iBIO opened registration for its fourth annual STEMgirls Summer Camp hosted at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan June 17-21, 2019. This week-long learning experience will provide 125 young girls (grades 3-8) from the North Chicago and Waukegan area with opportunities to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through challenging and fun hands-on STEM and STEAM activities.
Campers will take part in a wide range of activities throughout the week, using engineering and design principles to solve different challenges related to reducing environmental impact.
• Monday, June 17 “Conservation-Supporting Succession in Forest Preserves” – Campers will be building an adjustable projectile launcher to direct their “potassium permanganate ball” to a specific quadrant of our “forest preserve”. Campers will use an interactive simulator for that landing spot to watch the results of their fire.
• Tuesday, June 18: “pH – The Effect of Pollution on our Water Supply” – Campers will model the nature of water molecules and how they interact with molecules involved in pollution. The alteration of pH and its effects on the materials around us will be explored in some chemical exploration including a titration to balance the pH.
• Wednesday, June 19: “Recycling-Solutions for Sorting” – Campers will be building a multi-step sorting machine to separate a batch of materials to be recycled. They will make a recycling line that includes two or more of the following: conveyer belt (flat or incline), a sorter for paper recyclables, a sorter for metal recyclables, a sorter for glass and plastics of various sizes.
• Thursday, June 20: Field Trip Day – Campers will spend the morning at the Lake County Forest Preserves exploring an age-appropriate experience in nature and conservation study. During the afternoon they will experiment with stream tables to explore the changes in landscape that result in both natural and man-made variables.
• Friday, June 21: Parent Panel and Family Day – Parents of campers will attend a panel discussion providing guidance on local resources available to support their daughter’s interest in STEM and identify career pathways for their daughters. After the panel session, parents will join their campers for a day of family activities.
STEMgirls is made possible by some of Illinois’ leading life sciences companies including: Abbott, Astellas and Horizon Pharma.
Support girls and STEM and sponsor the 2019 STEMgirls camp. Contact John Conrad, [email protected], for more information.