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A-Mazing Robot
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This activity lets you program your 'robot' (a willing friend) to pick up and dispose of some 'toxic waste' using as few commands as possible.

From the Internet to Outer Space
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In this activity, learners will use Google Sky to observe features of the night sky and share their observations.

Public Key Encryption: Kid Krypto
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In this activity, learners conduct a simulation exercise related to public key encryption and try to intercept a message sent between two learners.

Battleships: Searching Algorithms
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This activity explores the main algorithms that are used as the basis for searching on computers, using different variations on the game of battleships.

Tiny Particles, Big Trouble!
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In this activity, learners discover why some nanoscale science and technology is done in the controlled environment of a clean room, what clean rooms are like, and how scientists help keep the clean r

The Poor Cartographer: Graph Coloring
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In this activity, learners help a poor cartographer color in the countries on a map, making sure each country is colored a different color than any of its neighbors.

Pico Cricket Compass
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Learners can program a compass to draw a circle by itself using a Pico Cricket, some Legos, and lots of tape! Pico Cricket is required.

LEGO Robots
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This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GEMS Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into technology design and testing.

The Muddy City: Minimal Spanning Trees
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In this puzzle, learners investigate the decisions involved in linking a network between houses in a muddy city.

Clap Sensor: Build a Sound Sensor Using a Pico Cricket
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This activity requires a Pico Cricket (tiny computer). Learners work on designing and building a sound sensor out of household materials, like plastic wrap and cardboard.

Human Interface Design: The Chocolate Factory
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In this activity about human interface design issues, learners help the Oompa-Loompas of a great chocolate factory solve different problems.

Phylogenetics
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This activity lets learners participate in the process of reconstructing a phylogenetic tree and introduces them to several core bioinformatics concepts, particularly in relation to evolution.

Divide and Conquer: Santa's Dirty Socks
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This activity introduces the idea of "divide and conquer" using a fictitious but serious problem--a pair of dirty socks has accidentally been wrapped in one of the presents that Santa is about to deli

Artificial Intelligence: The Intelligent Piece of Paper
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This activity explores what it means for a computer to be intelligent and introduces the topic of what a computer program is and how everything computers do simply involves following instructions writ

Ice Roads: Steiner Trees
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In this outdoor activity, learners use pegs (like tent pegs) and string or elastic to simulate drill sites and roads in Northern Canada.

Photolithography
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In this activity, learners use UV light to transfer a pattern onto a plastic board. The pattern is transferred by placing a mask (a transparency sheet with the pattern) on a plastic board.

Metal Heads
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Pairs of learners play the roles of programmer and robot. The programmer gives specific directions to the robot to accomplish a simple task (e.g. walk across the room and pick up a pencil).

Cryptographic Protocols: The Peruvian Coin Flip
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This activity about cryptographic techniques illustrates how to accomplish a simple, but nevertheless seemingly impossible task—making a fair, random choice by flipping a coin between two people who d

The Orange Game: Routing and Deadlock in Networks
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When a lot of people share one network (such as cars using roads, or messages getting through the Internet), there is the possibility that competing processes will create a “deadlock," or an interrupt

The Turing Test: Conversations with Computers
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This activity aims to stimulate discussion on the question of whether computers can exhibit “intelligence,” or are ever likely to do so in the future.