RHS STEM Summer Camp

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RHS STEM Summer Camp Each year, the Science Department at Ripon High School host a two-week STEM summer camp. The theme of the camp changes annually.

Final day of 2026 STEM Camp. Students started the day testing the strength of the bridges they built last week (videos ...
07/17/2026

Final day of 2026 STEM Camp. Students started the day testing the strength of the bridges they built last week (videos in the comments).

Then, students tested the phosphorus content of various lake (and one fish tank) samples by comparing unknown against known concentrations using spectrophotometry. Results were compared to a state-wide average for natural lakes and used to estimate the trophic state of their lakes. We also discussed the role temperature and density play in Lake turnovers.

In the afternoon Dr. Robin Forbes-Lorman taught the students about her research involving rats and the hormone cassopresdin. By staining slices of rat brains, Dr. Forbes-Lorman can map the anatomical distribution and activity of vasopressin and its receptors. Vasopressin regulates complex social behaviors (like social recognition and aggression), circadian rhythms, and stress responses.

Today we explored Green Lake and its tributary White Creek. Students learned about the unique features of Green Lake, c...
07/17/2026

Today we explored Green Lake and its tributary White Creek. Students learned about the unique features of Green Lake, collected plankton samples, checked water clarity with Secchi disks and got to "survey" the fish and plants with an underwater ROV. Thank you to LEAF Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Education for lending us the device. One day a drone, another day an underwater rover!

In the creek, students tested for dissolved oxygen, monitored stream flow and surveyed the creekbed for aquatic invertebrates.

The afternoon was again spent with Dr. Christina Othon at Ripon College. The students learned about biophysics. They used gummy worms and snakes to model the stress and strain put on muscles and tendons.

Students also learned how complex molecules like certain sugars add extremophile organisms survive harsh or even lethal conditions.

We started the day visiting the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fish Hatchery in Wild Rose. Students learned ...
07/15/2026

We started the day visiting the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fish Hatchery in Wild Rose. Students learned how certain species of cold and cool water fish are raised from egg collection, hatching, growing, feeding and ultimately release into the waters of the State.

The afternoon was spent with Dr. Christina Othon at Ripon College. The students learned how fluids of varying viscosity respond to forces, the characteristics of non-Newtonian fluids and the physics of bubbles (a favorite of the students from the look of things).

Tomorrow, we're off to Green Lake!

Today, the students sorted and weighed aquatic plants to estimate diversity and species abundance. They then analyzed f...
07/15/2026

Today, the students sorted and weighed aquatic plants to estimate diversity and species abundance.

They then analyzed fresh zooplankton samples from Green Lake to identify three main types and calculate the density of these organisms per cubic meter of water.

In the afternoon, we again visited the Ripon College Biology Department and Dr. Robin Forbes-Lorman had the students dissect pig hearts, explore other aspects or cardiac physiology and analyze their heart electrical activity using an ECG. They also got to virtually explore human anatomy using the 3D Anatomage at Ripon College .

Week 2 of STEM Camp started today. We kicked of the day visiting Silver Lake in Wautoma. Todd and the crew from Onterra...
07/14/2026

Week 2 of STEM Camp started today. We kicked of the day visiting Silver Lake in Wautoma. Todd and the crew from Onterra, LLC showed us how aquatic plant surveys are conducted, how the data are used to direct management of lakes and how to identify many native (and a couple invasive) aquatic plant species.

Then, Scott and Thomas, fish biologists with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources explained how fish surveys are conducted using various nets and electrofishing equipment.

In the afternoon, Dr. Ben Grady at Ripon College Biology Department taught the students how to identify different families of terrestrial plants. Then the students used this information to categorize other species on campus.

The day ended with a demonstration of new technology used to identify plant species using multispectral cameras mounted on drones.

It was a fascinating, fun-filled, educational day!

The 2026 RHS Summer STEM Camp has kicked off this week. We are again partnering with the science faculty at Ripon Colle...
07/08/2026

The 2026 RHS Summer STEM Camp has kicked off this week. We are again partnering with the science faculty at Ripon College to offer afternoon workshops on campus. The students worked with Dr. Patrick Willoughby in the Chemistry lab on a titration lab to determine the molecular mass of an atom. On day 2 they conducted Grignard reactions to show how new carbon-carbon bonds can be made.

This mornings have been focused on the engineering of bridges starting with the center of mass and leading into trusses for buildings.

We're pleased to have another great group of students this year.

Wrapping up STEM Summer Camp last week: In the mornings, students spent a lot of time looking at how magnets needed to b...
07/15/2025

Wrapping up STEM Summer Camp last week: In the mornings, students spent a lot of time looking at how magnets needed to be oriented in order to produce an electrical voltage. Most of the groups were able to get an LED to light up, but almost everyone ran into some amount of frustration with the design component. It was an excellent learning opportunity for the kids because they were able to get real-time feedback. They were able to experiment with seeing how the distance of a magnet, the orientation of the magnet, and even the type of magnet affected the desired output voltage.

In the afternoon, we worked in Ripon College's new chemistry laboratory. Dr. Bryan Nell taught us inorganic coordination chemistry, where we took pink cobalt chloride, ethylenediamine, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen peroxide to produce a beautiful sparkling green crystal complex. Additionally, we got a tour of the new building, new lab spaces, some fun liquid nitrogen demonstrations, and redox reactions by lighting some gummy bears on fire with potassium chlorate.

Dr. Willoughby taught the students organic chemistry by having them mix vinegar and an alcohol to produce an oil that had a pleasant smell of bananas. On Friday, we took our banana oils and ran them through the new 9 tesla nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machine to see exactly what we made. After that, he went on and took the students through the process of making aspirin by combining aniline and acetic anhydride with water to create acetanilide, which is an analogue of aspirin. Because the aniline was impure, the fire crystal that was created was impure, and thus we had to recrystallize our samples after purifying our solutions with activated charcoal. Through vacuum filtration, we ended up with a pure, shiny white crystal, analyzed by the melting point.

Day 5 of STEM CampIn the morning, the students learned about what a magnet is and how electric currents are generated fr...
07/08/2025

Day 5 of STEM Camp

In the morning, the students learned about what a magnet is and how electric currents are generated from them. Afterwards, the students took apart ceiling fans to see what made them work and get some basic ideas for the windmills they will start making tomorrow.

At Ripon College, Drs. Kristine Kovek-Lesh and Julia Manor explained the psychology of studying different behaviors. They showed the students how they study behaviors with rats, where the rats could only respond to a "yes" like stimulus. The students attempted to train the rats to hit a lever to get water. Dr. Manor and Dr. Kovek-Lesh explained how they study human feelings of emotion and how that relates to facial expressions in kids ages 8-14.

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850 Tiger Drive
Ripon, WI
54971

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+19207484616

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