Watch out, Roboburgh! The next generation of mathematicians and scientists will gather at Robert Morris University (RMU) this spring for a series of workshops aimed at promoting the sciences to middle and high school students. Sponsored by the University's School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science, the seven workshops will focus on areas such as chemistry, robotics, digital communications, and mathematics. Each of the workshops is limited to 18 students (unless otherwise indicated) on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The first workshops, Robotics and Ready, SET, Let's Play!, will both take place Saturday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to noon. A short course on robot autonomy controls and programming, the Robotics workshop is a hands-on lab that will show students how to program industrial robots for simple tasks and allow students to build their own prototypes. For advanced middle and high school students, this workshop is limited to 15 participants.

Ready, SET, Let's Play! will explore the mathematics behind games such as the card game SET and the puzzle "The Towers of Hanoi." This workshop is open to students at both the middle and high school levels. The cost for both March 31 programs is $25.

On Saturday, April 14, the University will hold a Digital Communications workshop that will focus on the mathematics behind the way computers, iPods, and digital cameras communicate and store information, music and photos, addressing such topics as binary arithmetic, data compression, and cryptography. Designed for high school students, this workshop will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at a cost of $25.

Also being offered on April 14 will be workshops on Perfume Science and Modern Lab Instrumentation. Perfume Science will introduce students to the biology, chemistry and techniques behind fragrance design before allowing them to create their own perfumes. This workshop, for middle school students only, is limited to 15 students and will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The $55 cost includes a perfumer's laboratory that students can take home.

The last of the April 14 offerings, Modern Lab Instrumentation, will discuss the chemistry of the elements with demonstrations of fun chemical reactions. Topics for this workshop will include subjects such as reaction rates, atomic spectroscopy, and polymers. Open to middle school students, this workshop will be held from 1-4 p.m. at a cost of $25.

On Saturday, April 28, a ZOOB Mania workshop will be offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., during which students will be able to design dinosaurs, DNA strands and engineering structures using ZOOB building sets. Inspired by the nucleotides that make up DNA, ZOOB's pieces move after they are constructed. Prizes will be awarded for the best designs. The cost of the workshop, open to middle school students, is $55, which includes lunch and a take-home 500-piece ZOOB kit.

Lastly, a Lego Mindstorms workshop on Saturday, May 12 will introduce students to building and programming their own robots using the Lego Mindstorms kits and programming tools. The cost of the workshop is $25 for both beginners (9 a.m. to noon) and advanced (1-4 p.m.) participants (high school level or students who have already completed a Lego class).

All workshops will take place in the John Jay Center at RMU. For more information or to register, please contact Jennifer Parsons, outreach programs specialist with the School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science, at 412-262-8214.