A Free Renewable Energy-based Physics Day Camp for Middle School Girls*

On its seventh year, the Physics Wonder Girls Program¹ provided a free, novel renewable energy physics-based immersion experience to two cohorts of middle school girls selected from a pool of high-performing students in the Philadelphia-New Jersey area. The girls came from diverse communities, including underserved school districts. Girls were introduced to the theme of renewable energy, took a crash course on circuits using solar cell kits, and then built and raced solar cars, and solar boats on a portable pool. They compared the efficiencies of silicon cells versus organic solar cells, built solar cells based on dyes from raspberry and blackberry fruit, and used a thermal imager to audit heat leaks. They explored wind power using model turbines, digital anemometers, and a commercial turbine. They met women physicists engineers from the local food industry, toured a local food company and presented demonstrations to a community of friends and teachers.
¹Web: https://sites.google.com/usciences.edu/physicswondergirlscamp/