Exploring STEM Day at The College of Wooster

Posted on by Anna Truong

This years event will be April 11th, 2026!

ABOUT

Exploring STEM Day is a girl-centered conference designed for all 5th through 7th grade students who identify as a girl/female in any way to learn about career opportunities from women in math, science, and technology-oriented fields.

WHEN

This years event will be April 11th, 2026 from 8:45 am – 1:45 pm.

LOCATION

The conference will be held on The College of Wooster campus. We’ll begin with check-in at McGaw Chapel. College students will guide you to your workshops.

REGISTRATION

  • Registration is now Live!
  • Check out the workshops available and choose your top 6.
  • Register here online, or complete and mail the registration form.
  • The $15 registration fee includes all conference materials, a light lunch, and a workshop bag.
Need Financial Assistance?

Fill out this Fee Waiver Form

IMPORTANT

  • Workshops are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and participation is limited to the first 200 forms received.
  • Schedules will be handed out when you check-in on April 11.

COVID SAFTEY GUIDELINES

Exploring STEM Day will follow all COVID safety guidelines of The College of Wooster. Currently, this includes optional masking. These policies are subject to change based on community transmission levels and recommendations by the appropriate health agencies.

QUESTIONS?

Missy Schen: 937-751-6336, or mschen@wooster.edu

LUNCH

A pizza lunch will be served. For those individuals with certain dietary restrictions, we highly suggest bringing your own lunch as the provided lunch may not be as accommodating. We will have some fruit and granola bars available in the morning, as well.

Lunch Presentation

We are excited to welcome the United Titanium Bug Zoo to this year’s Exploring STEM Day during lunch for a live presentation on bug mimicry! Biomimicry – the copying of natural design – has given us wonderful technologies from paper to clean drinking water. Explore how insects have influence the technology in your life – without you even knowing it!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSERS

AAUW – Wooster Branch

The College of Wooster

The American Chemical Society

The Romich Foundation

Donald & Alice Noble Foundation

Anonymous Donors

Workshop Choices

Posted on by Anna Truong

1. The Science of Cosmetics

Do you really want to put that on your face? Learn about the science that goes into developing cosmetics and hear about the chemistry behind it all while you make your own natural lip balm!

• Jennifer Faust, PhD, Associate Professor of Chemistry, College of Wooster

2. Make a Computer Program from Scratch!

Have you ever wanted to make your own interactive stories, games, or animations? Get started with Scratch, a programming language & online community where you can create all of these – and share them with others!

• Peggy Winkler, Software Engineering Manager, PRC-Saltillo

3. Let’s Get Snacky With It!

Your team will be provided ingredients and criteria of a balanced snack – but it’s up to you to formulate the dish and explain how your creation is the snack. Taste-testing will close out the session! Allergy notice: Excludes the major 8 allergens, yet a variety of foods are used, so proceed with caution.

• Kirsten Kurtz, RDN, LD, Registered Dietitian, Wooster Community Hospital

4. A Pigment of Your Imagination

Pigments are what give paint its own special color. They’re made from items found in nature, like plants or insects, or they can be invented in a laboratory. In this session, you’ll discover unique pigments from everyday items using science (and happy accidents) to create your own work of art.

• Brooke Wright, Regional Program Manager (PreK-9), National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Amanda Leach, Customer Relations Supervisor, National Inventors Hall of Fame



5. Caring for your Critters

Learn what a veterinarian does to diagnose someone’s sick pet and determine how to send their “best friend” on the road to recovery using the tools of the trade including a physical exam and digital X-rays. ALLERGY notice: There will be a dog present at this session.

• Kristen Wellert, DVM, Ark Veterinary Hospital

• Amy Suttle, DVM, Ark Veterinary Hospital

• Rachel Coffee, Veterinary Assistant, Ark Veterinary Hospital

6. The Humpty Dumpty Experiment

Can an ordinary egg survive a two-story drop without turning into eggnog? Compete to see who can build an egg-packaging device that protects Humpty Dumpty from his great fall!

• Susan Lehman, PhD, Professor of Physics, College of Wooster

7. Bots Like to Move it, Move it!

Think you can code with just markers and paper? Learn to program Ozobots with just color codes and your imagination. You will also use the Ozobot coding language to program your bot to navigate a maze or move along a geometric shape. Come make your robot “move it, move it”!

• Heather Guarnera, Asst. Prof. of Mathematical & Computational Sciences, College of Wooster

8. Sweet Science

How much sugar is in the juice or soda we drink? How do water filters work? Our experiments will help us to see how sweet food chemistry is!

• Sara Martin, Associate Professor of Chemistry, College of Wooster

9. Up, Up & Away!

Did you ever wonder how a rocket flies? We will work in engineering teams to design and make rockets out of paper that will fly incredible distances. How high will yours fly?

• Laura Grimm, Retired STEAM Teacher, Dalton Local School District

10. CSI Wooster: Who killed my strawberry?

Join the Crop Science Investigators as they solve The Case of the Smothered Strawberry. Help us find the tiny assassins responsible through DNA extraction from the (strawberry) victim followed by forensic analysis and microscopy. Become a plant detective and help us solve the crime!

•The Ohio State Plant Detective Team, The Ohio State University and USDA Agricultural Research Service



11. Five Stars at the Bug Bistro!

Have you ever wondered what insects like to eat? Join us in encountering the fascinating world of insects by spending time with the creatures of the United Titanium Bug Zoo. Safely interact with fascinating insects and help us discover their favorite snacks!

• Jeni Filbrun, Program Manager, United Titanium Bug Zoo, The Ohio State University
• Carrie Elvey, Community Outreach Specialist, United Titanium Bug Zoo, The Ohio State University


12. Seeing Colors in a New Light

Have you wondered why colors appear more vibrant, fade over time, or “glow in the dark”? Or why a picture looks different in sunlight versus inside? We will look at different types of artists’ pigments to explore why we see colors as we do, what creates extra pop in fluorescent materials, and how different lights change how colors appear.

• Sarah Sobeck, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, College of Wooster

13. Science behind the Spark

Are you ready to ignite your inner scientist? Come investigate the chemistry of fire and smoke, test ways to extinguish fire, and tackle a mini fire‑investigation using video clues and what you learned.

Note: Pictures and/or videos of residential fires and their aftermath will be used.

•Danya Morris, MA Ed., NRP, FESI, FSI, Firefighter II, Firefighter-Paramedic, RN

14. Myth of the Cave People

Explore the cultural world of the Neanderthal. Examine real skulls and learn about the latest discoveries in physical anthropology. Could you have Neanderthal genes?

• Pam Frese, Professor of Anthropology, College of Wooster

15. Spawn to Supper: Growing Mushrooms at Home

Did you know you can grow delicious oyster mushrooms right at home? In this hands-on session, you’ll learn the basics of fungi farming and how mushrooms grow. Plus, you’ll get to prepare and take home your own jar inoculated with oyster mushroom spawn—ready to grow into tasty mushrooms!

• Erika Lyon, Educator for Agriculture & Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension

16. Be the Algorithm

What if you were a computer? Discover how algorithms work by guiding your team through an obstacle course.

• Leilani Torres, IT Project Specialist, College of Wooster

17. Pawsitively Powerful Training

Ever wondered how animals learn amazing tricks and helpful skills? Discover the science behind clicker training, a fun and positive way to teach animals new behaviors. You’ll get to see it firsthand and try it out yourself. Get ready for a pawsome experience that will put you in the mind of an animal!

ALLERGY notice: There will be a dog present at this session

• Karen Wimbrush, PhD, Assoc. Prof. of Agricultural Technologies, The Ohio State University