NDSU Distance & Continuing Education (DCE)

Course Description:

If you are a young woman in grades 7-9 from a regional school or are home schooled, you are invited to attend the Expanding Your Horizons conference. 

Expanding Your Horizons is a nationwide organization that holds regional conferences for young women. This conference is designed to encourage you and expand your career interests in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

This one-day conference is held annually in late March or April, and provides more than 50 hands-on workshop sessions each year at various locations throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area. Local professionals lead the workshops and provide you with the opportunity to meet and form personal contacts with women working in traditionally male occupations.

If you need special accommodations you are encouraged to notify Expanding Your Horizons in advance of this program. Contact the Expanding Your Horizons coordinator in the NDSU Office of Teaching and Learning.

 

 

---

History:

In the 40 years Expanding Your Horizons has been brought to the Fargo-Moorhead area, it has had an impact on more than 23,000 youth.  It began as an effort to overcome a history of limited participation by women in science, technology, engineering, and math career fields. This regional conference is a Tri-college effort, with collaboration from numerous community partners.

View a list of recent event sponsors.

 

 

---

Schedule:

 

8:30-9:15 a.m. – Check-in, Conference Materials, & Breakfast (provided) at NDSU Bentson-Bunker Fieldhouse

9:20 a.m. – Welcome, announcements, & release to morning workshops

10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. – Two morning workshops

12:10 p.m. – Lunch (provided), NDSU Bentson-Bunker Fieldhouse

12:50 p.m. – Announcements & release to afternoon workshops

1:15-3:25 p.m. – Two afternoon workshops

3:40 p.m. – Students may be picked up at NDSU Bentson-Bunker Fieldhouse

 

 

---

Participants:

We encourage you to connect with as many people as possible at this conference. There will be many opportunities to meet students from other schools who share your interest in these careers.  We also encourage you to get to know the instructors of the workshops you really enjoyed, they are a wealth of knowledge about the subject.

Trust us, these instructors want to know that you are interested in their topic and/or career!

 

What to Wear

In general, comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended.  These are hands-on workshops, so please wear close-toe shoes and clothing you would wear for working on projects. 

You will be walking outside from building to building. Dress for the weather and wear layers in case a room or building is cooler or warmer than you expected. 

 

Special Accommodations

Individuals who need special accommodations are encouraged to notify Expanding Your Horizons in advance of this program. NDSU has a Disability Services Office that can assist in finding resources for necessary accommodations.

Also, please be sure to let us know if you have any severe food allergies that requires special accommodations.

 

 

---

Register:

The registration deadline is February 18, 2019.  Current registration forms that include a list of workshops will be sent out to regional schools a few months prior to the conference or download a brochure here (pdf) 

 

Register Today (pdf) >> 

 

Return the signed and completed form to your school counselor and they will return all completed forms to:

NDSU Office of Teaching and Learning  |  Distance and Continuing Education
Attn: Expanding Your Horizons
Dept. 2020, P.O.Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050

 

 

---

Workshops:

Expanding Your Horizons 2019 will include the following workshops. View more information about offering a workshop.

 

View Brochure (pdf)

1. One Love, One Heart, One Density
   We will learn about density by conducting experiments: creating test-tube rainbows and discovering objects’ density using various tools from the lab. - Michaela Myhrer, Graeme Wyllie – Physical Science
2. Nursing: The Most Trusted Profession
   Explore nursing as a vocation to service in the world. - Tally Tinjum – Nursing
3. How Much Vitamin C is in My Juice?
   Using a practice called titrating, we will be able to determine the amount of Vitamin C in both orange juice and Sunny D. - Hannah Gunderson – Chemistry
4. Synaptic Potential!
   Measure neuron activity, dissect a mammalian brain, and record zebrafish in action. - Krys Strand, Allyssa Dalen – Neuroscience
5. Zookeeper for a Day
   Hands-on learning about the care and enrichment of Concordia’s mini zoo of invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and more. - Krys Strand, Allyssa Dalen – Biology
6. The Game of SET
   Learn how to play the card game SET and some of the math involved in this fun game! - Dan Biebighauser – Mathematics
7. Can Liquids be Magnetic?
   We will learn the concept of magnetism and work with several magnetic materials. - Thelma Berquo – Physics
8. Fascinating Fractals
   We’ll make fractals in two and three dimensions, and learn about how fractals connect math, nature, and art! - Julia Walk – Mathematics
9. How to Teach a Rat New Tricks
   You will observe rats who have been trained to press a lever for food and get experience training rats. - Susan Larson – Psychology
10. Radio Telemetry of Campus Squirrels
    We conduct radio telemetry to document the location an behavior of red and gray squirrels on the Concordia College campus. - Joe Whittaker, Chloe Whitten, Breann Adamek, Mollie Francis, Jenna Stillwell, Sonja Gilie – Biology
11. You Can Do Rocket Science
    Explore what makes things fly and try your hand at a launch with a rocket that you design and build (weather permitting). - Steve Lindaas, Jan Glanzer, Melissa Foley, Isobel Snellenberger, Shannon Poppen – Physics 
12. Making Music with Drinking Straws
    Learn about the science of waves, and how to use this to make music with straws. - Ananda Shastri – Physics
13. Mapping Your World
    Join us to find the hidden treasure! It’s closer than you think. - Kay Anderson, David Kramar, Carol Wickenheiser – GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
14. A-Mazing Experience
    How fast can you find your way through a maze? Find out how psychologists study learning conditions. - Peg Potter – Psychology
15. The Choice is Yours
    Do your decisions involve economics? Let’s analyze your choices and find out! - T.J. Hansen, Gregory Stutes – Economics
16. Healthcare Career Exploration
    A behind the scenes look at healthcare opportunities and careers. - Patricia Wetzel – Healthcare: Nursing, Surgery, RT, SIM
17. Critical Care Nurses Make a Critical Difference
    Hands-on experience of critical care nurses. See your own heart beat using some ICU equipment. Play some fun interactive games. Work out medical equations and discuss the importance of science with a nursing career. - Tamra Bigger, Jess Althoff – Nursing
18. Disaster Response Exercise
    Engage in a mock tabletop exercise that looks to handle a series of events happening to Fargo. - Samantha Montano, Amanda Savitt – Emergency Management
19. efargo: Recycle, Iterate, Pulverize
    Workshop led by efargo Team to spread intelligence on clean energy and energy reduction through the use of interactive games and activities. - Amy Mueller, Noor Abdelhamid – Architecture
20. Assembly Process for Everyone!
    Join us for a fun and interactive introduction to the assembly line process with a card making group activity. - Nita Yodo, Tanzina Arfin, Arup Dev – Industrial Engineering
21. Building Material Design & Engineering
    Learn about different construction materials and put your designs to the test! - Ying Huang – Civil Engineering 
22. We’re All Aging
    Experience the aging process through sensory simulation. Learn about the field of aging and health while building empathy for daily lives of older adults. - Gina Aalgaard Kelly – Gerontology, Nursing & Public Health
23. Strong Women: Clinical Exercise Experiments
    Experience current technology used in clinical exercise environments that are commonly applied to athletes, astronauts, and everyday people. - Kara Trautman, Donna Terbizan, Stephanie Walzetko – Exercise Science
24. 3D Printing Workshop
    Explore the Makerspace and technology! We will 3D Scan an object and 3D print a smaller version of it. - Adam Elznic - Technology
25. Color Your World
    Participants will experiment with textile dye methods and create a project they can take home. - Sara Sunderlin – Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design
26. The Importance of Body Positivity
    This workshop will include several activities (written and in game form) aimed at teaching and promoting body positivity. - Emma Johnson, Kerrie Leonard, Lauren Grant, Victoria Krabbenhoft, Sarah Klein – Developmental Science
27. An Interactive Eye Tracking Session
    Learn what an infrared eye tracker is and how it is used with humans to collect data for important research studies. You will be able to see it in action, with you as the participant. - Emma Johnson, Kerrie Leonard, Lauren Grant, Victoria Krabbenhoft, Sara Klein – Developmental Science
28. Generation Rx
    An interactive presentation on the misuse and abuse of prescription medications with open discussions and fun games with prizes such as candy. - Andrea Buzakovic, Ellie Tupper, Kate Astrup – Pharmacy
29. I Want to Hold Your Hand
    Learn about the profession of pharmacy and how to make lotions and lip balms using extemporaneous compounding techniques and equipment. - Jeanne Frenzel – Pharmacy
30. Nursing: Listen, Feel & Pump It UP
    Learn the basics of nursing, including vital signs, heart and lung sounds, and other assessment skills. - Aurora Obembe – Nursing 
31. Explore the Diabetic Epidemic
    Participate in hands-on activities to learn what it’s like to have diabetes and how diabetes is managed. - Breanna Kompelien, Angela Thompson, Gail Ronsberg – Healthcare
32. Archaeology Simulation
    This workshop aims to teach about what anthropology is, specifically archaeology, through a short lecture and an exciting dig simulation. - Emily Nelson, Kaitlynn Anderson, Kristen Fellows – Anthropology
33. Communicating Meaningfully with Numbers
    Words sometimes are not enough to pass a message across effectively, some form of numbers are required. Students will analyze some media/social media content and be able to tell their stories using numbers. - Blessing Okafor, Margaretwagari Githua - Communication
34. Mapping Your Whereabouts
    You will personalize Google Earth by creating an XML file. - Anne Denton, Megan Bouret – Computer Science
35. Creating Tornadoes
    Do you want to see how tornadoes form? In a controlled environment, we will set up conditions favorable for tornadoes to form. This will be the closest encounter with a tornado you will ever have. - Adnan Akyuz – Climatology
36. Food Microbes and You
    Understanding helpful and harmful microbes in foods through hands-on activities and discussions. - Teresa Bergholz – Biology
37. Coatings & Polymers in Our World
    Understanding helpful and harmful microbes in foods through hands-on activities and discussions. - Mary (Mal) Hedrick – Coatings & Polymeric Materials
38. Physics of Slime & Other Serious Matters
    Explore the physics of slime, ooblek, and other exciting experiments like building circuits and imaging human DNA. - Brianna Santangelo, Mila Kryjevskaia, Lina Alhalhooly, Rachel Downing, Wasthala Amadoru Jayawardana – Physics
39. Disease Outbreak Investigation
    Learn how to trace a disease outbreak to its origin, using your epidemiologic skills. - Danielle Pinnick – Public Health
40. Who’s Your (Calf’s) Daddy?
    Learn about parentage verification and other DNA technologies in animal agriculture, plus extract your own DNA! - Lauren Hanna, Alison Ward – Animal Science
41. Exploring Plant Sciences
    Learn about how plants grow, affect the environment, and feed the world. - Felicity Merritt – Biology & Genetics
42. The Dirt on Soil
    Explore the living wonders of the soil! Using microscopes, students will learn about the microorganisms that live in this underground ecosystem. - Mackenzie Ries – Soil Science
43. Brain Food
    Eat your experiments and learn about the science on your plate! A field where food meets chemistry, microbiology, and engineering. - Jane Snelling, Hanna Gross, Madison Gohl – Food Science
44. How to Train Your Dragon
    Explore classic psychological principles to behaviorally train animals - and even humans! - Taylor Nelson, Anna Semenko – Psychology
45. Is Class Participation Deadly?
    Learn how to use scientific practices to test the hypothesis that class participation can make you spontaneously combust. - Anna Semenko, Taylor Nelson – Psychology
46. Bats and Birds: Field Methods
    Handle and discuss common tools of the trade to experience life as a field ecologist researching bats and birds! - Lydia C. Olson Nixon, Anui Ghimire – Biology
47. See Cancer Cells in Colors
    Students will stain cancer cells with different dyes and learn to identify different structures in the cells. - Estelle Leclerc, Swetha Thiyagarajan – Biology
48. Mathematics/Combinatorics: Counting Without Counting
    Explore the awesome Catalan numbers, some of the cool objects they count, along with transformations between them. - Sara Solhjem, Jessica Striker – Mathematics
49. Ribbeting Fun(gi) with Citizen Science!
    Learn all about amphibians and fungi, and how to become a citizen scientist! - Alicia Schlarb, Rebecca Bradley, Alison Long – Biology
50. Fun with Coding
    Use an interactive website known as ‘Made with Code’ to code at different levels using blocks instead of writing lines of code. - Sayantica Pattanayak, Simone Ludwig – Computer Science
51. Insect Jeopardy!
    Fun, interactive way to learn about bugs. Will also have insects on display. - Mia Park, Liz Cambron, Kayla Earls – Biology
52. Animal Science
    Learn about production agriculture by touring Animal Nutrition & Physiology Center and learning about the different animal units and research being done in animal science at NDSU. - Kacie McCarthy – Animal Science

 

 

---

Volunteer:

Each year the Expanding Your Horizons conference relies on sponsors, students, faculty, staff, and community volunteers to make this event a success. You are invited to volunteer as a workshop leader, event sponsor, or event assistant.

 

Workshop Leaders

You are invited to participate as a workshop leader for the annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference. Workshops are accepted annually until November 1.

Workshop leaders are usually women in careers or instructors in areas of medical, business, science, math, and engineering who donate their time to teach a workshop. Participants in these workshops get an interactive, hands-on look at a variety of careers. Area medical centers provide an example of how your organization can become involved, each year they provide workshop leaders who present hands-on workshops which attracts students interested in the medical field. If your career does not directly involve math and science, you are still welcome to offer a workshop as you most likely needed those subjects as background for your career.

Think about what you do in your job or in your classroom. Is there an activity you could modify for a hands-on workshop that could be done by a group of enthusiastic 7th-9th grade girls? We need people like you to lead hands-on workshops for these young girls. We expect over 600 young girls to apply for this conference.  We would like to ensure we have enough workshops available so that we do not have to turn anyone away. This is a great mentoring program for these girls.

 

Offer a Workshop (pdf) >>

 

If you would like more information on offering a workshop or about the conference, feel free to contact the Expanding Your Horizons coordinator.

 

Event Assistants

Event assistant volunteer opportunities include: guiding participants to their workshops on campus, giving directions to girls between sessions, riding buses to guide bus drivers as well as monitor girls on the bus, assisting with conference check-in, serving as workshop room attendants, directing bus and van traffic in lining up to pick up the girls, and helping resolve miscellaneous event related issues.

 

Volunteer for Expanding Your Horizons >>

 

Event Sponsors

We are now accepting sponsorships for the 2019 event. 

To continue making an impact on the young women of our region, Expanding Your Horizons needs your support. This conference is a prime opportunity to develop interest in the career field your organization works in.  There are no minimum sponsorship requirements for this conference.  Companies and organizations can provide a monetary donation in any amount they are comfortable with or donate door prizes for the girls who attend. All sponsors are recognized on marketing materials, including the website, conference packets, and on-site signage.

What do sponsorships pay for? Sponsorships help keep our registration costs minimal so that more young women can participate in this event.  You may also choose to fully sponsor the registration fees and/or transportation costs for a group of girls if you prefer to do that.  We can make arrangements to ensure these donations get to individuals who could most benefit from them. Sponsorships can also cover extraneous conference costs including: providing meals for participants, transportation costs of busing students to workshops sites at Concordia, MSUM, the VA hospital, Essentia Health, and Sanford Health as well as conference workshop materials.

 

Become a Sponsor >>

 

 2019 Sponsors

American Association of University Women Fargo-Moorhead Branch
American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists
Concordia College
Concordia College Exotic Animal Care and Husbandry Club
Concordia College Math Club
Concordia College Sigma Zeta
Concordia College Society of Physics Students (SPS)
Concordia College Student Nurses Association
Concordia College Tri-Beta
CORE Programs
Institute of Industrial and System Engineering (IISE)
Minnesota State University Moorhead
ND EPSCoR
Noridian Mutual Insurance Company/Blue Cross Blue Shield
NDSU Anthropology Association
NDSU Center for Immunization Research and Education
NDSU Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
NDSU Coating & Polymeric Materials Program
NDSU College of Arts, Humanities & Social Science
NDSU College of Engineering
NDSU College of Graduate & Interdisciplinary Studies
NDSU College of Health Professions
NDSU College of Human Development & Education
NDSU College of Science & Mathematics
NDSU Department of Animal Science
NDSU Department of Biological Sciences
NDSU Healthy Eating and Body Image Lab
NDSU IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence
NDSU Office of Teaching & Learning
NDSU Plant Sciences Graduate Student Association
NDSU Public Health Association
NDSU Rho Chi Society
NDSU Student Nurse Association
NuCara Pharmacy
USDA Insect Cryobiology and Ecophysiology Network
Veterans Administration Hospital

 

 

---

Parent/Guardian Information:

The following is information that you, as a parent or guardian, need to know about your child's participation in the Expanding Your Horizons conference. Please read through this information carefully as it may impact your child's participation.

 

1. No sandals 

All students need to wear comfortable shoes that cover their entire foot. It is also a good idea to ensure all students are wearing socks as they may need to walk across campus to get to their workshops. These camps are hands-on camps that have students working with a variety of materials. To avoid slipping, tripping, or other hazards it is important that your child's feet are protected with a good shoe. 

2. Participant Waivers are Required for Participation

Every student who is participating in Expanding Your Horizons must have a waiver signed before they are allowed to participate in any activities. There is a link to the waiver form below. A parent or guardian's signature is required on the form.

3. Parking for Drop-off and Pick-up

NDSU will have staff on hand to guide busses who are dropping off groups of students. Parents who are dropping off their students may park in the lot labeled CF on the NDSU map.

4. Drop-off and Pick-up

Please ensure that you drop off your students during the stated arrival time and pick up your students during the stated end time for their camp. Staff may not be available earlier or later than the stated times and the buildings are unlocked/locked promptly. 

5. Late Arrivals

If you know that your child will be late to arrive for Expanding Your Horizons, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  They will have an Expanding Your Horizons staff member meet your child at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse and will walk them to their class. Please note, workshops will start on time so your student(s) may miss out on some workshops if they are late to arrive.

 

 

---

Frequently Asked Questions

We put together a list of questions participants, parents, and coordinating school districts frequently ask about the Expanding Your Horizons event. Please review these questions prior to coming to NDSU for the event.

If you have any other questions not addressed here, please contact NDSU's Expanding Your Horizons coordinator.

Q: Is food provided?
Yes, breakfast will consist of pastries and donuts. Coffee, juice, and water will be available. Lunch will also be provided.

Q: What should I bring to the conference?
Efforts are made to try to accommodate your workshop preferences, and most participants get their top choices. However, we have 600-700 girls participating, so you may be placed in a workshop you may not have signed up for. You must attend the workshops assigned to you. Take this opportunity to discover career fields that may be new to you.  Who knows, you may find your passion in one of these workshops!

Q: Are refunds possible?
Refunds are available up until March 10 annually. After the conference has begun, no refunds will be issued.

Q: What happens if I cannot make the conference after applying?
If you find out that you can no longer make it to the conference after your registration has been sent in, please contact Expanding Your Horizons Coordinators, and let them know you can no longer attend. The registration fee will be refunded until March 10 annually.

Q: What if I cannot afford the registration fee?
Expanding Your Horizons offers scholarships for girls who cannot pay the fee. Contact Expanding Your Horizons Coordinators for more information.

Q: To whom do I make my check out to?
North Dakota State University

Q: How are the workshops assigned?
Efforts are made to try to accommodate your workshop preferences, and most participants get their top choices. However, we have to accommodate about 600-700 girls, so you may be placed in a workshop that you may not have signed up for. You must attend the workshops assigned to you because of scheduling numbers and times.

Q: Where do I send the application form and payment?
NDSU Office of Teaching and Learning  |  Distance and Continuing Education
Attn: Expanding Your Horizons
Dept. 2020, P.O.Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050

Or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Q: Will there be transportation between the various workshop locations?
Buses are chartered for the day to transport you to your workshops around the Fargo-Moorhead area. All bus drivers have a bus license for transporting passengers. Volunteer chaperones are available on the buses to ensure you get to the appropriate workshop.

Q: When will I know which workshops I will be attending?
You will receive a list of the workshops you are registered for on the day of the conference.

 

 

---

Event Contact:

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  //  Event Coordinator  //  701-231-9712