Spring workshops for middle students in Durham: CybAdventures and Computational Science

*Spring Saturday Explorations Workshop will be held February 5 - March 12  from 9:00am - 12:00pm*

Most of us use websites every day without stopping to wonder how they are made! Maybe you've always wanted to make a website but did not know where or how to start. Or maybe you've experimented with HTML code but want to learn more. Spring Saturday Explorations participants will work with HTML, CSS, and open source graphics programs to create a simple website. Participants will be introduced to the techniques and tools used to create and build websites and will be ready to go make more sites on their own. Workshops are intended for students in grades 6 through 8 (or the home school equivalent). Younger students who are particularly mature and older students who are interested may also be considered.

Once again we have an exciting new partnership with North Carolina Central University (NCCU). The Spring Saturday Explorations students will be invited to participate in CybAdventures at NCCU. CybAdventures is a morning of hands-on experiments and computational activities that are both entertaining and informative. Students will be introduced to web-based activities to assist them in learning about CyberInfrastructure and how to apply computational resources to their learning process. Topics range from Chemistry to Geospatial sciences. Topics are dependent upon the availability of NCCU faculty.

2011 Spring Saturday Explorations Schedule

•    Feb 5th  at NCCU

•    Feb 12th at NCCU

•    Feb 19th at NCCU

•    Feb 26th at Shodor

•    Mar 5th at Shodor

•    Mar 12th at Shodor

*Topics and Locations are subject to change*

Session size is limited to 18 participants in order to assure a high quality learning atmosphere. Participants work both in teams and individually in a supervised, hands-on learning environment. Each day they learn about new scientific approaches and tools and then have the opportunity to try them out for themselves in our computer lab.

All activities take place at the Shodor headquarters in downtown Durham, North Carolina and at the NCCU campus. Participants will be using high-performance laptops equipped with computational software which the students will learn how to use throughout their classes.

Prerequisites:

Participants should be 6th - 8th graders (or the equivalent) and interested in science and mathematics. Younger students who are particularly mature and older students who are interested may also be considered. While some experience with computers is helpful, it is not required.

To register please visit www.shodor.org/calendar or email Ernest Edinboro at ernest@shodor.org.

*Everyday Functions: Epidemics to Secret Codes*

For middle school students who are interested in MATH, SCIENCE and COMPUTERS, Shodor offers a variety of explorations to satisfy their intellectual appetites. On January 17, Shodor will offer a workshop, "Everyday Functions: Epidemics to Secret Codes", that specifically focuses on mathematical functions and their real-world applications. The workshop will be held at Shodor from 9am- 4pm.

Everyday Functions: Epidemics to Secret Codes is a 6-hour session that will introduce rising 6th through 8th graders to functions by considering the functional behavior in everyday life. Participants will explore mathematical models to discover the nature of functional behavior, examine visual representations of functions, and apply functions in solving real-world problems. Students will use computers to develop a deeper understanding of functions and their applications in other areas of mathematics, science, and computing. The workshop will involve formal lectures, structured hands-on labs and activities, and the opportunity to work collaboratively with other students.

To register please visit www.shodor.org/calendar or email Ernest Edinboro at ernest@shodor.org.

Shodor is the home of NSDL's Computational Science Education Reference Desk (CSERD) Pathways portal