HOUGHTON – Charlotte Hildebrandt had already come to Michigan Technological University through Summer Youth Programs. So when she got an email about a program in conjunction with Tech’s Women in Computing Visit Day, it didn’t take much convincing.

“I like science in any field, especially computers, because I took a computer programming class at my school, and I didn’t have school today, so I figured, why not come?” said Hildebrandt, a high school sophomore in Mason. “And my sister’s coming here in the fall, so she came down as well to ask people what college is like here.”

High school girls from throughout the upper Midwest came to Michigan Technological University Friday to find out more about computer science, electrical and computer engineering activities at Tech, as well as the admissions and financial aid information that could help the student pursue them here.

Projects included programming a 3D virtual reality scene for an Oculus Rift headset, as well as programming a robot.

Friday afternoon, students were learning how to build a working heart rate monitor. They had to calculate the value of a resistor by looking at the color of bands on it. They then used a soldering iron on the resistor leads to assemble a circuit board. By placing their fingers on a sensor on the board, they could make the light blink on and off at the speed of their heartbeat.

During the same period, the girls went in groups to learn how to make a hologram. They took a small object and placed it behind a piece of glass, which is coated with an emulsifying agent on the side facing the object. A laser beam is then aimed at the glass, which is mounted at an angle of between 45 and 57 degrees to the beam. The red laser beam then bounces off the object, reacting with the original beam to make a pattern. The plate is then placed in a series of chemical baths to develop it. There was not enough time Friday to develop the hologram onsite, but they will be mailed to the students next week.

Kaelynn Foster of Adrian came because she’s interested in going to college at Tech. The heart rate monitor was a favorite for Foster, who wants to be an electrical engineer.

“I’ve always wanted to try it, but I haven’t had the opportunity,” she said.

Jamie Herridge of Mendotta Heights, Minnesota, also thought it would be a good way to check out the school.

“This was cool,” she said of the heart monitor exercise. “I did computer programming, too, but it’s probably not what I want to go into.”

Hildebrandt, who is considering going to Tech, had done some computer programming before, but no circuitry. She liked getting to hear about the practical applications of the monitor and hologram activities as her favorite.

“I think it was really cool, and I’m glad I got to come,” she said of the day. “It was a good use of my time.”