CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Future science leaders between the ages of 10 and 12 came to Penn State Lehigh Valley on June 20 to learn about science, technology, engineering, the environment and math, also known as STEEM. These students were a part of a camp hosted by the Lehigh Valley Workforce Development Board.
The eventful day began with a campus tour; afterward the girls were divided into two groups.
The first group was taken to a classroom where Tracey Carbonetto, instructor of mechanical engineering at Penn State Lehigh Valley, taught the campers about volume and mass, with hands-on activities. Carbonetto discussed how engineers measure the mass of an object by explaining that a bowling ball and a beach ball are the same size, but have different masses.
The second group was taken to a biology lab where Jacqueline McLaughlin, associate professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, taught them about algae and biofuel, and how to look at cells through a microscope. McLaughlin engaged the girls by asking them a series of questions about the Penn State Bio lab and cells. She then demonstrated how to put the algae cell on a microscope slide and how to properly see and count the cells through the lens.