Archives for STEM

STEAM at Home: Creepy Candy

To celebrate Eat Anything You Want Day and Twilight Zone Day (May 11), I thought it would be fun to experiment with creating some creepy candies: dancing worms, growing gummy bears, and rainbow candy art. I have always been fascinated by creepy crawlies and I have a sweet tooth, so a project that combined experiments with candy sounded like lots of fun. I also love researching STEAM projects and learning the creative science behind the process. As an adult, it’s a really fun way to get in touch with your inner child. And as a parent or caregiver these experiments
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Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

STEAM at Home: Trove Kinetic Sculpture

I know there are a lot of people out there who are big fans of the kinetic sculpture in the Trove. The sculpture was created by Jeffrey Zachmann, a kinetic sculptor from Minnesota. Interested in knowing more about the creator of the Trove’s kinetic sculpture? Watch this interview where Mr. Zachmann discusses his work. At the end of each week’s What’s the Story? Safe At Home newsletter, I’ve been sharing videos of a variety of really cool kinetic sculptures and marble runs as an homage to the kinetic sculpture in the Trove. Those videos I have shared so far have
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Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

STEAM at Home: Lava Lamp

Make a Lava Lamp using materials found around your home. Then experiment with it. Materials: Clear glass cup Water Vegetable oil Food dye Alka Seltzer Light – flashlight or lamp Procedure: Fill the glass ¼ full with water. Add some food dye. Fill the rest of the glass with vegetable oil (but not all the way to the top). Break up the Alka Seltzer tablet into 4 pieces. Drop 1 piece of Alka Seltzer into the glass and see what happens. Once it has worked, turn off the rest of the lights in the room and place the glass over
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Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Talkin’ Tech: Modern Multilinguals

Let’s talk about technology. Since the invention of the wheel, tools have become more and more complex – and today it can be hard to keep up! In the “Talkin' Tech” column, we will discuss the ever-changing trends in the modern digital arena. From artificial intelligence to Zuckerberg, join Austin in examining all things tech from our vantage point in the 4th industrial revolution: the imagination age! Have you ever wanted to try your hand at coding? Coding, or computer programming, is the way we talk to computers and tell them what to do. It is like learning a second
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Categories: eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Women in STEM

All of the remaining programs are canceled this month. Take part in programs celebrating Women in STEM to celebrate Women's History Month throughout March. Women in STEM Film series: Thursday, March 5 at 6:00 p.m.: Gravity (PG-13, 91 mins.) Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m.: Hidden Figures (PG, 127 mins.) Thursday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m.: Contact (PG-13, 153 mins.) Tuesday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m.: Amelia (PG, 111 mins.) Tuesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m.: Temple Grandin (PG, 110 mins.) Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m.: Arrival (PG-13, 116 mins.) Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m.: Gorillas in the
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Con Edison Maker Camp for Teens

Our first School Break Mini-Camp held at the end of December was a great success. Teens worked with Ashley Perez (engineering major at the University of Buffalo), and Louis Grassi (student at White Plains High School). They worked on a variety of projects showing different ways of creating energy, from bio-fuels to solar panels and wind turbines to perpetual motion. Our second School Vacation Maker Camp—held February 18-21—will focus on Robotics. Teens will participate in a variety of no tech to hi tech activities that will teach basic skills in Engineering, Coding, Design Thinking, and Computational Thinking. Some of the
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Talkin’ Tech: Microchips Ahoy!

Let’s talk about technology. Since the invention of the wheel, tools have become more and more complex – and today it can be hard to keep up! In the “Talkin' Tech” column, we will discuss the ever-changing trends in the modern digital arena. From artificial intelligence to Zuckerberg, join Austin in examining all things tech from our vantage point in the 4th industrial revolution: the imagination age!     A computer can only understand two things: “on” and “off.” It’s called binary, and it is the basis for all things digital. As the Digital Media Specialist at the library, it
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Categories: Evergreen, Kids, and Library News.

Summer Maker Camps for Teens

This post has expired. Check back in June 2020 for next summer's camps or visit our teen calendar for current events. Our Summer of Making with the EDGE-ucators returns next month. Register today! Monday-Thursday (except where noted), 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. For teen entering grades 7-12 in fall 2019. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. There is a $5 materials fee that will be collected on the first day. Session 1: Constructing a City – July 1-3 All those curious how a city is designed and built from bridges to dams and buildings, come build a city with a
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

STEM Buddies

Join us every other Thursday at 4:30 p.m. beginning January 10th for STEM Buddies. During this program children in grades 1-4 can sign up at the Compass Desk in the Trove to work on STEM activities in small groups for 30 minutes with teen volunteers or college students. Sign-up will start at 4:00 p.m. STEM = Science Technology Engineering Math Read more about STEM and STEAM here.
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Makers Wanted!

Become a Maker Corps Member and lead a summer of making in The Edge at the Library!  The White Plains Public Library, in partnership with Argus Information and Advisory Services, has been accepted to be a Maker Corps site this summer, which means that all summer long we will be holding STEM-related workshops and mini-camps. Are you a maker, a DIY enthusiast, an artist, or interested in new and emerging technologies?  The Library needs to hire two people as Maker Corps Members that are interested in the Maker movement, want to work with teens, and build an innovative and exciting
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Categories: Library News, Technology, and Teens.