BROOKINGS – Plans for the annual Ready-SET-Go! workshop, an all-day event for high school girls considering careers in science or engineering, are in place at South Dakota State University.
Sponsored by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, the Nov. 3 workshop in Crothers Engineering Hall features three hands-on sessions and a panel presentation by SDSU students and industry professionals discussing their academic and professional experiences.
Session one educates students on urban stormwater management. What can be done to manage urban stormwater in a way that improves water quality, reduces flooding and preserves or enhances habitat?
In this session led by Assistant Professor John McMaine, students will create multiple runoff systems and develop an urban watershed plan through a tabletop exercise.
In session two, students will design a major highway using engineering software and current maps as well as having the opportunity to create their own asphalt mix in SDSU’s asphalt laboratory. In the session, led by Assistant Professor Mostafa Tazarv, students also will test to failure previously prepared asphalt samples.
In session three, students will work with an SDSU robot to learn the basics of coding software and programming. In the session led by George Hamer, acting head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, software will be installed to communicate with the robot and then it will be programmed to perform simple tasks, like singing.
In addition to the sessions for high school girls, there are three free sessions for parents and teachers. The first session is “Preparing Your Student for College and STEM Career Opportunities.”
The second session is a forensics activity – “Will They Get Away with Murder?” Participants will evaluate handwriting, fingerprints and dust particles found at a “crime scene” as well as applying statistics to the interpretation of forensic evidence to determine if a suspect was present at a crime scene.
The final session is a walking tour of several Lohr College of Engineering’s laboratories.
The day begins with registration at 9 a.m. and closes by 4:50 p.m.
The three hands-on sessions, lunch and SDSU ice cream for a midafternoon treat are all covered in the registration $25 fee ($35 after Nov. 1). Register online by going to: www.sdstate.edu/jerome-j-lohr-engineering/ready-set-go. For more information, call the college at 688-4161.
