Registration for GEMS 2012

2012 GEMS Conference

Girls in Engineering Math and Science

Saturday, February 11, 2012
8:00am - 12:30pm

Program Description

District 211 will host a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) conference for girls in 5th and 6th grade and their parents. The purpose of this conference is to educate girls about careers in STEM, and introduce girls to female role models from industry and the five high schools in District 211. Parents are also invited to attend the conference. There will be a separate program for parents. The purpose of the parent program is to discuss how to prepare girls for STEM courses in high school, college, and STEM related careers.

Girls will learn about STEM careers by actively participating in hands-on sessions. These activities will be taught be women in fields such as structural design, polymers, technology, geology, and mathematics. Some of the presenters include women from the American Chemical Society, Stepan Chemistry, and Northwestern University. Girls will also receive a goody bag full of STEM information.

Parents will attend sessions that help them understand the necessary skills girls need to be successful at the high school level and college level. They will also have a chance to discuss questions with a girls’ discussion panel.

Raffle prizes will be given away during the closing remarks. These prizes, along with the goody bags, were generously given to our conference by organizations such as Sargent-Welch, Steven Spangler Science, and Holt McDougal. We are grateful to all those who support our program.

Registration will begin on December 1 and close on January 17.  For more information, please contact Terri Busch via her email address tbusch@d211.org

Click on this link to register:

GEMS REGISTRATION 2012

Raffle

Thanks to donations from many local companies, a raffle was held at the end of the conference for the attendees.  Prizes included many scientific toys, puzzles and games.

Closing remarks

Terri Busch, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, thanked the teachers who represent the GEMS organization.  The GEMS group worked for nine months to organize and prepare for the conference today.

Structural design: buildings

Students built structures that would not be blown over using paper, scissors and tape.

Structural design: buoyancy

Students used plastic cups, platic wrap, straws, tape, and scissors to design a boat.  The challenge was to create one that could hold the most amount of mass.  The group that designed the boat that could hold the most pennies was the winner.

Polymers part two

Students created foam polymers similar to the foam found in insulation.

Polymers

Soil Erosion

Students learn about different types of soil then measure the amount of time it takes for water to pass through each one.

Some types of soil do not pass water through them easily.

Electricity

Mrs. Michelle Gattuso from Motorola.

Keynote Speaker: Carol Peterson

Carol Peterson, Vice President of Project Management at Exelon Corporation, gives the keynote address at the GEMS conference.

Stop by for breakfast

Breakfast items such as fruit, bagels, and juice are being offered at the north end of the science wing. 

Proper nutrition

Lauren Hummel, Director of Food Service for District 211, explains proper nutrition to students and parents before the GEMS conference begins.

Robotics display

Haley took control of the robot earlier this morning.

Welcome to the GEMS conference

The welcome area is in the new science wing of Conant High School.  Different comapnies and organizations are represented today, and they have brought with them hands-on activities for the students to interact with and learn from.

Registration has begun

Registration began at 8:00am this morning.  Students signed in, received their t-shirts, bags, and temporary tattoos, and headed for the welcome area.