2005 Afternoon Exploratory Opportunities

2006 opportunities will be posted March, 2006

Advanced Thermal Hydraulics Research Lab: Visit this one-fourth scale model of a nuclear power plant which actually has no nuclear energy. The model is operated by an electric heater and is a testing facility to determine safe operation of a real nuclear power plant. Testing is done for agencies such as Westinghouse, the US Department of Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
African Drumming | Additional Fee of $15: Want to visit Africa or do you just love to drum? Spend three of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots learning to play an authentic African drum and other percussion instruments. Sing traditional songs in West African languages to accompany the rhythms. You'll have a great time "visiting" Africa through exploring its cultures and traditional music. Bring your enthusiasm, no other skill is required.
Ancient Ice and Ancient Air: Scientists in the Department of Geosciences study ancient air trapped in bubbles in ice from the far reaches of Antarctica and Greenland. Learn about ice cores, old air, and the earth's greenhouse effect, visit our -25 degree ice core freezer, and examine and analyze some ancient ice and modern air samples.
Brain Bowl: What is the only animal (other than humans) that can get leprosy? Do you like trivia? If so, join us for an afternoon of questions and answers. Teams will be formed to answer questions in a game similar to College Bowl and High-Five. Expect an afternoon of challenge and fun!
Challenging Challenges | Additional Fee of $4: Join the fun with friends old and new, stretch your brain, and reach new experiential plateaus with the OSU Challenge Program offerings of games and group initiatives to get you thinking outside the box. Explore issues of trust, communication, problem solving, cooperation, and creative thinking in a fun and exciting atmosphere.
Clay Work - Garden Art | Additional Fee of $18: Spend four of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots creating hand-built clay projects such as: planters, birdbaths/feeders, garden sculptures, wind chimes . . . you name it, let your imagination run wild!
Evolutionary Biology - Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life: Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life is a collaborative, multi-institutional research project, the goal of which is to advance our understanding of the evolution of the Kingdom Fungi. Students participating in this workshop will be introduced to the diversity of Kingdom Fungi and the analysis of DNA sequence data as it applies to understanding evolutionary relationships.
Forest Products: Visit the Department of Wood Science and Engineering and learn about wood as a material. Use this knowledge to design and build a timber bridge. Will your team's bridge support the most weight or will you send a car hurtling off a cliff?
Golf: Participate with an OSU golf instructor on the campus golf facility.
Great Gizmos! | Additional Fee of $18: Spend four of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots in a kinetics focused class with gears, rubber bands, weights, whatever. Plan to design and make a moving metal piece/sculpture.
Healthy Plants, Tasty Fruit: Did you know there's a place where they do research to make plants healthier and fruit taste better? Visit the USDA Horticultural Crops Research Lab and learn about some current experiments. You can even take home you own miniature strawberry plant you planted yourself!
Linus Pauling Institute Research Facilities: The Linus Pauling Institute conducts research on the effects of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (chemicals from plants) on health and disease. Scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute are trying to determine whether antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E or phytochemicals like those in tea or broccoli have a role to play in the prevention or treatment of diseases like heart disease and cancer. Visiting the Linus Pauling Institute will give you the opportunity to learn more about Linus Pauling and why he was interested in these questions, as well as a chance to tour some of the research laboratories and learn some laboratory techniques.
Mass Spectrometry Lab: Learn about some aspects of proteins and the research methods used to measure proteins in human samples (like your saliva) using an analytical technique called mass spectrometry.
Measuring the Sky | Additional Fee of $2: See how astrophysicists from the Pine Mountain Observatory use a telescope and a digital camera to collect, detect, and analyze faint starlight for clues about the nature of objects and phenomena far away in deep space. Background information provided, followed by a hands-on lab with the hardware and software. Learn how to discover asteroids and planets, track variable stars, and search for supernovas in other galaxies. Get familiar with Oregon's Pine Mountain Observatory, a facility in Central Oregon that you can visit and that can supply you with authentic data.
Native Oregonians -- How did they Make that? | Additional Fee of $10: Do you know which native plants can be used to make rope or shoes or a house? Spend two of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots and jump back in time to make cordage from native Oregon plants. Then use your creation to make a key holder, bracelet, or other object. Discover the many varied uses of cedar bark - the all purpose material of Native Oregonians. Learn the ancient method of how to split cedar bark and make your own "good luck pouch."
Oceanography Core Lab: Visit OSU's Oceanography Core Lab. See a slide show of oceanographers at work. Examine one of the world's largest collections of sea-floor sediment cores and rocks, and read the history recorded in mud! What are foraminifera and why do we study them? Take home your very own foraminifera or a piece of basalt from the deep-ocean floor.
How the ORBITZ Drink relates to the NASA Space Station and Biomedical Engineering: Topics covered: Orbitz drink, zero-gravity, time-release drug delivery systems, and an artificial pancreas.
Origami - Beginning | Additional Fee of $14: Spend four of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots learning how to make a variety of interesting animals and/or flowers.
Origami - Intermediate (Beginning Origami or similar experience required) | Additional Fee of $14: Spend four of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots learning to make beautiful boxes using complicated folds. Boxes can be small and intimate, or quite large (12"x12"). These make wonderful gifts in and of themselves.
OSU Student Health Services: Experience a College Health Setting where the emphasis is on health promotion and prevention as well as treatment. Hands-on activities will be included in this opportunity.
Paper Sculpting | Additional Fee of $12: Build 3-D forms from 2-D materials. Develop techniques using scoring, frilling, stretching and more. Create shapes beyond geometric forms using a do-it-yourself design kit. Make your own patterns to mold and shape paper.
Pharmacy Lab: Participate in an activity in an OSU Pharmacy Lab to make lip balm which you will take home with you.
Photography | Additional Fee of $32: Spend eight of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots using our point and shoot camera or your own 35 mm camera to learn tips on composition and how to operate the camera. You'll also learn how to develop black and white film and make a photographic print of your own.
Plastics for Poets: Learn about gels in chemical engineering and in our daily lives. Topics covered: silly putty, McDonald's shakes, baby diapers, and others.
Quilted Stuff Sack/Draw String Satchel | Additional Fee of $18: Spend four of the Afternoon Exploratory time slots sewing your own quilted stuff sack/draw string satchel, perfect to store many wonderful items. Learn straight sewing, paper piece quilting and various closure options.
Radiation Center: The purpose, use and principles of operation of the nuclear research reactor will be discussed. One major application of the reactor, neutron activation analysis (NAA) will be described and demonstrated. NAA is useful for scientists working in many fields including geology, agriculture, forestry, cosmology, vulcanology, and forensics. Discover first-hand what a half-life is (hint: it involves M&M's). Students may test objects with a Geiger counter to determine if they are radioactive. Personal objects may be brought in to test. Students will view reactor bay without risk of radiation exposure.
US EPA, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division: Visit the EPA's ecological research facility and learn how the EPA conducts research concerning risks to plants from environmental stress. Observe on-site research projects including effects of herbicide drift on non-target crops and native plants.
Veterinary Medicine: Tour the College of Veterinary Medicine facilities.
What Knots: Need a lanyard to attach that name tag? Want to learn how to tie the Chinese Crown knot? Like to get the "hang" of a planter holder? Then this is the class for you! Though sailors invented the art of knots, ropes and chords have been used down through the ages. Come learn how to tie and apply this timeless tool.
Game Room: Spend time with your newly made friends, share interests, play chess, checkers, cards, board games, or games you bring.
Outdoor Physical Recreation: The recreation leader will plan outdoor activities and will also ask for suggestions of activities you would like.
Excused Early Release: Students may, with prior permission of parents, be excused at 3:10 pm.