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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Abby (definitely not &#8220;Abigail&#8221;) Davis had a simple question as she fashioned a pizza box, tinfoil and clear plastic into a solar oven to heat up pizza and make S&#8217;mores.</p><p>&#8220;Are we going to eat what we make? Because if we can&#8217;t, it won&#8217;t be worth it.&#8221;</p><p>Wilkes University biology student Neha Kansal laughed while agreeing. &#8220;I love this camp even more!&#8221; Neha said of the university&#8217;s annual Women Empowered By Science, or WEBS event, that began Monday and runs through Friday. Area middle school students get a healthy sampling of experiments in hopes of encouraging more women to enter the science professions.</p><p>&#8220;Food makes everything better,&#8221; Neha said with another laugh, prompting Abby to add:&#8220;Food, and science!&#8221;</p><p>Despite Abby&#8217;s obvious enjoyment of the experience, when asked what she wants to be when she grows up, the Crestwood School District student only put science &#8212; especially chemistry &#8212; third on the list, behind singer and composer. Of course, she could always be the singing chemist.</p><p>Along with building a solar oven, opportunities include programming Lego robots, catching and measuring small birds, making their own lip gloss and personal perfumes, and learning how squirrels shape the forest, including a look inside acorns.</p><p>That&#8217;s where Julia Darby, 11, of Wilkes-Barre, found the weevils she had stashed in a clear plastic container about the size of a lab petri dish. Asked what she planned to do with them, she contemplated &#8220;throwing them at the next oak tree I see&#8221; once they got outside.</p><p>She didn&#8217;t seem to do that, at least not right away, but while students waited for their solar ovens to melt chocolate for S&#8217;mores and cheese on their pizza, Jessica Czuba, a Wyoming Valley West student, ran off upon spotting a squirrel.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know why but she <em>hates</em> squirrels,&#8221; Abby explained.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s her inner dog, she says,&#8221; Julia added.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s my inner wolf,&#8221; Jessica corrected. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been studying wolves for years.&#8221;</p><p>And to those wondering if the solar ovens of cardboard and tinfoil successfully melted chocolate, marshmallow and cheese in 30 minutes, well, seriously, it didn&#8217;t matter.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll eat it anyway,&#8221; Abby admitted.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Kaydi Lopez, 12, of Wilkes-Barre, inspects a seed Monday during one of several sessions on opening day of Wilkes University&#8217;s week-long Women Empowered By Science camp. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072517web1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Kaydi Lopez, 12, of Wilkes-Barre, inspects a seed Monday during one of several sessions on opening day of Wilkes University&#8217;s week-long Women Empowered By Science camp. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072517web2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Julia Darby, 11, of Wilkes-Barre, waits for marshmallows to melt on graham crackers in her solar oven outside Wilkes University&#8217;s Cohen Science Center on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072517web2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Julia Darby, 11, of Wilkes-Barre, waits for marshmallows to melt on graham crackers in her solar oven outside Wilkes University&#8217;s Cohen Science Center on Monday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Solar s’mores and blocks of ‘bots: Young women empowered at Wilkes