Course Descriptions

Topic: Challenges of Engineering
Developed by: MIT Edgerton Center

3D printing is revolutionizing our ability to bring ideas to life, and now it's your turn. In this hands-on course, you will be challenged to rethink how you think - you live in a 3D world, but do you think and problem-solve in 3D? Work among a creative team of flourishing inventors to brainstorm, sketch, model, print, and build 3D parts. By the end of the week, you will have the knowledge and skills to utilize 3D thinking, 3D modeling with Tinkercad, and 3D printing as tools to solve problems in your everyday world!

Topic: Challenges of Engineering
Developed by: MIT Edgerton Center

Smartphones and tablets have changed computing and the world. This is your opportunity to build an app that will improve your community. In this course you will design and develop Android apps using MIT App Inventor. After an introduction to App Inventor and app design, you will work in small groups to brainstorm an app concept, prototype your concept, and build a working app.

Topic: Life Sciences
Developed by: Anne King, PhD and i2 Learning

Have you ever thought, “When will we ever find a cure for cancer?” In this course, you will understand how antibodies can revolutionize the treatment of cancer. You will explore the idea of antibody-cellular interactions and what it means to use a “targeted therapy” to stop cancer cells from dividing. You will model tumor growth, separate proteins using Size Exclusion Chromatography, administer a “chemotherapy”, run an ELISA, and discover a treatment for cancer using antibodies!

Topic: Life Sciences
Developed by: Jessica Cohen, PhD

Have you ever wondered how law enforcement uses science to catch criminals? Have you ever watched a crime show on television and questioned if the techniques they were using are real? If so, this is the course for you! Through this course you will become a member of a crime scene unit and learn how to act a crime scene, gather evidence and analyze data. You will learn about fingerprints, fibers, hair, dental impressions, tool marks, blood spatter and much more!

Topic: Challenges of Engineering
Developed by: Derek Breen, author of Scratch For Kids For Dummies

In this course, you will use Scratch to create an original video game with custom graphics, sound effects and music. You will begin by remixing an existing game, gradually gaining design skills and confidence. When you are ready to develop a whole new game, you will learn how to focus your ideas, integrate player feedback and refine your 2D game before sharing it with the world. No prior computer programming experience is required. (This is a companion course to Digital Game Design.)

Topic: Challenges of Engineering
Developed by: Bose and Nate Piper

Our devices are full of speakers and microphones-- but how do they work? Explore the physics and mathematics of sound, the physiology of the human ear, and learn how we can harness electromagnetism to create sounds from electrical signals. Learn how engineers manipulate electrical signals to emulate different instruments and how sounds are synthesized to create music. Using BoseBUILD technology from the Bose Corporation, we will design and build electronic sensor-controlled instruments and play them together in a BoseBUILD Band!

Topic: Robotics & Electronics
Developed by: Nate Piper, The Roxbury Latin School

Using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology, in this course you will learn how to build different robots and program them to move. You will work with motors and sensors, and explore how light, touch, sound, ultrasonic, color and accelerometer sensors can enhance our robots. You will model real-life mechanisms and use creativity, logic and problem-solving skills. Invent your own robots, and find out how exciting it can be to bring the digital world of computers into our physical world.

Topic: Genetics, DNA & The Human Body
Developed by: New York Hall of Science

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a physician or surgeon? In this course, you will investigate how the body works by participating in a range of hands-on activities, such as dissections and construction of life-sized physiological system maps (skeletal, nervous, circulatory, immune). You will conduct simulated surgeries, perform biopsies, and learn how to suture. You will also learn about important medical/surgical breakthroughs and famous medical marvels throughout history.