SMART Girls
Bush Campus Center, Rm. 202 · Career Services (570) 327-4502 · Fax: 570.321.5545
Sessions for Girls Entering Grades 9 and 10
A Day at the Movies
Use video editing software to edit a clip. You will add excitement to your video with special effects such as transitions, sound, text, and graphics.
All of this? ... It is Just a Paper Clip
Students will use computer-aided drafting and design software to create a unique paper clip.
Biometrics: What You Are is Who You Are
Forget your password? In the near future, you may not need to remember a password. Biometrics will allow computers to "recognize" you in many of the same ways that your friends recognize you. Learn how this is done and teach one of our computers to recognize you by looking into your eyes.
The Bridge K’NEX
Use K’NEXs to build a bridge that will cross a given span and carry a given load. You will test the bridges to determine if they meet the criteria. The National West Point Bridge contest will also be presented.
Caution! Oxygen Can Be Hazardous to Your Health!
See how fast an iron-containing catalase enzyme protects you while you breathe. Did you know products like hydrogen peroxide are damaging to your cells? You will investigate the effects that some variables like temperature and concentration have on its activity.
Computer Demolition
Wonder what a computer looks like on the inside? What makes it tick? What do hard disks, memory, video, and processors do? Learn how to be like Sherlock Holmes in the computer world, how to troubleshoot what goes wrong, and how to fix it.
Computer Sparks: Putting Electricity and Light to Work
You will generate computer-controlled sparks that will be used to make intricate parts that you can take home with you!
Critters and Bugs
An exploration of what lives in a stream and pond. You will look under rocks, behind roots, and in the muck for the small creatures that make this their home. We will explore the world of microscopic organisms and more! Be prepared to get wet; bring old shoes and a towel.
Cryptography: The Art of Secret Writing
Do you want to send secret messages to your friends? Learn about some simple encryption methods that you can use to protect your data and see how these ideas are used in some of the most complex computer encryption methods in use today.
DC Electricity: The Not so Shocking Truth!
You will learn some of the major electrical components on an automobile, build some simple electrical circuits, do some wire soldering, and learn the correct way to jump start a car safely. We will also do engine diagnostics with a laptop computer and learn why we use this type of "tool" to repair automobiles.
Dental Hygiene: Straight from the Mouth
Explore a career in dental hygiene and learn how math and science link to this profession. You will have the opportunity to perform a variety of exciting activities related to dental hygiene.
Designing & Installing Low-voltage Landscape Lighting
Installing landscape lighting can enhance any home. Aesthetically it is pleasing to see and it provides safe passage at night. In this workshop, learn the basics of low voltage lighting from circuit breaker to low voltage light. You will wire an outlet to attach to a transformer and proceed to install and wire landscape lights in various configurations ending with illuminated landscape lights!
Digging in the Dirt
Learn safety procedures and the basics of heavy equipment operation and actually operate a piece of equipment at our Earth Science Center. Come and play in the dirt with our toys!
Expect the Unexpected - Paramedic
Intubation, defibrillation, intravenous access, spinal immobilization…You may not recognize the topics, but you have most likely seen a paramedic at work. Even if your only exposure to paramedics is through TV, you have probably wondered: “Do they really do that?” or “Why do they do that?” Here is your chance to get those and many other questions answered, hands-on.
Field trip to Penn State University
From Digital Camera to Print
Experiment with digital cameras, Photoshop®, and duplicating print copies.
Girl Power: Conquering Disability
Explore and role-play a number of physical disabilities typically served by occupational therapy practitioners. You will learn adaptive techniques that enable patients to perform meaningful activities such as: dancing in a wheelchair, putting on makeup or making a lunch with only one hand.
Global Positioning System: GPS Challenge
Industry everywhere is using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) - from auto manufacturers to the FBI! Learn the basics of GPS and map out an area on campus.
Got JavaScript?
Do you want to create fun, interesting Web pages? You will start with a simple Web page and learn how to use JavaScript programming to make Web pages come to life with interactive games and activities.
Graphics Explosion
Learn the basics of image editing software Adobe Photoshop ® and Adobe Illustrator ® for creating, editing, and retouching images. Learn how graphics relate to communication, how image formats affect compression, and tips for creating effective Web graphics with smaller file sizes.
How Clean is Clean?
Use the same instruments that scientists use to determine if a gasoline spill has been totally cleaned up. You will perform an analysis with a gas chromatograph (an instrument which can be used to identify organic chemicals at very low concentrations). Other instruments will also be used.
How to Be an Inventor
If you are creative and have patience, you can turn the marvelous thoughts bouncing around in your head into real products. We will draw sketches and make clay models of our designs and then consider how to tweak the design so it works just the way you want it to. Combine creative power with calculation and turn great ideas into great inventions!
Make No Bones About It: X-Ray is X-citing and Fun
Wonder why you need to hold your breath, or why the technologist goes behind that booth while an x-ray is performed? You will learn about and experience the x-ray process.
Mystery at 123 Maple Avenue
Use fingerprints, "bloods," fibers, and powders to work through the mystery. You will use these and other techniques to identify the suspect.
Plastics and You!
Learn about the properties of various plastics materials, their many different applications, and a few of the processes used to make them. You will discover how plastics help make our lives better and how it can be formed into different products ranging from simple consumer items to complex medical devices.
The Science of Cream Puffs
Use two incompatible substances: water (hydrophilic, polar) and oil (lipophilic, non-polar) and apply mechanical agitation to get the desired results in cream puffs. You will learn how these must be properly mixed and maintained in order to get the right texture, appearance, mouth feel, and palatability.
The Toxic Find
Analyze unknown white powders found in a recent locker search at the fictitious Jackson High School. Before charges can be pressed on the individual in possession, the identity of the powders must be established. As a member of a forensic science lab team, you will run tests on six known powders and compare them to the powders confiscated at the high school.
Wash Your Windows
Learn how to clean spyware, adware, and other malicious background programs from your Windows operating system.
Web Design
Build a site around your favorite hobby. This workshop covers basic Web designing and site management.
Why Would I Ever Want to Take Statistics in High School or College?
Statistics appear in sports, medicine, engineering, economics, etc., and, of course, in the media. This session uses computer statistical software to create graphs, describe data, and solve problems. The only prerequisites are familiarity with a computer keyboard and an inquisitive mind.
Wildlife Nesting
Wildlife is a valuable resource yet much of its habitat is being threatened – especially that of waterfowl. This workshop will offer insights on the nesting habits of geese, mallards, and wood ducks and offer a hands-on opportunity to build nesting structures and install them in a natural habitat.