Museum Of Science And Industry Fab Lab Summer Campers Dream Of Being Next Generation Of Astronauts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing approaches, the historic flight is still dazzling and inspiring future scientists.
CBS 2's Derrick Young talked to some young women creating their dreams at a camp at the Museum of Science and Industry.
With NASA planning to return to the moon and to eventually send humans to Mars, maybe one of the campers could be the next astronaut to walk on the moon, or even the first on the red planet.
"I'm very interested in space, so becoming an astronaut would seem very, very interesting and cool for me," Liora Ginsberg said. "It would just be, first of all, fun. Second of all, there would be science and math involved, and that's also fun. And you would just be able to go to space, go to places where only a couple people have ever been."
Girls in the Fab Lab Summer Camp are combining science, art, and creativity to redesign their world.
The camp provides cutting-edge technology, and encourages campers to take risks and explore.
"Whereas school will handle what to think, in the Fab Lab you learn how to think," Fab Lab coordinator Patrick McCarthy said.
That thinking has brought about some pretty cool creations.
"I've always really wanted to use a 3D printer, because I think they're really cool. I've 3D printed a missing part to our vacuum at home from here. So now we have a better working vacuum," Emily Boyd said. "I have a Chicago skyline cookie cutter that I designed and 3D printed one day, and you would be able to actually use it."
The camp is co-ed, but there's been a sharp rise in the number of girls attending the camp in recent years. They'll likely outnumber the boys soon.