Illinois I-mark

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

High school students gain hands-on experience during summer camp

June 24, 2013

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Lecturers Dr. Jerrod Henderson and Dr. Troy Vogel with undergraduate and graduate students led students as part of the University of Illinois’ Exploring Your Options summer camp.

The week-long program introduces high school juniors and seniors to the field of engineering. The participants interact with engineering students and faculty members, plan and build a project, and engage in hands-on activities prepared by departments within the College of Engineering.

The session took place June 9-15 with another scheduled for July 7-13. The students extracted DNA from strawberries and determined the best detergent to remove grass stains.

 

Students prepare fabric for the detergent experiment.
Students prepare fabric for the detergent experiment.
Graduate student Danielle Mai (at right) instructs students.
Graduate student Danielle Mai (at right) instructs students.
Students take a break from conducting experiments
Students take a break from conducting experiments.
Working on extracting DNA from strawberries
Working on extracting DNA from strawberries.
DNA from strawberries
DNA from strawberries.
Students put grass stains into fabric
Students put grass stains into fabric.
Soaking the grass stains
Soaking the grass stains
Graduate student Danielle Mai (at right) works with a group of students.
Graduate student Danielle Mai (at right) works with a group of students.
Students get ready to perform some hands-on experiments.
Students get ready to perform some hands-on experiments.