Students will have lots of fun learning about themselves and their bodies. Through games and crafts, they will be exposed to “the senses” and our basic human body systems: Circulatory, digestive, etc.
Have you ever seen raisins dance? What about a rainbow in a bowl? Come have fun with us all day long! You’ll love our fun approach to science with hands-on experiments as we become “scientists” in the classroom.
Subjects Covered: Biology, Chemistry, Ecology, Physics, and Botany.
Instructor: Lauren Gregory, Student – Etiwanda High School (SSC Alumna – 8 yrs)
These are a special set of workshops which run before our regular workshop schedule. Early Morning Math is a free additional service at Summer Science Camp for anyone from 2nd to 4th grade. Each Grade level will focus on the needs for the coming school year as well as reflect on the past year’s subject matter. We strongly encourage your child to join these Early Morning Math workshops, sign him or her up early because space gets filled very quickly.
In this workshop, you will build and erupt a volcano. We’ll learn about the Earth’s forces which form amazing sedimentary and igneous rocks. We’ll make mold and cast fossils. You will start your own rock and mineral collection and will make crystals. We’ll play games, eat popcorn, and become true scientists!
Subjects Covered: Geology and Chemistry.
Instructor: Susan Eichinger, Teacher – Brea Olinda Unified School District
Through science experiments, gardening, games, role-playing, crafts, and other activities, we will explore the Plant Kingdom. We will have fun learning about the characteristics and life processes of plants as well as how the plants interact with each other and their environment. Depending on the degree of allergic reactions, children who have allergies to plants, pollens, peanuts, and/or bees may not want to participate in this workshop.
Subjects Covered: Botany, Environmental Science, and Food Science.
Instructor: Madeline Perez, Student – Troy High School (SSC Alumna – 8 yrs)
Sally Mungaray – Community
Satisfy your curiosity about your natural surroundings! We will voyage into our different ecosystems: the oceans, the different kinds of forests, and explore the animal inhabitants in each ecosystem. We will also investigate the stars & heavens and do map work to learn navigational skills. Also learn about wilderness safety so you can enjoy your outdoor experiences. The activities will be fun and hands-on and hopefully will engage you in wanting to learn more about your natural world!
During this workshop you will grow plants and microbes, perform chemical reactions, and construct ecospheres to learn how interdependent we all are with our natural surroundings.
In this fun workshop, students will learn about Mars, and actually plan a Mars mission. Also, the students will build a spacecraft, robots, a Mars colony, and small water rockets. Student projects will be performed in both small teams and as individuals. Emphasis will be on fun, learning, team building, the use of some math, and some more fun.
Subjects Covered: Aeronautics, Mechanics, and Physics.
Instructors: Joseph Kamkar – The Aerospace Corporation
Justin Kamkar, Student – UCSB, Biopsychology Major
How does a magnet work? Why does a compass point north? Why can we turn on lights buy just flipping a switch? What is a circuit? Through hands on experiments discover the answers to these questions and more! In this workshop students will be introduced to the basic concepts of magnetism, static electricity, current electricity, and circuit components ranging from the resistor to the DC motor.
Ever wonder what is up in the sky? Find out how the universe works with this workshop, and see some of the visual splendors of the universe. Learn about the Sun, planets, moons, stars, star clusters, nebula, galaxies, asteroids, and comets. This workshop includes plenty of hands on projects to learn about constellations, telescopes, why we have seasons and eclipses, how big is the solar system and how far apart are objects in the sky, crater formation and much more.
What is energy and how do we use it? You will learn about different alternative energy sources and understand how you can use energy wisely through the use of innovative hands-on activities. Activities will expose you to water power, wind, gas, solar power, hydrogen, food power and energy conservation. Common materials include household items.
Subjects Covered: Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, Food Science, and Mechanics.
Instructors: May Lew – Southern California Gas Company
Ivan Zelada – Southern California Gas Company
Claire Becker-Castle – Southern California Gas Company
Guess what? Science can be fun! Find out just how fun by taking this workshop. You will learn about, collect, identify, and categorize rocks and minerals. We will even examine and prepare fossils. Then, during the second part of the workshop, we’ll explore Newton’s laws using rockets, bridge building, miniature roller coasters, egg drops, and toys to study concepts such as inertia and momentum, force and motion, collisions, energy and levers.
Have fun while being introduced to electricity and basic circuits! In this workshop, you’ll learn how to use a soldering iron by first learning to make clip-heads. Next, you will construct a 9V power supply. You will learn about Ohm’s law through experiments and projects such as parallel resistors, dual LED blinkers, irritators, time delay circuits, SCR alarms, etc.
Subjects Covered: Electronics and Mechanics.
Instructor:
Co-Lead: Ryan Pawlowski, Student – Chaffey College
Students will explore ‘how things work’ through discussion and hands-on activities using materials commonly found in the house. You will perform experiments demonstrating various aspects of the Law of Conservation of Energy, including transfer of kinetic energy, conservation of kinetic energy and momentum in collisions, and work and potential energy. You will see examples of previous Road Runner traps and learn how to make your own trap.
Subjects Covered: Mechanics and Physics.
Instructors: Tony Gonzalez – The Gas Company
Peter Le – The Gas Company
Everybody loves a mystery! Here you will learn what forensics, the science of solving mysteries, is all about. Students will be exposed to the importance of physics and biology in Forensic Science. You will learn and practice skills of observation, measurement, inductive and deductive reasoning, and analysis. Simple microscopic, finger printing, and fiber analysis techniques will be studied. Detective teams will evaluate foot prints, identify unknown substances, and learn about blood spatter evidence. Your team will then investigate a crime scene where you will put these forensic tools to use to catch a criminal and reveal their motive!
Subjects Covered: Forensics, Chemistry, Physics, Mechanics, and Physiology.
Instructors: Jill Reed, Teacher – Los Angeles Unified School District
Tinie Runyard – Southern California Gas Company
With an emphasis on FUN, you will enjoy performing many simple experiments that demonstrate the fundamental principles involved with both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air flight. For example, you will build and fly a Rogallo-wing hang glider, as well as paper and balsa-wood airplanes, while learning about control surfaces and their functions. You will perform wind tunnel tests on wing sections you make yourself. You will also make water bottle rockets and hand-launched helicopters.
Robotronics is about Robots and Electronics. You will use your basic electronic skills to design and program your Boebot to find its way through mazes and other challenges. Working in teams you will construct a working robot, write computer programs to control it and work with advanced electronic circuits to solve navigation and science problems.
Subjects Covered: Robotics, Electronics, and Mechanics.
Instructors: James Chen – The Boeing Company
Kimberly Kamkar, Student – UCLA, English Major
Do you have what it takes to be an astronaut? Come find out, as you prepare to become a virtual astronaut or mission controller in a space shuttle mission simulator. Learn, practice, and perform procedures with your shuttle and mission control crew to make your mission successful. Learn about the science behind the space shuttle by performing hands-on experiments that ancient Greeks, Galileo, the Wright Brothers, Goddard and other performed that provided the early knowledge that helped us to go into space.
Subjects Covered: Aeronautics, Astronomy, Mechanics, and Physics.
Instructor: Dave Pearson – The Boeing Company, Retired
James Dean – NASA, Retired
How to Trap the Road Runner – High School
Grades:9th-12th
Like the middle school workshop, this workshop will be all about creativity. Students will build more and more complicated machines to finally complete a classroom size Rube Goldberg machine in order to trap that ever elusive Road Runner!
Energy, Today and Tomorrow
Grades:9th-12th
In this new workshop students will learn about different energy sources and how they are being used to power cars, cook food, launch projectiles, and heat our homes. Through experimentation students will evaluate the performance of renewable energies including wind, solar, and bio gas. Students will learn the chemistry behind trending technologies such as fuel cells and demonstrate what they have learned by producing hydrogen gas from water and powering a hydrogen car. The course will include Food Science and the chemistry of cooking. Students will build a garbage digester, launch rockets, and receive a demonstration on properties of natural gas, propane, and electricity. Lessons will include discussions on environmental impacts, viability, and what we can do Today to evolve how we energize the world Tomorrow.
Subjects Covered: Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, Food Science, and Mechanics.
Instructors: Carlos Gaeta – Southern California Gas Company
Daniel Hernandez Rivera – Southern California Gas Company
Vex Robots
Grades:9th-12th
This is a new workshop Summer Science Camp will be offering for the summer of 2013. Stay tuned for updates.
Instructors: Julio Guzman, Teacher – Bellflower High School
Greg Schultz, Teacher – Centennial High School