Sarah and Courtney travelled to Durham on Saturday, February 25th to lead activities at the annual FEMMES Capstone event on main campus. FEMMES (Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and Science) is an undergraduate-led organization that seeks to provide STEM opportunities and role models to local female students. Hundreds of 4th-6th graders attended the event and each participated in 4 various STEM activities led by Duke researchers.
Thirty girls participated in Sarah and Courtney’s activities throughout the day. After learning about algae growth requirements and applications of algae, they designed and set up an experiment to test how different light levels affect algae growth. Sarah and Courtney brought the “results” previously grown in our lab, and girls measured and graphed the turbidity of the algae cultures. They enjoyed using laboratory tools and seeing if the results matched their hypotheses. Some even left thinking that “algae are cool,” which means mission accomplished!
