Activities
Let's get Ready to Rumble!
Each module consists of a series of guided inquiry experiences including illustrations of basic physical concepts, first-hand experiments with automobile parts provided by the SUNY Morrisville facility, case studies of automotive and historical events, and explorations of fundamental physical principles. At each stage of the module, students decide how to address their original question, then they design the specific experiments, ask questions to determine how to proceed, collect the data, make observations and interpretations, draw their own conclusions, and discuss their results in small groups. The girls can amend their experiments and try them again to clarify concepts as well, giving them first hand experience in the iterative nature of the scientific method. The instructors provide guidance throughout the process as necessary, in the form of specific operation instructions, clarification of concepts, suggestions for ways to proceed, and guidance in interpreting results.
"I really liked all the hands on stuff and the exploding stuff and learning things most guys my age don't know." -2003 Participant
Some of the fun, hands-on activities YOU could experience at Discovery Under the Hood include:
Electric Cars and Mousetrap racers
2003 Create your own racing vehicle using mousetraps. Personalize them and then it's off to the races!
2004-05 Make your own battery and solar powered cars and go for a road test.
Engines
Discover what makes a car go! Participants will explore the motion of pistons, examine engine models and cut-aways and compare different engine sizes and cylinder numbers. In Colgate laboratories they can test how burning gas makes a car go.
Automotive Design
With your personal automobile design kit, draw your favorite make and model or design the car of the future.
Welding
Use your car design to make a key rack or wind chime out of wire and spare metal parts.
Fluids, Fuel and Exhaust Gases
Make Bio-Diesel Fuel out of supplies from the grocery store!
Participants will determine the fuel efficiency and potential environmental damage for different vehicles. In the labs, they will break apart exhaust product to see what it's really made of. Using their senses of smell and sight the girls can learn to differentiate between the fluids used under the hood.
Tires
Do you know how to change a tire? Discovery girls do!
Change tires on family cars or learn how the NASCAR professionals do it. Join in the Pit Crew Challenge! Learn about the right pressure for your tire and the treads and sizes for certain vehicles.
Air bags and Seatbelts
Buckle up for safety! Participants learn about the safety features of airbags and seatbelts. See an airbag explode and then learn about the physics and electronics that make it work. Measure the force that seatbelts can handle and how they are attached in your vehicle to keep you safe. View crash test simulations and learn safety precautions.
Brakes
"Slow down. You're moving too fast!" Participants learn about the advantage of the antilock braking system, determine how gas pressure affects the force needed to brake and slide across the ice on scooters to see how important friction is. Replace brake pads and explore static friction versus sliding friction.
Auto Parts Scavenger Hunt
So where is the Automatic Defibulator? Get underneath a vehicle to see what's hiding down there. After learning about car parts and fluids the girls are put to the test. During our auto scavenger hunt they search to identify a list of auto parts. You really have to get down and dirty, because it's a race to the finish!
"I like the fact that we got to learn about cars and actually get dirty." -2003 Participant
Off to the races...
Test your driving skills in a simulated NASCAR race!
Racing your electric cars is a fun way to learn about physics!
State Trooper Demonstration for Safety on the Road
Participants get a first hand experience on how police officers can use tire tracks to determine if a driver was speeding or not! Talk about safety on the road or ask questions about a career in law enforcement.
Career Exploration Panel
Learn about the many occupations available in the science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) fields. See where a STEM related job could get you in life.
Guest Speakers
Jessica Bayliss, Ph.D., Sergeant Musco Milner
Rochester Institute of Technology—Ass't Professor New York State Troop D
"Today the group had a guest speaker who was an engineer and a woman. She worked on diesel engines for semis and trucks. This made me realize that women can do anything that we think we can accomplish." -2003 Participant
The fun doesn't end there. At night, relax with your new friends during a pizza party, a movie showing at the Hamilton Theater and karaoke night.
