STEM Lectures and Study Sections
This class provides a series of seminars from experts in selected STEM fields. Each seminar offers an introduction to a particular STEM topic and provides a glimpse into original research in that field. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about research in that area and gain some insight into career pathways in the field. An emphasis is placed on cross-disciplinary topics that combine research from multiple fields.
The seminars are accompanied and supported by STEM Sections that help the students understand the content of the seminars and learn skills needed to succeed in STEM courses and majors in college. During STEM sections students will further explore a particular topic area by engaging in a hands-on project in small groups. Through these labs, students will learn the scientific process, how to collect and analyze data, modify experimental designs based on their data, and summarize and present their findings. Students will also pose an independent research question related to the focus area of their section. They will then learn how to read and interpret scientific literature, identify misinformation in online resources, and develop an infographic to present at the end of the summer. Selected projects may also be presented at the Summer Academy Award Ceremony.
College Prep
UW MSUB College Prep equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to be admitted to and succeed in college. The course focuses on what students can be doing in high school to prepare for college, be competitive when applying for college, and eventually thrive in a college environment.
• Prepare for college: This course will help students understand how their learning styles and habits can affect their long term success, the ways that colleges look at their high school records, how to plan ahead for admissions and college majors, and how to search for college and scholarship options.
• Apply for college: As students consider their post-secondary options, this course will expose them to more resources that can assist them in their search. Students will learn specifics about how colleges evaluate their applications, and how to be most effective in telling their story in admissions applications. Additionally, students will begin to plan out the pathways they may take once in college in order to be admitted into their major of choice.
• Thrive in a college environment: Building on the effective habits discussed related to succeeding in high school, students will also explore strategies that will help them succeed in college. They will learn about the resources available and how to access them, the community cultural wealth they bring with them, and how to make the most of their college experience.
College Prep Writing
College Prep Writing will introduce students to the skills and habits they will need to succeed as a writer, thinker, and learner at the university level. The course expands on and develops the work students completed last summer in College Prep, but also moves off into new territory in preparing students to meet the demands of college-level critical thinking and writing. Over the six weeks of Summer Academy this course will develop awareness of these skills through focused assignments which use writing and writing-based projects to help teach the basics of inquiry, research, exposition, and reflection. This writing-intensive course will consist of two distinct sequences. The first focuses on a trio of concepts—inquiry, complexity, and conversation—that will help lay the groundwork for students’ successful transition to university study. For the course’s final two weeks we will focus on the college application personal essay. As student learners we encourage students to make the most of this time, to engage with interest and depth in the topics and tasks we pursue, and to open themselves to the idea of re-thinking their own writing process within this collaborative space.
Human Genetics
This class provides students with tools to begin understanding complex questions by studying how human traits are determined and passed down among generations. They examined the physical basis of inheritance, gene structure and function, how genes contribute to human traits and diseases, and contemporary issues in human genetics. Students also learned the science behind current genetic engineering technologies and discuss their health and ethical implications and how accurately they are depicted in the media. This class explored this exciting field to better understand how your genes help shape your traits and health.
Latin
Originally the language of the ancient Romans, Latin has a special role as the language of science, medicine, law, philosophy, and many other disciplines. In fact, about 50% of English is made up of Latin roots! This class introduces some of the basic building blocks of Latin, focusing on vocabulary at the root of modern scientific and technical language. Students will engage in simple Latin conversation while also learning Latin root words and identifying their uses in English. While this class will focus on STEM-related Latin, students will also have the chance to dive into special topics of your own interest. By the end of this course, students will know dozens of new words and learn helpful tools to break down complex bioscientific terminology, using clues from Latin.
Machine Learning
Data is everywhere!! We live in an epic era where computers can outsmart humans in interpreting and predicting outcomes with data at lightning speed. In this class, students dove headfirst in the world of data science and machine learning, conceptualizing the foundational skills for how to think about, use, process, and solve problems with data. That is, how to wrangle, gather, visualize, and make inferences with observations in python, the programming language. But that’s not all… students won’t just be learning; they were doing! By the end of this class, students became a data-wizard, applying the skills that they learned to draw conclusions about favorite real-world dataset (Spotify data, Strava workout data, or even favorite sports stats).
Math 1
This course is designed to strengthen the basic analytic skills necessary for future high school math courses and introduce students to the concepts taught in an Algebra 2 or Precalculus class. The course will examine in detail exponential and logarithmic functions, polynomial functions, and rational and radical functions. Emphasis on graphing skills and effective calculator use.
Math 3
This course is designed to investigate various topics in discrete mathematics. The course will introduce set theory, induction, the Binomial Theorem and Pascal’s Triangle, Fibonacci Numbers, and prime number theorems.
Math 5
This course is designed to introduce students to important statistics concepts mainly focused on applications. The course is simulation-based and consists of online interactive activities (using applets), preparatory exercises and in-class activities. Topics covered including Exploring Data and Random Processes, Distributions and Data Visualization, Inference for a Single Proportion: Simulation and Theory-Based Approach, Inference for a Population Mean: Simulation and Theory-Based Approach, the Central Limit Theorem, Confidence Intervals and Comparing Two Means (five-number summaries).
Math 6
This is an introductory course in linear algebra which is an exciting area of mathematics with many modern day applications to all of the mathematical sciences ranging from engineering and data science to the social sciences, law and business. We will develop the basics of this subject through a geometric lens, and see several applications. For computations we will use the program Julia.
Neuroscience
Our brains are incredibly complex and always changing. When we learn new skills, form new habits, and face new obstacles, our brains are what allow us to adapt through a process called neuroplasticity. In this class, students explored how big changes in behavior can be traced back to microscopic changes in the cells that make up our brains. They also discuss new technologies that use concepts from neuroplasticity to treat diseases and injuries. Students had the opportunity to participate in neuroscience demonstrations and experiments. This class gave students a peek into the exciting and ever-changing field of neuroscience.
Photography
Photography is one of the most exciting art forms because it’s both extremely expressive and incredibly accessible. The odds are that you already take photos, and in this class students explore what makes this common practice so special. At its core, it’s the practice of observing our surroundings and spending more time thinking about and investigating the things we often overlook. Students dove into the technical basics of photography, a bit of its history, and the art of composition and also discussed topics like creative expression and what it means to incorporate it into our lives. A camera of any kind is required for the class (phone camera, family camera, point and shoot).