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Career Exploration Workshops

You will attend three hands-on workshops sessions. Please choose your top six of the workshops below and list the session numbers on the registration form. Every effort will be made to meet your requests on a first-come first-served basis. You will receive confirmation by mail of the workshops you will attend.

1.	Technology on Parade
	You can help people with disabilities to lead better, more independent lives with a career in assistive technology. Come learn about this meaningful field and try out different kinds of assistive technology - including special blow dryers, cell phones that give unique voices to people who can't talk, and much, much more.
		Cilla Sluga , Director of Training, Illinois Assistive Technology Program

2.	Stream Insects: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
	For most people, bugs are just bugs, but for stream ecologists the insects they find in their nets can tell them a lot about the water quality of the stream they are sampling. Come and learn how to tell the good bugs from the bad and see the ugly up close and magnified!
		Amy McEuen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Illinois at Springfield

3.	The Fantastic Voyage...Inside Our Bodies
	Would you like to help people overcome health problems or simply stay healthy? Try some of the basics of medicine and preventive care. Learn about what your organs look like and how they work, look inside the human ear with an otoscope, and use a stethoscope to listen to the sounds of the heart and lungs.
		Carla J. Daniels, Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP), and Stephanie Burge, BSN, Springfield Clinic

4.	Animate!
	How do you create a cartoon on a computer or a character in a video game? This is a hands-on introduction to the world of 3-D computer animation.
		Mary Sheila Tracy, Instructor; Computer Science, University of Illinois at Springfield

5.	It Seems Like Such a Simple Thing...
	How would you dress yourself, get in and out of bed or fix a snack after a traumatic event such as a serious accident, stroke, amputation, head injury or loss of vision? See life through another’s eyes and learn how occupational therapists help people with disabilities perform daily tasks.
		Laurie Stoll and Kara Knetzer, Occupational Therapists, St. John’s Hospital

6.	The Challenge of Bone Engineering
	What if you had a bad bone? Wouldn't it be nice to put in a "spare part"? But how would you make a bone substitute? Explore bioengineering and discover how to design and build a bone model that can stand up to the test of bending forces!
		Minosca Alcantara, Susan Larson, Kris Pulling; Women in Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

7.	Crystal Magic: What’s Beneath the Surface?
	What are liquid crystals and nanotechnology? Explore how these amazing materials relate to liquids, solids, and gasses, and use liquid crystals to detect changes that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Watch liquid crystals reflect colors of light and learn how temperature changes the colors that they reflect.
		Patricia Sievert, Science Outreach Coordinator, Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University

8.	Lights, Camera, Action!
	Is Hollywood calling you? Do you want to run the camera, the audio, or be a star? Get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce television programs.
		Staff, University of Illinois Springfield Electronic Media Center

9.	Medical Laboratory Investigators Solve a Mystery
	What you can’t see can hurt you. Discover the unseen world and clues to health and disease using microscopes and other laboratory investigative techniques.
		Linda McCowan, Chair & Associate Professor Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Illinois at Springfield and Robbin Killam, Clinical Education Coordinator; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Medical Center

10.	Do You Have Your Mother's Smile?
	Do you have your father's nose but look nothing like your mother? Have you wondered why? Look for answers in the growing field of genetics and probability as we create tiny "creatures" called reebops using the many genetic combinations from a set of parents. Adopt your reebop and take it home to remind you how marvelous each species is.
		Michelle McHenry, Science Department, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School

11.	Techno-Traveling!
	Have you ever been to the Pyramids in Egypt? How about London Bridge? Would you like to see them from the comfort of your own home? Come see how aerial imagery allows you to zoom around the world. We’ll explore the latest in mapping technology.
		Shelley Silch, U.S. Geological Survey, and Jane Domier, Illinois State Geological Survey

12.	From Science to Smoothie
	What does science have to do with buying a tasty treat? Follow the stages of product development to design while you develop and test a smoothie product.
		Archer, Daniels & Midland (ADM) Research Scientists

13.	Space Walking
	Ever wonder what it is like to be in space? Venture into the outer limits of science and find out what astronauts wear and why when they go out of the Space Station to do a space walk.
		Janet Moore, Lead Flight Director, Central Illinois Challenger Learning Center

14.	Creative Chemists
	Chemists have contributed so much to our daily lives from plastic to artificial sweeteners to life-saving drugs. How do chemists create these new substances? Experiment with polymers and other materials, and learn how you can help solve the challenges that lie ahead in chemistry.
		Jennifer Ramm, Professor of Chemistry, Lincoln Land Community College

15.	Electricity Powers Our Lives!
	It’s hard to imagine life without electricity. Every minute of the day we depend on it for light, heat and power - for everything from TV to curling irons. Engineering makes it possible to use electricity to power our lives. What is electricity and how does it make things work? Find out the answers to these questions through fun hands-on activities like building your own electrical circuits.
		Regina Rahn, Ph.D., Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, Northern Illinois University

16.	Soar Into Engineering!
	Test your design skills by trying to build a 360-degree roller coaster loop and lay out a working airport. You’ll determine where to build the terminal and hangars, align the runways, and provide access roads - and you’ll learn how nature can affect your design.
		Christy Crites, Kristin Timmons, Kristy Brod, Shannon Brady, Shannon Barnhart and Amanda Withers, Engineers, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc.

17.	Digital Pictures to a Webpage Photo Resume
	Learn the easy use of a digital camera to take a professional photo and upload into your webpage! This workshop will also cover the basic HTML web language to create a useful webpage resume that features your best experiences in your school and community.
		Jennifer Herring, PhD, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education Department, University of Illinois

18.	Green Architecture
	You’ve heard of recycling and Earth Day, and now our buildings are “going green” too! As future architects, contractors, and engineers, you will be teaming up to build “sustainable buildings” and to explore new ways to recycle or re-use buildings creatively.
		Carol Dyson, AIA, Senior Preservation Architect, Preservation Services, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Janice Chan Hahn, AIA, Architect, Allied Design Consultants, Inc.

19.	Phenomenal FBI Women
	Find out what it’s like to be a trailblazer in a non-traditional profession within the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We will identify the many jobs and faces of the women working for the FBI, from a Special Agent in Charge of a Field Division to specialists in science, language, fingerprinting, electronics, and more.
		Veronica Robison, Community Outreach Specialist, Federal Bureau of Investigation

20.	Chiropractic Care: A Secret to Good Health!
	What is chiropractic care? Maintaining a healthy and well-aligned spine is important. Learn from one of Illinois’s top female chiropractors why there has never been a better time to become a doctor of chiropractic.
		Dr. Lisa Conant, D.C., B.Sc., The Walton Clinic of Chiropractic

21.	At the Scene of the Crime
	Assume the role of a forensic scientist to help solve a crime. Become a super sleuth by using state-of-the-art forensic techniques to collect clues and analyze evidence.
		Jennifer Banning, Kimberly Bradley, Tabithah Marcacci, Rhonda Carter and Charity Noreuil, Illinois State Police Forensic Science Lab

22.	Flower Power
	Did you ever wonder why there are so many different flower colors, shapes and sizes? Learn how flowers are “designed” to attract insects which help with pollination, the key process in helping plants reproduce. Use your imagination and craft supplies to design your own flower and insect “pollinator pair” to take home.
		Jennifer Schultz Nelson, Ph.D., Unit Educator - Horticulture, University of Illinois Extension

23.	Futuristic Nursing Today
	Learn about different nursing specialties and meet SimMan, a life-size computerized “patient” that has a heart beat, breathes, coughs, and talks. You’ll learn about being a cardiac nurse or an ER nurse and practice nursing techniques on an “almost real” patient.
		Emergency Department nurses, Sharon Iben, RN, and Rachel Sedlacek, RN; and cardiac nurses, Erin Nelson, RN; Ashley Shipley-Lovekamp, RN; and Wendy Miller, RN, Memorial Medical Center

AAUW Home || EYH Home || Girls Workshops || Adults Workshops || Registration Form

Career Exploration Workshops

1.

Technology on Parade

Cilla Sluga , Director of Training, Illinois Assistive Technology Program

2.

Stream Insects: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

For most people, bugs are just bugs, but for stream ecologists the insects they find in their nets can tell them a lot about the water quality of the stream they are sampling. Come and learn how to tell the good bugs from the bad and see the ugly up close and magnified!

Amy McEuen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Illinois at Springfield

3.

The Fantastic Voyage...Inside Our Bodies

Carla J. Daniels, Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP), and Stephanie Burge, BSN, Springfield Clinic

4.

Animate!

How do you create a cartoon on a computer or a character in a video game? This is a hands-on introduction to the world of 3-D computer animation.

Mary Sheila Tracy, Instructor; Computer Science, University of Illinois at Springfield

5.

It Seems Like Such a Simple Thing...

How would you dress yourself, get in and out of bed or fix a snack after a traumatic event such as a serious accident, stroke, amputation, head injury or loss of vision? See life through another’s eyes and learn how occupational therapists help people with disabilities perform daily tasks.

Laurie Stoll and Kara Knetzer, Occupational Therapists, St. John’s Hospital

6.

The Challenge of Bone Engineering

What if you had a bad bone? Wouldn't it be nice to put in a "spare part"? But how would you make a bone substitute? Explore bioengineering and discover how to design and build a bone model that can stand up to the test of bending forces!

Minosca Alcantara, Susan Larson, Kris Pulling; Women in Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

7.

Crystal Magic: What’s Beneath the Surface?

Patricia Sievert, Science Outreach Coordinator, Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University

8.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Is Hollywood calling you? Do you want to run the camera, the audio, or be a star? Get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce television programs.

Staff, University of Illinois Springfield Electronic Media Center

9.

Medical Laboratory Investigators Solve a Mystery

What you can’t see can hurt you. Discover the unseen world and clues to health and disease using microscopes and other laboratory investigative techniques.

Linda McCowan, Chair & Associate Professor Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Illinois at Springfield and Robbin Killam, Clinical Education Coordinator; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Medical Center

10.

Do You Have Your Mother's Smile?

Michelle McHenry, Science Department, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School

11.

Techno-Traveling!

Have you ever been to the Pyramids in Egypt? How about London Bridge? Would you like to see them from the comfort of your own home? Come see how aerial imagery allows you to zoom around the world. We’ll explore the latest in mapping technology.

Shelley Silch, U.S. Geological Survey, and Jane Domier, Illinois State Geological Survey

12.

From Science to Smoothie

What does science have to do with buying a tasty treat? Follow the stages of product development to design while you develop and test a smoothie product.

Archer, Daniels & Midland (ADM) Research Scientists

13.

Space Walking

Ever wonder what it is like to be in space? Venture into the outer limits of science and find out what astronauts wear and why when they go out of the Space Station to do a space walk.

Janet Moore, Lead Flight Director, Central Illinois Challenger Learning Center

14.

Creative Chemists

Chemists have contributed so much to our daily lives from plastic to artificial sweeteners to life-saving drugs. How do chemists create these new substances? Experiment with polymers and other materials, and learn how you can help solve the challenges that lie ahead in chemistry.

Jennifer Ramm, Professor of Chemistry, Lincoln Land Community College

15.

Electricity Powers Our Lives!

Regina Rahn, Ph.D., Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, Northern Illinois University

16.

Soar Into Engineering!

Test your design skills by trying to build a 360-degree roller coaster loop and lay out a working airport. You’ll determine where to build the terminal and hangars, align the runways, and provide access roads - and you’ll learn how nature can affect your design.

Christy Crites, Kristin Timmons, Kristy Brod, Shannon Brady, Shannon Barnhart and Amanda Withers, Engineers, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc.

17.

Digital Pictures to a Webpage Photo Resume

Learn the easy use of a digital camera to take a professional photo and upload into your webpage! This workshop will also cover the basic HTML web language to create a useful webpage resume that features your best experiences in your school and community.

Jennifer Herring, PhD, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education Department, University of Illinois

18.

Green Architecture

You’ve heard of recycling and Earth Day, and now our buildings are “going green” too! As future architects, contractors, and engineers, you will be teaming up to build “sustainable buildings” and to explore new ways to recycle or re-use buildings creatively.

Carol Dyson, AIA, Senior Preservation Architect, Preservation Services, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Janice Chan Hahn, AIA, Architect, Allied Design Consultants, Inc.

19.

Phenomenal FBI Women

Veronica Robison, Community Outreach Specialist, Federal Bureau of Investigation

20.

Chiropractic Care: A Secret to Good Health!

What is chiropractic care? Maintaining a healthy and well-aligned spine is important. Learn from one of Illinois’s top female chiropractors why there has never been a better time to become a doctor of chiropractic.

Dr. Lisa Conant, D.C., B.Sc., The Walton Clinic of Chiropractic

21.

At the Scene of the Crime

Assume the role of a forensic scientist to help solve a crime. Become a super sleuth by using state-of-the-art forensic techniques to collect clues and analyze evidence.

Jennifer Banning, Kimberly Bradley, Tabithah Marcacci, Rhonda Carter and Charity Noreuil, Illinois State Police Forensic Science Lab

22.

Have you ever been to the Pyramids in Egypt? How about London Bridge? Would you like to see them
from the comfort of your own home? Come see how aerial imagery allows you to zoom around the world. We’ll explore the latest in mapping technology.

Ever wonder what it is like to be in space? Venture into the outer limits of science and find out what
astronauts wear and why when they go out of the Space Station to do a space walk.

Learn about different nursing specialties and meet SimMan, a life-size computerized “patient” that has a heart beat, breathes, coughs, and talks. You’ll learn about
being a cardiac nurse or an ER nurse and practice nursing techniques on an “almost real” patient.

Emergency Department nurses, Sharon Iben, RN, and Rachel
Sedlacek, RN; and cardiac nurses, Erin Nelson, RN; Ashley Shipley-Lovekamp, RN; and Wendy Miller, RN, Memorial Medical Center