Calling all middle school girls in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade who will be 7th, 8th or 9th graders next year!

Registration for PennGEMS 2008 is now closed.

Accepted into PennGEMS? Click here to confirm your acceptance!

Join us for a great week of hands-on science, math, and engineering at Penn! You’ll learn about what’s going on in Bioengineering, Nanotechnology, Materials Science, Graphics and Computing.

  • Discover how engineers change lives
  • Make new friends and learn from Penn studentsExperience engineering through challenging, hands-on activities with your fellow campers

The GEMS Program

Over the course of the week, you’ll learn how engineering is part of your every day life. You’ll do experiments with different materials, learn about DNA and work on your own animation project.

Each camper will divide the week among three activities:

<empty> How Stuff Works
How does your computer screen produce such a wide variety of crisp, clear colors? How do eyeglasses bend and twist without breaking? Materials Engineers answer these questions and many more! You’ll experiment with the materials used to make items like these, and study how their small-scale structures result in the properties that make them useful in our everyday lives.

<empty> Imagination to Animation
Love animated movies and video games? What if you could play games and watch movies that you made? This class will show you how to do just that! Using Alice, a program that gives you a director's eye view of your masterpiece, you'll create something to show your family and friends. Along the way, you'll learn some basic computer programming skills that any animation or game maker needs. This class will turn your daydreams into realities!

<empty> Glow in the Dark Science
What does a cell in your body look like up close? Do you know how cells travel throughout your body? Through hands-on labs, you’ll learn about how engineers make cells light up so that they can watch the way they move around the body, and you’ll learn about how engineers are actually making body cells that fight disease!

For more information e-mail Michele Grab, Director, Advancing Women in Engineering

GEMS Home
GEMS Application
GEMS Confirmation
GEMS FAQs
AWE Home

Why Study Engineering, Math, and Science?

Because you can make a difference in the lives of people and this planet! Engineers are creators, innovators, builders, and problem solvers. We are always thinking about how things work, and how we can make them work better. And we care a lot about improving people’s lives and about how to protect and preserve this planet.

We design products and tools that improve people's lives: Computers, MP3 players, iPods, iPhone and other cell phones, websites, animation movies, roller coasters, space shuttles, Mars Rovers, robotic arms/legs, fabrics for bulletproof vests, and fabrics that breathe for active wear (to name just a few).

We help make the world a better place by finding alternate energy sources and designing highly fuel efficient cars to combat global warming.

We work on the most difficult challenges that face human health and disease, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, spinal cord injury, and we try to create better ways to diagnose and treat these diseases.

We communicate, work in groups and teams, negotiate, and we are always learning new things as we work with people from all sorts of other fields, such as medicine, law, business, and psychology.

 
University of Pennsylvania – School of Engineering & Applied Science
Office of Academic Programs – 111 Towne Building – 220 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6391
p:215-573-8266 / f:215.573.5577