1. Construction and Operation of a Fuel Cell
(Dr. Alla Smirnova, Chemical Engineering)
You will build and keep your own fuel cell (not a kit) that runs on water! Learn the physics and chemistry of this fascinating “new” (1839) technology and where it’s presently used as well as its’ future.

2. Bio Fuels
(Dr. Richard Parnas Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering)
A hands-on workshop where participants make biodiesel fuel while learning to operate a pilot plant scale batch chemical reactor. The fuel is tested to ensure it meets ASTM standards. Learn about the biofuels industry, its future and the chemistry involved it this process.

3. Mathematical Optimization and Game Theory
(Drs. P. Luh & L. Michel, Elec. & Comp. Sci. Engineering)
Combinatorial optimization problems are ubiquitous in our society and are solved on a daily basis by many industries (e.g. FedEx), aerospace industries, electric utilities, or the entertainment sector (e.g. TiVo) to name a few. Learn how to simply and elegantly model and solve these problems with an array of methodologies from logic, artificial intelligence, mathematical optimization and game theory. We will visually illustrate some of the methods on simple games such as crypto puzzles, riddles, or even Sudoku to help spark the student interest.

4. Bio-materials: Bone/Joints/Tissues
(Dr. Teresa Hennessey, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering)
You will create and test your own synthetic bonelike material. Investigate biomedical and materials engineering, the fastest growing field in engineering today, and its many connections to chemistry, biology and physics curriculum.

5. Fiber Optics and Basic Digital/Analog Circuits
(Dr. Eric Donkor, Electrical & Computer Engineering)
You will investigate digital wired and wireless communication. Participants will construct and keep a kit-based fiber optics communication link for voice transmission.

6. Explorations in Polymer Science
(Dr. Lei Zhu, Materials and Chemical Engineering)
Investigate the advanced polymer technology used in liquid crystal displays (LCD). Teachers will build and keep a prototype display device that can be used in classroom demonstrations.

7. Global Warming & Dimming Effects
(Drs. R. Bagtzoglou & G. Wang, Environmental Engineering)
Explore the fundamental physics and chemistry of CO2, CH4, and hydrocarbon emissions. Examine data from earth’s geologic past and relate them to recent changes in the earth’s climate. Learn about the myth’s and realities behind numerical models and their predictive abilities including case studies.