Workshops Offered During 2021 Girls STEM Summer Camp, Eureka!
- In summer of 2021, this camp ran from July 6th to July 30th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- STEM sessions were from 9:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Monday through Thursday, for four weeks.
- Personal Development and Sport, Health and Wellness activities took place daily.
- Fridays were designated for career exploration.
- Each workshop session (two each day) was attended by approximately 15 girls with a number of Drexel facilitators and Girls inc. coordinators.
- Workshops took place in-person and included two cohorts of girls.
Photos from 2021 Workshops
2021 Workshops Offered
Week One: Engineering Design
Introduction to Engineering Design
Instructor: Alissa Sperling (with Shideh Shams-Amiri, Gabe Grajewski, Greg Starks, Julia Lieberman, Mel Dauophars, and Devon Mignone)
In this workshop, campers were introduced to the design process and participated in a morning routine redesign.
Creating Google Sites
Instructor: Gabe Grajewski (with Alissa Sperling and Mel Dauophars)
The campers created their own Google site to be used during camp. They put their morning routing redesigns on the site and then shared them with each other.
Introduction to Sustainability
Instructor: Members from the Fulphil, a non-profit, local organization that brings entrepreneurship education to students in underserved communities.
Campers were presented with an engaging lecture on sustainability by four employees of Fulphil.
Week Two: Energy
Chemistry and Energy: Introduction to Alternative Energy
Instructor: Bridget Milorey (with Alissa Sperling, Mel Dauophars, Julia Lieberman, and Greg Starks)
Participants watched a sustainability video and were introduced to chemistry, worked on climate change maps, and designed an advertisement to share with their peers at the end of the workshop.
Roller Coaster Workshop
Instructor: Members of Drexel's Society of Women Engineers (with Alissa Sperling, Greg Starks, Mel Dauophars, Gabe Grajewski, and Devon Mignone)
Campers were presented a lesson by on building roller coasters, were placed in groups, and given materials to make their own rollercoasters.
Solar Cars
Instructor: Shideh Shams-Amiri (with Alissa Sperling, Mel Dauophars, Julia Lieberman, Devon Mignone, and Greg Starks)
Campers were presented with a video on solar cars and then built their own! After the cars were built, the campers took them out on the street for racing.
Self-Healing Concrete
Instructor: Dr. Amir Farnam, Dr. Chris Sales, and Wavi Mutua (with Alissa Sperling, Mel Dauophars, Julia Lieberman, Shideh Shams-Amiri, and Greg Starks)
Campers learned about how bacteria can fill in the cracks of concrete with produced calcium carbonate. After they became familiar with the concepts of the self-healing process, they inserted a special type of bacteria into the cracks. The bacteria produced calcium carbonate and they observed the filled cracks via microscopes.
Week Three: Forensic Science
Sustainable Cities
Instructor: Alissa Sperling (with Bridget Milorey, Gabe Grajewski, and Mel Dauophars)
Campers watched a Anthropocene video. Anthropocene is the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. After the video, the girls did researched sustainable cities and then created their own "Eureka! city."
Indoor Kites
Instructor: Dr. Richard Cairncross (with Alissa Sperling, Greg Starks, Mel Dauophars, and Shideh Shams-Amiri)
Dr. Cairncross presented a lesson on how to make indoor kites, after which, each girl made their own. When the kites were completed, they took them to the Great Hall of the Main Building to fly them.
Sustainability Mapping and Scavenger Hunt
Instructor: Alissa Sperling (with Mel Dauophars, Greg Starks, Gabe Grajewski, Julia Lieberman, and Devon Mignone)
During this workshop, campers were introduced to reporting and worked on community sustainability mapping, after which they uploaded to their google sites. After sustainability mapping, they participated in a scavenger hunt on campus.
Science of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Instructor: Dr. Rose Trout (with Alissa Sperling, Mel Dauophars, Julia Lieberman, Shideh Shams-Amiri, Gabe Grajewski, Greg Starks, and Devon Mignone)
In this workshop, participants described their ideal chocolate chip cookie, were presented with a lesson on kitchen chemistry and experimentation, and then were put into breakout groups for cookie baking! After the students were done baking their cookies, they shared their results as a group.
Week Four: Design in Action
Introduction to Sustainable Design Project
Instructor: Alissa Sperling (with Greg Starks, Shideh Shams-Amiri, Bridget Milorey, and Asa Lewis)
Campers were introduced to their final sustainable design project and performed research on their respective topics.
Wind Energy
Instructor: Asa Lewis (with Greg Starks, Shideh Shams-Amiri, Julia Lieberman, and Bridget Milorey)
Campers made their own windmills and competed with their peers for the best windmill design.
Project Presentations
During the last day of camp, the students presented their projects to a panel of Drexel faculty members and sustainability experts. When they were done, they uploaded their presentations to their google sites.
the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.