Final Thoughts

So it has only taken a week and a half for me to recover enough to share some final thoughts, but here they are.

Camp was, once again, a huge success. We had no problems and no urgent care trips, which is always one of our goals. I got an hour of sleep on Friday night, which was an improvement over the total all-nighter of 2010. I think we sent the girls home exhausted, with memories and experiences that they will hold onto for a long time.

We always get questions as to how former campers can become counselors (because they see that the counselors have the most fun of anybody at camp, probably). The easiest answer is: stay connected with your branch. Branch coordinators are the first people we go to when we need more counselors for camp. We like to pick girls who have stayed involved with the people that let them have such an amazing experience.

Next question that's frequently asked: how did we make ice cream. I don't know, since at that point I'm locked up with my computer trying to make a video, but Rosann has provided me with the instructions.

Materials needed (per group): 1 large ziplock bag, ice to fill 1/2 the bag, 1 cup rock salt, 1 swim towel (or other suitable device that will let you not freeze your hands)

Materials (per individual): 1 sandwich size ziplock, 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 cup Half and Half (or milk or cream), flavoring (optional 1 tsp chocolate or vanilla flavoring)

Mix all the ingredients per individual in the small ziplock bag, and place those two bags in the large ziplock, along with the salt and ice. Wrap the bag in a towel and shake until the ice cream freezes. Rinse off the small ziplock bags, cut off the corner, and enjoy.

Last question: what's with this Facebook page thing? Tech Trek Fresno does have a Facebook group page, which anybody is welcome to join. It's a great way to share pictures, videos, links we find on the internet about math and science, and keep in touch with one another after camp. People have already put up pictures from camp, so if you didn't have a camera (or forgot to take pictures with it) you'll find a ton there. Also, once things have settled down for me in school, I'll make version 2.0 of the video (although I'm probably the only one that noticed the mistakes in 1.0, I'll still fix them and add more footage from Friday). I'll also do my best to put up footage from Friday night's talent show.

- Becca

Day 5, 2011

Today is Challenger Day. The bus leaves early (7:00) so we can spend all day at space camp. The girls get to do three different activities - a simulated mission to mars, chemical rockets, and electric cars. My favorite of the three is rockets, and I usually build one with at least two of our three groups. There is also a really cool hands on museum that has all sorts of examples of physics in action. This is possibly the 'flight crew's' favorite day. As you can see by the picture at the bottom we really get into it.

After Challenger we have our pool party and make ice cream in plastic bags. Lots of campers asked for instructions on how to make the ice cream, so Rosann (one of our teachers) wrote down how we make it. I will post that after camp, so you'll have to be sure to come back. - Becca

Day 4, 2011

Core classes were interesting today. In Art in Math we learned about fractals. We also drew some organic and geometric fractal using paint and pencils. Today in Motion Coasters we raced our balloon propelled, amazing race cars and learned about Newton's 3rd Law. At Art of Construction, we began making bridges of popsicle sticks. In Murder Mystery we started day 2 of analyzing evidence and got closer to solving the mystery. In chemistry we experimented with the pH table, acids, and bases. In Women in Math today we learned new games and finished our projects

Today Leslie (a counselor) brought a pre-made hovercraft that she let us try out. Since there was almost no friction we were able to glide on it. It was made of household items; they were plywood, a leaf blower, plastic, and the top to a coffee can. It was a very exciting experience.

Bowling tonight was awesome! The 2nd highest scorers tied with 101 points. Ashley (a teacher) got the highest score of 118 points. The air was filled with cheering and clapping (and some screaming). The counselors wore funny socks, but Becca didn't have any so she just painted them on. We left with great memories of a fun night.

Day 3, 2011

Day 3 means more core classes and labs, as well as a trip to the planetarium. It also means team building activities and whatever other games I can cram into the empty space. - Becca

So far this week we've had a blast. We've played team building games that helped us learn how to cooperate with one another while having fun. We've done computer programming, canoeing, strawberry DNA extracting, and Mathemagic labs. During canoeing this week we've learned how to communicate with one another, paddle, and control the canoe. Also some of the extra activities were mentos and soda, ultimate duck duck goose, human knot, and two versions of rock paper scissors. We've had to much fun and we have more yet to come.

Today at the Planetarium we watched a presentation about historical women in the fields of astronomy and technology. We also learned about the constellations and space shuttle. At the conclusion of today, we looked through a telescope and saw Saturn and its rings.

This is our first week living in actual college dorms. We have learned to live with a complete stranger as our roommate. We have the privilege of getting to know our dorm groups, dorm moms, and our counselors. It has been interesting to meet other girls who love math and science. It has been very spectacular to get to know how and why other girls got accepted into Tech Trek.

Day 2, 2011

Today was the first day of our real schedule at camp. The morning is taken up with labs, the afternoon with core classes, and we also have evening activities. And in between as much fun as possible to cram into a few hours. - Becca

Today for labs, the girls go to experience many different activities. Some got to study DNA from strawberries, while some were programming computers using a program called Scratch. Meanwhile, the red group was out canoeing down the San Joaquin River, where Tanya and Katie (a dorm mom and counselor) fell in the river twice! Luckily the girls learned a lesson or two and weren't as clumsy.

In chemistry we did the magic raisins experiment which was really fun and exciting and we learned about density. While chemistry was fun, some chose to do Murder Mystery, and out eyes were a main point. There was a false crime scene set up, and we had to draw and write detailed descriptions about what we saw. In Motion Coasters, we learned about Newton's Law of Inertia by sliding a flashcard out from under a penny to drop it into a cup, switching the bottom in a stack of washers out without lifting them up, and a fun game to try to get pennies in a cup.After, we learned about centrifugal force by flipping a glass of water upside down in a circle. In the core class Math in Art we learned how everything in art involves math, even though we don't notice it. In the class we chose three different color yarn and built a tri-stitch triangle by sewing. It was really fun.

As for the evening activities, we did three things. The first thing is we took a group photo after dinner. After we finally managed to take the photo we went back to Baker Hall to prepare for our guest speakers. there was a wide variety of mathematicians and scientists. They inspired us to follow our future dreams. We also played our cutsom version of paper, rock, scissors called Elves, Giants, and Wizards. We had a fabulous day.

Written by: Melanie N, Maia Z, Rose W, Hannah G, Jasmine Y, Sarah Boyer, Izabelle T, Madison D, Aileen A, Mackenzie R, Samantha R, Lexie M

Day 1, 2011

Tonight's post is a little short since everything is crazy on the first night. Tomorrow night expect some pictures! - Becca

Today I arrived at camp. After unpacking my stuff, I met my dorm mom and counselor. Everyone was very nice and really fun. The presentation gave me a little better idea of what to expect from camp this week. My parents left afterwards and my dorm group and I left together back to our rooms. My dorm mom and counselor informed us about some of the rules and about the schedule. It sounds like it’s going to be a busy, but very fun week! Shortly after that, I got to eat my first meal in a college cafeteria! I didn’t know what to expect, but it was pretty good. It was one of the girl’s birthdays, and she was given a crazy hat and the entire dinning hall sang happy birthday to her!

Afterwards, we did a bunch of really fun activities. First, we had to mingle with other girls, and I got to meet people outside of my dorm group. Secondly, we played a game called “Bring Me”, where Becca told us to bring something, and we had to run up and bring it to her. Then we had to lay on the ground and pass cups of water down to the end of the line to try to fill up a bucket as fast as we could. I got so wet from that! After that we got to come up with our group name and created an awesome poster. We had another quick dorm group meeting and then had some free time. I’m pretty tired, but I’m very excited for tomorrow!