit.edu/ntid/techgirlz/

Address: 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623

Get a head start thinking about your dream career!  A week long summer camp for deaf or hard-of hearing girls entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grades in Fall 2011 who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math. At TechGirlz Camp you will:

-   Find out about chemistry, computers, engineering, science and more

-   Meet other girls like you who are interested in science and technology

-   Use high-tech lab equipment to solve problems

-   Build a personal computer to take home

Dates: July 30 - August 5, 2011

Ages: Deaf/hard-of-hearing girls entering 7-9th grades from across the country. 

Fee: $650/participant includes meals and lodging. Limited financial aid available.

 

Computer Science Summer Outreach Program

August 8 - 12, 2011 || College Park, MD

Contact: Nelson Padua-Perez

Phone: 301.405.4539

Email: nelson@cs.umd.edu

Website: http://www.cs.umd.edu/csoutreach/ 

Address: University of Maryland College Park Campus

The University of Maryland Department of Computer Science Summer Outreach Program is for high school students entering the 12th grade that are interested in the field of computer science. The program includes an emphasis on encouraging females to the field. The Association for Women in Computing at UMCP is also supporting this program. Eighty percent of the program will focus on what computer science is and its impact on society and 20% will be about computer programming using JavaScript.

Dates: August 8 - 12, 2011; 9am - 5pm daily (not a residential program).

Ages: Rising seniors (class of 2012).

Fees: Free.

 

SCIVIS: Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students

September 24-29, 2011 || Hunstville, AL

Contact: Dan Oates 

Phone: 800.63.SPACE

Website: http://www.tsbvi.edu/space/ ; http://www.spacecamp.com/blog/sc/space-camp

Address: US Space and Rocket Center, One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL

This special week is coordinated by teachers of the visually impaired from all over the United States. Many adaptations are available this week that are not available during a normal week at Space Camp. Braille, large print, CCTV's, voice output on selected computers, visually impaired speakers, and support help from certified teachers of the visually impaired are just a few. Space Camp is really 4 program: Space Camp for 4-6 grades, Space Academy for 7-12 grades, Advanced Academy for 10-12^th grades. And Aviation Challenge. Visit Space Camp to learn more.

Dates: Sept 24-29, 2011

Ages: 4th -12th grade students from across the country. 

Fees: $675-725. Partial scholarships (25-50%) available.