2011 Take Our Kids To Work Day Breakout Activities

EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ANATOMY
Get a glimpse beneath the skin of the human body and discover the internal structure that makes up who we are. Participants will have the opportunity to work with anatomical models and specimens to develop an understanding of anatomy and the organization and systems of the human body.

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
This session is designed for students who might be interested in studying engineering after high school. Participants will learn about McMaster’s rich selection of undergraduate engineering programs and take part in an engineering facilities tour and fundamentals introduction. Along the way, they will also have the chance to speak with current McMaster Engineering students about this exciting area of study.

LYONS NEW MEDIA CENTRE
In the Lyons New Media Centre, participants will discover how actors in movies can appear in wild and crazy places with a hands-on workshop using the Centre’s green-screen and photo editing software. Join this session for some fun and learn how to transport yourself to another location in pictures!

McMASTER HIGH PERFORMANCE LABORATORY
Come get your blood pumping at the new McMaster High Performance Laboratory! Participants will be given the opportunity to learn how the heart, lungs and muscles respond to exercise and will be introduced to equipment used to determine body composition and learn about how exercise can improve your health.

McMASTER MUSEUM OF ART
A behind the scenes tour will show participants how the University’s internationally recognized collection of more than 7000 objects is stored, conserved and prepared for exhibition. The tour will include a visit to the vaults and state of the art Paper Centre as well as a private viewing of collection favourites.

VISION & COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE LAB
Learn about experiments that investigate how younger and older participants differ in terms of facial recognition, spotting objects in a cluttered background and motion perception and explore which tasks can improve with training.  Participants will also learn why facial recognition is a difficult task and have an opportunity to put themselves to the test and find out what it’s like to pick out a suspect from a police line-up.

W.J. McCALLION PLANETARIUM
The planetarium is a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and this presentation is made from the best scientific evidence on hand. The session is geared toward educating students about the Earth and its relationship to the Solar System and the rest of the Universe. Emphasis is on constellations and the planets in our Solar System but other fascinating objects inside and outside our own Galaxy will also be shown along the way if time permits.