Splash Fall 2014
Course Catalog

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Biological and Medical Science

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B3753: How to Distinguish Medical Knowledge from Hoaxes?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kun-Hsing Yu

There are lots of newspaper articles talking about the "recent advances in health sciences". Some suggest "beer helps to prevent cancer", others assert "beer increased risks of getting cancer". Which one should we believe?
How do doctors decide what to do when coming across contrary scientific evidences? And what doctors don't know about the surgery they perform or the drugs they prescribe?
We will do some hands-on experiments on drawing conclusions in the world of uncertainty, and take a quick survey of current methodologies in medical sciences.


Prerequisites
Have flipped coins, or played any other games involving probability or uncertainty.

B3769: Why We're All Going to Die from the Flu Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jaz Salomón

B3915: Molecular Imaging
Difficulty: **

Molecular Imaging emerged in the early twenty-first century as a discipline at the intersection of molecular biology and in vivo imaging. It enables the visualization of the cellular function and the follow-up of the molecular process in living organisms without perturbing them. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging, an important molecular imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body. The theory behind PET is simple enough. Briefly, tracking molecule need to tagged with a positron emitting isotope and followed by scan the body with PET-CT. PET imaging have many advantages. The most important is its sensitivity: a typical PET scanner can detect between 10−11 mol/L to 10−12 mol/L concentrations. Dr. Arutselvan Natarajan, Stanford staff scientist will give an overview of PET which is key imaging modality for cancer staging and therapy.

B3740: Ethics of Scientific and Medical Research
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Paul Nuyujukian

Learn about the core ethical ideas that govern all scientific and medical research. Discover the criteria that must be met for medical research and clinical trials. Explore the level of adherence of various forms of scientific research to these core principles and the means of oversight setup to ensure research is conducted in an ethical manner. We will also explore specific topics, examples, and cases; where the ethics of research are non-trivial to evaluate and often accompanied with social controversy. We will apply the core principles learned to actively debated areas of scientific and medical research.

B3751: Food Fads
Difficulty: **

Protein bars. Kale. Bacon. Acai berries. These are some of the latest names on the list of trendy foods. Ever wonder how to sift through all the hype and know what is REALLY healthy for you? In this SPLASH class, Stanford students passionate about teaching others how to eat healthily will clear up the confusion. You will learn the basics of eating for a more energetic, strong, and happy you!

B3799: Brain Signaling: How Neurons Conduct Action Potentials to Communicate
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Chris Miller

This class will explore the process of how neurons send electrical signals throughout the brain and to the rest of the body by opening and closing ion channels and releasing chemical neurotransmitters. It will then use this new knowledge to briefly explain common medical problems ranging from seizures to depression and more.


Prerequisites
It is recommended, but not necessarily required, that students have taken high-school biology AND physical science or chemistry.

B3818: Psychology and Neuroscience of Religion
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

What is meditation? Why do people believe in God? What’s it like to have an ecstatic experience?

This course will talk about the latest science of religion, pulling in anthropological, psychological, and neurological perspectives. We’ll talk about why belief in something like God has been so darned persistent throughout human evolution. We’ll discuss what it’s like for a “believer,” and also take a look at religious brains in action. We’ll discuss both Western and Eastern experiences including prayer, ecstatic experience, meditation and ritual.
We’ll also talk about practical take-home lessons we can learn from these extreme brain states.

You’ll learn:
-Why babies are religious.
-What it's like to die.
-What the “God spot” is in the brain and whether or not magnetic stimulation can cause religious experience.
-The difference between mindfulness, meditation and prayer and why it’s important.
-And more!

B3909: Mushroom Mania

What do cheese, zombie ants and the biggest, oldest living thing have in common? Fungi! Mushrooms are the part of the a fungus that we see, but they're just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the action takes place out of sight.

Come learn about the hidden world of fungi in a two-part course, sign up for one or both sections. In the first section we'll hunt for mushrooms around campus. The second part will be an interactive exploration of the fungal ways of life.

B4003: How your mind works: surprising facts about memory, perception, and learning
Difficulty: *

How is that we are able to learn so many new things without our brains exploding? Cognitive psychologists have designed clever experiments to reveal many of the tricks our brains use. In this class, you'll learn several surprising facts about how your brain really works.

B4007: Dynamic DNA
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Erin Schwartz

Description: Do you think that DNA is just sitting in the nucleus waiting to be used? Think again! DNA is highly dynamic - constantly changing shape and even moving throughout the nucleus. In this class we will explore the amazing world of DNA, and discuss some of the challenges that the cell needs to overcome to package, access, and repair this amazing molecule.

If you unfamiliar with DNA structure and how the cell uses it, please consider taking ‘Introduction to DNA structure and function’ which will provide the background necessary to get the most out of this class. See you there!


Prerequisites
A basic understanding of DNA structure is required in order to get the most from this class.

B4021: Good Brains Gone Bad
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jesse Marshall

We all want to understand how the brain works. Scientists want to model brain function to understand our behavior. Doctors want to cure diseases like Alzheimer's and autism. Computer scientists want to model the brain in order to recognize cats on the internet. However how the brain works still remains mysterious. Much of our knowledge has come from fascinating case studies: people with personality changes, short term memory loss, and uncontrollable movements. Here I'll give a whirlwind overview of some remarkable patients that have transformed how we think of the brain and ourselves.

B3964: Stem Cells, Regeneration and Cancer: from Salamanders to Humans
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Dena Leeman

Why is it what if you cut off your friend's leg it won't grow back, but if you cut off a salamander's leg it will grow back? Can you name 2 parts of the human body that can grow back if they are lost? Did you know that there are some worms that you could cut into 279 pieces and each of those pieces would become a new worm? Come to this class to get an intro to what stem cells are and what they do, and to hear about some of the crazy ways different creatures regenerate their body parts. We will also discuss the biology of cancer, the reasoning behind some of the ways we currently treat cancer, and some new discoveries in the cancer and stem cell fields!

B3835: What is a bone marrow transplant ?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Suparna Dutt

When standard treatments fail to cure blood cancers then bone marrow transplantation is the only curative option. Patients receive bone marrow cells from a healthy donor. This provides a new healthy immune system that helps keep the cancer cells from reappearing. Stanford staff scientist Dr. Suparna Dutt will give an overview of Bone Marrow Transplantation- Blood Stem Cell Therapy that has saved thousands of lives over the past 30 years.


Prerequisites
Grade 7

B3838: Why do we need a flu shot?
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Mrinmoy Sanyal

This class will give an overview of human immune system followed by an introduction on how our body recognizes different infectious agents like bacteria and virus. Then we will discuss how our immune system fights infection. Finally, benefits of immunization like flu shot will be discussed.


Prerequisites
None

B3898: Schizophrenia: There's More Than One Side to the Story
Difficulty: **

What really is schizophrenia? To many people who don’t know very much about the specifics of mental illness, schizophrenia is the disease whose symptoms are most predominantly stereotyped as characteristics of “crazy” or “insane” people.

People often confuse schizophrenia with Multiple Personality Disorder. However, schizophrenia actually involves a disconnect between thought, emotion, and behavior. 50% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia have not received treatment. Schizophrenia can affect anyone, no matter their age, talent, and social status. In this class, we will learn about the subtypes and symptoms of schizophrenia and focus on understanding what it means to live with schizophrenia.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites - just eagerness to learn :) TRIGGER WARNING: We greatly appreciate your willingness to share your personal experiences with us and/or the class if you wish. However, we fully understand that not everyone is comfortable doing so, and we would further like to note that some of the content we will be discussing in class may be triggering for some individuals. Please let us know if this is the case for you, and we would be happy to accommodate your needs.

B3969: From Fibroblasts to Retinal Neurons: Can Stem Cells Treat Blindness?
Difficulty: *

Learn how stem cells can be developed into photoreceptors- the main light sensing cells of the eye- to potentially restore vision. This class will include an introduction to stem cell biology, then dive into applications to blindness-related diseases such as macular degeneration. This class is designed for students with very little or no knowledge of stem cell biology.


Prerequisites
All levels welcome, class will be at a very introductory level. No biology or stem cell background necessary!

B3973: Ning-bings, Quolls, and Other Unusual Australians
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Annie Loggins

Monjons, bandicoots, and dunnarts are a few more strange marsupials to add to the list of creatures found on the island continent! And let's not forget the egg-laying echidnas. An overview of the amazing diversity of flying, sliming, crawling, and most of all hopping critters and my personal experience working in the Australian outback.

B3976: Crime Scene Chemistry
Difficulty: **

There is a killer among you! Enter the classroom as a forensic scientist investigating the (fake) murder of a Stanford student! Learn about the basic chemical principles involved in Crime Scene Investigation, such as the detection of blood with luminol. By the time you leave, you will have gained a better understanding of chemical reactions and have caught your first murderer in the process.


Prerequisites
Familiarity with basic chemistry concepts

B4006: Introduction to DNA structure and function
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Erin Schwartz

What is DNA and how is it being used in the cell? In this introductory course we will use lecture and small group exercises to go over the basic concepts of DNA: what is it built from and how it is arguably the most important component of the cell. For more advanced topics relating to DNA, consider enrolling for ‘Dynamic DNA’. There, we will apply the knowledge from this introductory class to explore the environment within the nucleus and the protein machines that control how DNA is packaged and moved.

B3897: Minding Your Health: Rising Above the Stigma of Mental Illness
Difficulty: *

Did you know that mental health issues affect one in every five American families?

Mental health is often a difficult subject to speak openly about. This may be for several reasons, including the unwillingness and fear of individuals to see themselves or others close to them as “diseased”, the lack of a culturally sensitive, mainstream vocabulary for the discussion of mental health issues, and the stigma of seeking aid or treatment for psychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, by not speaking openly and competently about these issues, we as a society risk leaving many individuals untreated, endangering their lives and damaging their communities and families, and holding back on potential advancements in care.

The aim of this class is to promote more open and informed conversations about mental health issues and their impacts in the larger community. We hope to shed some light on different types of mental health disorders, their current care and treatment methods, and perhaps most importantly, how we as students can serve as allies to those who seek to make mental health a priority in their lives and to those who are struggling with mental health issues.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites - just eagerness to learn :) TRIGGER WARNING: We greatly appreciate your willingness to share your personal experiences with us and/or the class if you wish. However, we fully understand that not everyone is comfortable doing so, and we would further like to note that some of the content we will be discussing in class may be triggering for some individuals. Please let us know if this is the case for you, and we would be happy to accommodate your needs.

B3932: Obesity and inflammation
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Enze Chen, Meenal Sinha

We will explore how a high fat diet and no exercise may lead to obesity and then full-blown diabetes.

B3933: The World’s Largest Rodent, Dr Seuss Birds, and Other Amazonian Oddities
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Annie Loggins

Where parrots’ bills can crush bone, monkeys perform deafening choruses, and wild pigs stampede through the underbrush, the Amazon rainforest holds a wealth of amazing creatures. Come meet some funky fauna in this whirlwind introduction based on firsthand experience – no binoculars required!

B3741: Introduction to Neuroprosthetics
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Paul Nuyujukian

Learn about the emerging field of neural prosthetics: electronic systems that interface with and connect to the brain and nervous system. We will start with a brief introduction to neuroscience as well as some of the guiding principles used in the field, transitioning to real-world examples. This class will cover descriptions of neural prosthetic systems that are commercially available or under active development. Systems discussed will include retinal prostheses, cochlear implants, and cortical communication and motor prosthetics.

B3750: HIV/AIDS: The History, The Virus, and The Present
Difficulty: **

Think you know what HIV is? Want to become an expert on HIV/AIDS? In our informal seminar we aim to investigate the history of the domestic and global HIV/AIDS epidemic, mechanisms of viral transmission and cellular entry, and current research breakthroughs.


Prerequisites
High school introductory biology (preferred, not required)

B3774: Are Genes Fate?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Trevor Martin

Is it possible to predict all the diseases you will get the moment you are born? Do our eating habits and lifestyle choices really influence our health? Is a world like that shown in the movie Gattaca a possibility for our future? Find out in this class what modern genetics and medicine have to say about these exciting questions and learn what knowing a person's DNA sequence really tells us and what are the strengths and limitations of prediction based on a DNA sequence.


Prerequisites
Any sort of introduction to Biology course; should understand very basics of DNA and genes.

B3800: Heart Physiology: How the Heart Works and What Can Go Wrong
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Chris Miller

This class will explore the basic composition of blood, structure of the heart, and process of blood circulation--and then use this new knowledge to explain common medical issues such as blood types, heart rate, blood pressure, heart attacks, sickle-cell anemia, stroke, and more.


Prerequisites
It is recommended, but not necessarily required, that students have taken high-school biology.

B3823: Mind and Body: How Your Mind Makes It Real
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

Can a sugar-pill cause morphine release? Can hypnosis cure blindness? Can looks kill (literally)? Can getting shot not hurt?

We'll talk about old history and new science developing around "mind-body" medicine, how your mind and brain affect your body in really interesting ways. We'll meet people with paralysis who can regain their movement, and blind people can regain their sight by the power of words. We'll see how the brain can produce pain completely independently of any "physical" cause. We'll discuss theories of how the brain might be involved in diseases like fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.

If that's not enough, you'll learn about ritual executions that rely on the victim's expectation, and soldiers in WWII who get shot but don't seem to mind.

In short, we'll explore the strange and perplexing frontier where Mind meets Body.

B3832: Cancer Biology for Dummies
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Stephanie Casey

One in every three women and one in two men will contract it. We wear cute pink tee shirts and run 3 Days for it. You pay $20 of hard-earned cash to your friends who do Team in Training. But how much do you really know about cancer? In this class, we'll discuss causes, biology, types, and treatments for cancer.

B3949: The Science and History of Macaroni and Cheese
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Cameron Kim

If you're obsessed with macaroni and cheese, you can thank Thomas Jefferson for bringing back recipes and machines to make it in the United States. However, most americans get their fill with a blue box and bright orange powder that takes 10 minutes to make. As the "comfort food" movement takes a hold in the US, we look at the rich history of this delicacy and the path it took become one of America's favorite foods. We will explore the science of the classic béchamel sauce, how cheese is made across the world and the varieties available, the Kraft Mac n' Cheese revolution and what's in that orange powder, and a molecular gastronomy take on making better cheese sauces. We will also discuss the physics of the macaroni noodle and how to get the best pasta to cheese ratio. Demos and tastings will be included, so please notify if there are any food allergies.


Prerequisites
Chemistry and biology topics will be presented, but no formal coursework needed, just a love of science and food!

B3781: The world of wonder - the immune system
Difficulty: **

The human immune system is a complex system. It is full of mysteries that we as scientists like to solve. Do you want to know what happens when you get sick? This course can help you learn and point out when you are getting sick and the timeline of when you will get better!!!


Prerequisites
Curiosity for the human disease and immune system.

B3991: Diabetes: introduction, diagnostics and prevention
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jiang Yang

Diabetes mellitus (DM), or simply diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases with high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Diabetic patients have the symptoms of frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger from elevated blood glucose levels. Untreated, diabetes can cause many complications some of which could even be lethal. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that the diabetes cases worldwide will rise from 217 million in 2005 to 366 million by 2030.Populations of both types of diabetes are rapidly increasing. This course gives a brief introduction on current situations of diabetes and its prevention and state-of-art new technologies for diagnostics. Some hand-on experiments are also expected to show the students how to measure blood glucose levels at home using point-of-care devices

B4018: What your body looks like on the inside

Students will learn about human anatomy using cadavers and 3-D visual tools. Various anatomical regions will be covered including the abdomen, upper limb, lower limb, back, and heart/lung.

Caution: Real human cadavers are used in the teaching of this course.


Prerequisites
Must be a junior or senior (11th/12th grade) to attend this course due to graphic material (human cadavers)

B3804: Introduction to Neuroscience: Preparing for the Brain Bee
Difficulty: ***

This class will begin with a broad overview of neuroscience, starting with the fundamentals of molecular & cellular neurobiology and building up to perception and clinical neurology. Actual material from previous years' Brain Bee contests will be presented as practice questions. The optional second part of the class will introduce more advanced topics in neuroanatomy, neurohistology, MRI/CT reading, and clinical case studies.

*Note: All topics from the Brain Facts booklet, published by the Society for Neuroscience and used by the Regional-level Brain Bees, will be covered. Although prospective Stanford Brain Bee contestants may find this class to be a useful optional review, any student interested in neuroscience is welcome!


Prerequisites
No previous knowledge of neuroscience assumed, but the class will move quickly, and a basic understanding of biology and chemistry will be useful. Bringing a writing utensil and notebook is recommended. Alternatively, a laptop or tablet may be brought to take notes electronically. Students will take away the most from the course by reading or at least skimming the Brain Facts text before coming to class, available for free at http://www.brainfacts.org/about-neuroscience/brain-facts-book/

B3902: Microbes and Mud!
Difficulty: *

Mud is not just for little children. There's a lot of great biology going on down in the muck. Did you know that there are microbes that breathe metal and ones that will die if they're exposed to oxygen? There's a whole world of bacteria that has nothing to do with the stuff we worry about being in your food. We'll be making and learning about Winogradsky columns (self sustaining microbial ecosystems that fit in a soda bottle) that show the amazing diversity of microbes in a clear, colorful way that you can take home and watch grow.


Prerequisites
Willingness to get your hands very dirty, and possibly your clothes too. You WILL be touching mud!

B3905: The Fight Against Cancer and How Your Immune System Can Win
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Sarah Barnes

In this session, you will learn how your immune system fights off cancer every day and how new medical treatments are using the immune system to eliminate tumors in patients.


Prerequisites
Basic understanding of cells and an interest in biology, cancer, the immune system, or medicine

B4004: Hepatitis B
Difficulty: *

Learn about the Hepatitis B! Come hear about what the virus is, what the signs and symptoms are, and what YOU can do to protect your community from Hepatitis B.

B3863: Funky Fungi of the Amazon
Difficulty: **

Many of us think of fungi as mushrooms we sometimes eat. By the end of this course, you'll realize that these complex organisms represent tons of unexplored biology and chemistry that can even help fight diseases, like cancer. This course will be an introduction to basic fungal biology and natural products chemistry and its applications. *Bonus* there will be lots of pretty pictures of newly discovered fungi.


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of biology would be helpful, but not necessary.

B3777: Understanding Animal Behavior Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jesus Madrid

B3821: Neuroscience of Pleasure, Pain and Purpose
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

What motivates us? What systems in the brain drive us one way or another? Why did I just check Facebook again?

In this talk, you’ll learn about sex (now I have your attention :P), addiction, pornography, drugs, altruism, self-control, and even the meaning of life. You’ll learn about how dopamine and oxytocin work and why they matter. You’ll also get some practical advice on ways to boost willpower, develop good habits and break bad ones.

B3904: Unfolding the Brain
Difficulty: **

Have you ever dreamed of being in Ms. Frizzle's class and taking a ride on the magic schoolbus through the convoluted gyri and sulci of the human brain?

Why does your brain look the way it looks? How does it differ from your dog's brain? Is your brain more powerful than your macbook pro (with retina display)? Are you smarter than a pre-operational stage 2-7 year old? How is your brain committing this course description to memory so you can successfully retrieve it when deciding what course to sign up for later?

Do these questions pique your interest? Take our class! Don't understand anything we're talking about? Take our class!

Get up, close, and personal with real brains. Not only will we answer the questions above, but we will have real brains for hands-on exploration. We hope to see you in class!

B3907: Comics in Science and Science in Comics
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Erika Bongen

Scientific findings are nothing if they cannot be shared with the world. And when topics from cell division to rocket ship design are so complicated that they require both words and pictures, why not use comics? We will discuss how scientific theories are integrated into comics as well as how comic book techniques are integrated into science. In the end, we’ll make science comics of our own!

B3940: The Magic and Mystery of Madgascar
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Annie Loggins

Leaping lemurs, concealed chameleons, towering trees! A friendly people filled with laughter and song but crippled by poverty. Find out from first-hand experience what makes Madagascar a time capsule of biodiversity, and what can be done to protect it through community involvement.

B4032: Cattle and Crops: An Introduction to Environmental Policy
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Janice Sung

This class is an introduction to food-related environmental policy. Through group activities, we will explore the human impact of agriculture.

B3798: Brain Basics: How Our Brains Encode Who We Are
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Chris Miller

This class will explore the basic structure and function of the nervous system and show students how the brain enables and encodes sensation, movement, language, memory, personality, thoughts, behaviors, and emotions--as well as tell the fascinating stories of how scientific pioneers made these remarkable discoveries.

B3824: The Science of Willpower
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

From ancient sages to modern science, we'll talk about this most central of human virtues.

Why don't we do what we want? Why do we procrastinate? Check FB? Eat more than we wanted?

We'll talk about the neuroscience of it, the biochemistry of it, and the practice of it. We've been at this a long time, so you'll hear from the Greeks, Eastern sages, from modern scientists, and willpower Olympians.

-Why your willpower is powered by sugar
-The top exercises proven to increase your willpower
-The crazy scientist who showed that willpower was like a muscle
-People whose willpower puts us all to shame

Whatever it is you want to accomplish, willpower will help you do it. And this class will help you build willpower.

B3874: Evolution: the Saga of Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Michael Dubreuil

Evolution: the process that's responsible for all life you see around you. In this class, you'll get a brief introduction to the process of evolution and hear a collection interesting evolutionary stories from eye evolution to how humans are still evolving today.

B4029: BioTechnology 101: Bay Area's best career opportunity
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Lena Sun, May Wah Sun

This is the age of new and advance technology and medical science. If you are interested in biotechnology and biomanufacturing that specialize in manufacturing biopharmaceuticals, you are invited to hear more of this potential career and what you should do to get there.


Prerequisites
Preferring students with basic science, biology, and/or chemistry background. Basic laboratory background will also be helpful. This is, however, no required, depending on the level of knowledge, I can go slow or fast. I will welcome anyone who are interested.

B3984: Pathogens vs human defense: Who won Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Rajiv Gaur, Hilary Noad

B3757: Food Science!
Difficulty: *

An Introduction to the world of food science!

Basics:What is food science? What do I do with a food science degree? What jobs are there for me?

Depth: Trends in food science, what to expect from a food science program, what food science programs have to offer

B3801: The Inner Life of a Cell: How Our Cells Use DNA to Give Us Everything We Need
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Chris Miller

This class will explore the basic machinery inside of a typical human cell and how it uses this equipment to transform DNA into mRNA and proteins that are essential for everyday life, while also providing students with an appreciation of how cells accomplish these extraordinary functions--automatically and with amazing speed and accuracy.


Prerequisites
It is recommended, but not necessarily required, that students have taken high-school biology.

B3808: Epigenetics: it's not just about DNA
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Fiorella Grandi

Is all about DNA, right? But, if that's true, why are identical twins not exactly the same? Why are calico cats different colors? Learn about epigenetics, the science of what's modifying your genes! We will explore how cells use epigenetic mechanisms to make decisions about becoming a neuron or a liver cell even though both types have the same DNA. We'll also look at the role epigenetics can play in diseases such as cancer.


Prerequisites
Basic biology (should know what DNA is).

B4000: It Looks Human: Exploring Bad Biology in Movies and Television
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Mike Brown, Billy Lau

A lot of the science fiction you watch has, well, less science than fiction. In this course, we'll:
-discuss how bad science in movies and TV can have a negative effect on our culture
-see some specific examples of bad biology in popular media
-talk about the real science behind these misrepresentations
-show how it would be possible to fix these problems without affecting artistic integrity
-learn how to identify good and bad science on your own

B4067: Discovering Nemo: Let’s Explore Coral Reefs
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Sierra Garcia

How do cars, clownfish, and tsunami protection connect? Why are coral reefs called “the rainforests of the sea?” To find out, sign up for this interactive lecture/discussion on coral reefs.

This class is for anyone, from ocean enthusiasts to people who haven’t thought about reefs since watching Finding Nemo. We will learn about some amazing features of coral reefs: what they are and what they do, some of the animals that live on them, why they are important to humans, and what we can do to protect and preserve them.


Prerequisites
none

B3738: X-ray Vision
Difficulty: **

Learn how radiologists use x-rays to look inside your body. Develop an understanding of what it would take to build your own x-ray machine.

B3762: Culinary Science in Product Development
Difficulty: **

You walk down the aisle of a supermarket and you stumble upon these weirdly flavored chips. Ever wonder how someone's crazy idea is put from concept to product?

Culinary arts + food science = AWESOME PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. You take science and add it to cooking and bam, that delicious or sometimes bizarre flavored chip comes to a store near you.


Prerequisites
Intro to food science knowledge would be nice. Food culture, food history and food properties knowledge would also be nice, but all are not necessary. It would be better for you.

B3822: Practical Neuroscience
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

What is the brain? How does it work? How can I make it stronger?

You’ll learn about awesome experiments that show that the brain can be rewired, remolded and strengthened. You’ll meet someone operating with half a brain (literally), people who built physical strength just by thinking about it, and people who rewired their brains and cured mental illnesses with the power of thought. We’ll cover what you need to know about the brain.

B3847: Would you want to know? Exploring genetic testing and Huntington's disease
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kristen Powers

If you could find out whether you will develop a disease with no known cure, would you want to know?

This course will provide an introduction to the science behind Huntington’s Disease, which is a genetically inherited disease that affects both the mind and the body. After an overview of cool topics like DNA and genetics, we will talk about genetic testing – what that is, and how it applies to parents or children who may have Huntington’s Disease. You will then use this knowledge to debate the ethical concerns that arise when screening for inherited diseases.

If your parents have Huntington’s Disease, would you get tested? If you were going to have children but did not know if you had the disease, would you get tested? Would you have kids if you tested positive?


Prerequisites
Basic biology knowledge is helpful, but we'll provide a quick intro at the beginning of the course for context!

B3900: Game Theory and Biological Warfare
Difficulty: **

Come be part of a zombie apocalypse! An interactive introduction to how game theory and math can be used to understand the spread of a zombie virus. Don't worry, the math won't kill you--you will survive (haha). We will extrapolate this to the spread and infection of real world viruses such as ebola, small pox, dengue fever and the common cold.


Prerequisites
None!

B4016: Molecular Biophysics: How Life Works at the Smallest Scale
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Andrew Savinov

At the smallest scale, life is made possible by very special molecules, including DNA, RNA, and proteins. Yet though they are special, these molecules follow the same physical rules as the rest of the universe. Molecular biophysics is the study of how these molecules of life physically work. In this class we will explore selected topics in molecular biophysics, looking at different examples of how biological molecules function and what experiments we can do to uncover these molecules’ mysteries.


Prerequisites
Some background in biology, chemistry, and/or physics is helpful, but not required.

B3803: The Reproductive System… And Important Issues for Science, Sex, and Health
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Chris Miller

This class will explore the basic anatomy and physiology of the male and female reproductive systems--and then use this new knowledge to discuss issues important for personal health such as sexual intercourse, the menstrual cycle, birth control, embryonic development, and labor & delivery. Please note that this class will analyze somewhat graphic images and discuss mature topics--and will make every effort to do so both candidly and respectfully.

B3809: Jumping Genes!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Fiorella Grandi

Why are different kernels of the same corn different colors? The answer: jumping genes! These mobile genetic elements, called transposons, can move around the in the plant genome. Turns out that 40% of the human genome is made up of these jumping DNA segments. Learn about the role that mobile DNA elements have played in shaping plant and animal genomes and the roles they play in human development and disease.


Prerequisites
Basic biology (should know what DNA is).

B3810: Cancer: When Cells Break Bad
Difficulty: **

What causes a healthy cell to become cancerous? This class explores what cancer is and how it develops. We will also simulate the experiments that scientists use to learn more about cancer and to develop new treatments to fight it.


Prerequisites
Background in introductory cell biology and genetics is recommended

B3974: DNA and You: a Tale of Compaction
Difficulty: **

DNA has existed for billions of years, but does it do? In this class, we'll explore the role of DNA and how cells can pack so much of it into one tiny space (Strawberry's have 9 feet of DNA in each cell!). This will also include a short lab where we will extract DNA from strawberries.

B3985: Welcome to your brain
Difficulty: **

Ever wonder how your brain helps make you who you are? How does your brain help you see and move? Can we come up with a cure for brain diseases? This class is a hands-on introduction to the brain and its various functions. You'll get to see and touch real human brains and ask your burning questions to Ph.D. students who are becoming brain experts!

B3739: Clinical Theory: What You Learn as a Medical Student
Difficulty: *

Interested in medicine? Or just curious why your doctor(s) ask you certain questions/perform certain maneuvers? In this session, you will learn how doctors approach the patient interview, just as one would in medical school!

B3790: Action 4 Nature - Hawkwatching
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kenneth Huo

Action 4 Nature -

From Angry Bird to the now extinct passenger pigeon, we will be talking about Hawkwatching, birding and The Biology of Birds of Prey and all on Stanford Campus!

Bring your binoculars, scopes, your sketch books and your stories of birds/hawk watching!

B3860: New Neuron in Old Brain
Difficulty: **

Do you know new neuron born in adult brain ? Perhaps you may have heard/learn that no new neuron born after birth, this is no longer true. Now its well established that adult and even old brain does produce neuron. Can we increase neuron generation to replace lost neuron in stroke and neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer?. This class will take you from history to introduction to current status.


Prerequisites
Curiosity

B3867: A Brief Introduction to Population Genetics
Difficulty: **

The human genome is comprised of three billion base pairs, of which, 99% are identical across the entire human population. Only a very small fraction of the genome harbors any variation. It is this small, variable fraction that plays an important role in natural selection and can inform us about events such as demography.

With genomic sequencing technology becoming increasingly cheap and accessible to the public, we are now entering an exciting era of personalized genomics and medicine. In this course, we will learn about the signatures of genetic variation that can help us understand our susceptibility to diseases and our human demographic history.


Prerequisites
the material may be hard to follow without some intro biology

B3872: Snails, Seastars, and Slime: Adaptation and Behavioral Ecology in the Ocean
Difficulty: **

Learn about life in the ocean through interactive, hands on activities. The first section of the class will involve an experiment on animal behavior in a touch tank. The second section of the class will cover adaptation and natural selection, allowing students to participate in a creative activity and once again utilize the touch tank.

B3903: Memory and the Brain
Difficulty: **

You know what the word "memory" means… but, did you know that there are actually many different types of memory, and that they rely on different areas of the brain? Come learn about how the brain supports memory, and what happens to our memories when different areas of the brain are damaged!


Prerequisites
No specific coursework is required for this class -- just an interest in psychology, biology, and neuroscience!

B4051: Demystifying the Brain
Difficulty: **

In this course, we will unravel the misconceptions and mysteries surrounding the human brain. Through the exploration of illusions and famous case studies, we will understand more about how our brain creates our reality and defines us.

B3981: The Wonderful World of Bacterial Communities
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Pascale Guiton

Bacteria are everywhere and similar to humans they communicate with each other and reside within “small houses”. Enroll for this course to learn about the exciting features of a bacterial village and how it is produced during diseases.


Prerequisites
A keen Interest in microbial world!

B4002: Explore the Heart: Dissection & Lecture
Difficulty: **

Anatomy & Physiology


Prerequisites
We all know what the heart is, what it does, and why it’s important. But why does it perform the tasks in the way that it does? Why does it have multiple chambers? Why not just one? Or none? Why does the blood flow up, down, around and through it again? Why not straight through? Learn the answers to all of these questions and learn about the new technologies that are available! After taking a look at technology in cardiology, we’ll dissect and take a peak at cow and goat hearts and follow their blood flows and learn the similarities and differences between goat and cow hearts when compared to those of humans. [Note: We will be looking at fresh organs of animals, please keep this in mind before coming to class.]


Engineering

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E3986: Motorcycles and Mechanisms Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Joe Johnson

E3954: Catastrophic Failure: The Materials Preventing and Responsible for Disasters

It's a bad day if your phone screen cracks, but it's something else entirely if your airplane falls out of the sky. Learn about the science and engineering behind materials failures in history through demonstrations and hands-on experiments. We'll explore the enormous demands we place on materials in applications like space exploration, as well as how they work. We'll also show how many materials can change dramatically with changes in temperature and other conditions.

E3945: How Cars Work
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Viktor Shkolnikov

Have you ever wondered how cars really work? How an gasoline engine works? a diesel engine? a transmission? How breaks work? How a turbocharger or NOS give the car a performance boost? How electric cars work, and what makes a car fuel efficient? If so, this class is for you!


Prerequisites
Basic chemistry, basic physics

E3748: Build Your Own Speaker
Difficulty: **

Each student will build a simple styrofoam cup speaker. We will learn about sound, how speakers work, and basic circuits.


Prerequisites
Please bring a portable music player such as an MP3 player or smartphone if you have one. A few extras will be available to use if you do not have one.

E3749: Introduction to Spaceflight
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Jan Kolmas

Overview of rocket propulsion, staging, orbital mechanics and reentry. Concepts will be demonstrated in a computer simulation.


Prerequisites
High school physics (Newton's laws, conservation of momentum)

E3889: Aircraft Design
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Rick Fenrich

What does it take to design an airplane? We'll take a closer look at how aircraft go from the blackboard to the sky. Then we'll break into teams and design our own aircraft! No prior experience needed.


Prerequisites
Familiarity with algebra and some physics.

E3890: Introduction to Semiconductor Physics
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Colleen Shang

What makes semiconductors so exciting and important in Silicon Valley? What is the difference between a laser and an LED? Why are electrons, holes, and photons useful? The class will introduce fundamental concepts of semiconductor physics including material structure, electronic and optical properties, as well as the application of semiconductor physics in everyday devices such as LEDs and lasers. At the end of the class, students will go on a tour of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility where new and innovative research is being conducted on semiconductor devices. This course is especially suitable to students interested in pursing careers in Materials Science and Engineering, Applied Physics, and Electrical Engineering.


Prerequisites
High school level physics and chemistry

E3918: Reverse Engineering: Puzzles of the Modern Age
Difficulty: **

"The important thing about security systems isn't how they work, it's how they fail" (Cory Doctorow). Are we really secure? What does security mean - putting something behind a lock, encrypting it? Is it all of these things? Is it none of them? In this class, we will discover how things work to make them fail in just the right way.

E3887: Make your own public transit network
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Omar Rizwan

Do you like maps? Do you like buses and trains? Do you like figuring out all the ways you can get from 'here' to 'there'? Have you ever played SimCity?

In this class, I'll give you a fictional city, with some dense parts, some rural parts, some rich parts, some poor parts, and you'll come up with some ideas for how you might plan out a transportation network.

You'll learn about some issues in real-life planning, some of the trade-offs planners have to make, and you'll get to draw out your very own transportation network.

E3947: Engineering Living Matter
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Negin Behzadian

The course is aimed at increasing understanding for how to approach the systematic engineering of living systems to advance human health and promote environmental sustainability. Creating a fusion of engineering fundamentals and the irreducible complexity of biological systems, and the perception of biology as a substrate is emphasized within the context of biomechanics, systems and synthetic biology, physical biology, biomolecular engineering, tissue engineering, and devices.

E3950: Learn Electronics and Programming with LightUp
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Joshua Chan

Snap together LightUp's magnetic blocks to build a working electronic circuit in seconds, even if you've never built one before. Take a photo of your circuit with the LightUp Learning iPad app to get some immediate guidance or see an enlightening animation. Finally, program your circuit to do something cool with our Arduino-compatible microcontroller block.

Feel free to bring a MacBook if you have one handy, but we'll be bringing a few that you can use as well.

E3747: Introduction to Earthquake Engineering
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Cristian Acevedo

Earthquakes are one of Earth's most devastating phenomena. Come learn about earthquake mechanisms and design of structures in earthquake prone areas (like California) and experience shaking first hand!
The class will cover the basic physics behind structural earthquake engineering design; the focus will be on explaining concepts through demonstrations.

E3906: From Transistors to iPhone: The Amazing Journey of Clueless Teenage Electrons
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Benjamin Ting

From the discovery of electron in 1897, to the invention of transistor in 1947, followed by the birth of Silicon Valley in the 1970's, and the arrival iPhone in 2007. 110 years in the making, the teenage electrons have finally arrived in your friendly neighborhood. Come and find out how these teenagers are shaping everything you do in your life, and what lies ahead when these electrons grow up to become adults!


Prerequisites
Ability to stay awake during the class

E3816: What the heck is Engineering?
Difficulty: *

"You're good at math and science - you should be an engineer!" That was about the extent of my career counseling when I was in high school. If you're in a similar position, then this class is for you!

This will be a short, broad lecture on what engineers actually do, drawing on case studies from mechanical, electrical, and product design viewpoints.


Prerequisites
A slight-to-severe confusion about what engineering is, and a desire to disabuse oneself of that notion

E3912: Rapid prototyping connected products - Wearables and IOTs
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Sudhir Wadhwa

Are you excited about Google Glass, Apple Watch and many more wearable technologies introduced in daily life?

Have you ever thought of programming devices and sensors? One estimation is that there will be 50 billion devices and objects connected to the Internet by 2020.

This is a very hands-on class, targeted for inventors, designers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in creating wearable or IoT products. By the end of the class you will learn how to: create use-cases for your products; validate them with your customers and find a market fit; 3D print your product enclosure; write the firmware; build the electronics; develop the backend; and the mobile app to configure and interface with your product prototype.

Come and Learn art and science of Rapid Prototyping


Prerequisites
Bring tons of questions...

E3990: Think Like a Designer
Difficulty: *

How can you sneak coffee past TSA? How can you make recycling fun? How do we make every experience better?

These are just a few questions that we will try to answer in class. Students will be introduced to the design process- problem finding, brainstorming and prototyping. We will also work on a hands on, fun project in class!

E3948: Stanford Polymer Collectives

Polymers are fascinating materials that can be found almost everywhere in our daily lives. These macromolecules have many repeating subunits that form long chains and networks. From the skin on our bones to the plastics we buy at the store, polymers come in all shapes and sizes. In this short course, we'll learn about polymers through fun hands-on activities that highlight some of their most important properties.

We will teach the students the different applications and basic concepts of polymer science.


Prerequisites
None...

E3775: Arduinos: Making and Breaking Things for Kicks and Giggles
Difficulty: **

You will:
1. Build things.
2. Break things.
3. Make lights flash, buzzers buzz, and teach electronics to move, blink, and spin at your beck and call (and code.)
4. Have the time of your life.
5. Repeat.


Prerequisites
Ability to solve Fermat's Last Theorem, clear knowledge of quantum chromodynamics, and a basic understanding of rocket science. Alternatively: bring nothing, learn everything, and come prepared to have a blast.

E3996: Where does our electricity come from?
Difficulty: **

Electricity comes from the outlet in the wall! You know that's not really true, but you might not know what the complete answer is. We'll talk about different kinds of power plants -- how each of them work, what their advantages are over other kinds, and what some of their issues are. We'll talk a little about how it gets to your wall once the electricity has been made, but the main focus will be on power plants.


Prerequisites
If you've heard the words "generator" and/or "motor" in your science class, you should be all set.

E4038: How This Website Works
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Jordan Moldow

Ever wonder what was actually going on when Splash registration opened? Find out how the Splash website (or any website) works behind the scenes.

We’ll cover, very briefly, the basics of all the major concepts of web design, including HTML, CSS, client-side scripting, and server-side scripting. Time permitting, we'll also talk about databases, version controlling, and caching. All examples will be taken from the Splash website.

If time allows, we’ll take a look at some of the administrative portions of the website - the pages that help the Splash directors administer the program.

This class will be an overview of many different concepts of web design, and how they interact. It will not be an in-depth look at any one concept, though links to resources for additional learning will be provided.

No computer experience is required. In fact, if you have a lot of computer experience, you’ll probably be bored. But if you don’t already know most of the terms listed in the description, then you’re encouraged to register for this class!

E4059: What's in your mobile phone?
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Michael Wei

Today's mobile phones can take pictures, access the internet, and even track our sleep quality.

What hardware is involved in enabling the modern smartphone? We'll learn about the components controlling mobile phone reception, power, information gathering and processing, and consider exciting developments to expect in the future.


Prerequisites
Interest in technology

E3881: 3D Printing Hands On!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Dave Lewis

Come and experience 3D printing hands on in a workshop sponsored by r-Labs and our friends.

Learn what it takes to go from an idea to a completed 3D print you can take home.

Talk with student experts who have run successful Kickstarters, landed internships and who are pushing the boundaries.


Prerequisites
None


Hobbies

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H4030: Nim: How to defeat your friends while eating Goldfish
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Eric Mannes

You and I gaze at several piles of Goldfish and decide to play a game! When it's your turn, you pick a nonempty pile and eat a positive number of Goldfish from that pile. If you eat the last Goldfish in the entire game, you win!

For instance, if we start with three piles that have 3, 4, and 5 Goldfish, a game might go like this:
--You eat 3 from pile 3
--I eat 3 from pile 2
--You eat 2 from pile 1
--I eat 2 from pile 3
--You eat 1 from pile 1
--I eat 1 from pile 2. This is the last Goldfish, so I win! (Would you rather go first or second in this game?)

Discover how to beat your friends at this game, learn why this game is mathematically important, and eat lots of Goldfish in the process!


Prerequisites
You'll enjoy this class a lot more if you like Goldfish.

H3870: Introduction to Bridge (by a World Champion!)

Question: What do Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have in common?

Answer: They're both billionaires and they both love the card game bridge.

If you too aspire to become a bridge-playing billionaire, then the first step is to learn how to play bridge! (Sadly, the second step is not covered in this class.)

Bridge is a fun and brainy card game somewhat like hearts and spades. It's played 2 vs 2, so good communication and teamwork are key to victory. (Another benefit of bridge being played 2 vs 2 is that if you ever lose - hypothetically, of course - you've got someone other than yourself to blame!)

This class is for anyone and everyone who wants to learn bridge. No experience necessary!

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT***

A FORMER WORLD CHAMPION and team of bridge-loving Stanford students will be teaching this year! Come rub shoulders with greatness and hope that greatness rubs off on you!

H3811: Modular Origami
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Vivian Wang

Ever folded water balloons or cranes? Want to try something different? Come learn modular origami! Modular origami involves folding many, many small units and assembling them into larger 3D geometric structures (without glue or tape). In this class, you'll be working with colorful post-it notes and/or origami paper to make some sort of polyhedral form, which you get to keep.


Prerequisites
No folding experience necessary! If you have prior experience with modular origami (Sonobe, PhiZZ units), you might be bored.

H3951: Bicycle Maintenance Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Tom Kabat

H3807: Math-y Beading
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Vivian Wang

Beads are pretty, but polyhedra are prettier. We'll learn to make buckyballs (a.k.a. truncated icosahedra for math folks or C60 for chem folks) out of beads and string. By the end of the class, you'll have your own shiny geometric trinket to keep!

Depending on time and interest, we might learn to make other geometric things...A fractal dodecahedron? Polyhedral carbon nanotori? The possibilities are (almost) endless.

For an idea of what we'll be making, see here: https://db.tt/NPha2NOi.


Prerequisites
We'll be working with seed beads (which are pretty small), so a little finger dexterity and a lot of patience will go a long way!

H3952: Bicycle Maintenance Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Tom Kabat

H3851: Introduction to Monopoly Strategy
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Bradley Emi

The classic board game Monopoly has a rich history, dating back to 1903, when Elizabeth Magie self-published a property trading game called The Landlord's Game. It was further refined by Charles Darrow and published by Parker Brothers to become one of the world's most popular games, with over 200,000,000 games sold, and the phrases "Go directly to jail" and "Do not pass Go" have become embedded in American culture. But Monopoly is also a deeply strategic game, requiring complex valuations of property and skilled negotiation. In this class, for the first hour, we will examine the basic strategies of Monopoly: most importantly, how to evaluate property and trades effectively, and how to protect value for the long-term. While we won't have time to complete full games of Monopoly in class, during the second hour, you will have an opportunity to test out your new skills by playing out an unfinished game of Monopoly, and at the end of class, we will compare the various strategies your classmates use, and their overall effectiveness.

H3944: Quidditch for Muggles
Difficulty: *

We'll go over the basics of quidditch as it is played by high schools, colleges, and community teams throughout the world, and play some scrimmages. We'll provide the brooms!

Wear shoes you can run in (e.g. sneakers).
Bring a water bottle so you can keep hydrated.
Sunscreen is recommended.

H4028: Chinese Calligraphy: Master the Art of Writing
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Lena Sun, May Wah Sun

The local name for calligraphy is Shūfǎ 書法 in China, literally "the way/method/law of writing"

Chinese calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practiced in China and revered in the Chinese cultural sphere, which often includes Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam.

Motivated to learn a new and interesting hobby?

All materials would be provided for you, just bring yourself and an open mind to learn.

Learn this new hobby to impress your friends and family.


Prerequisites
- Interest in learning a new style of art - Learning a new and basic Chinese language

H3960: Knit Wit
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Saundra Davis

Just in time for cooler weather! Stop spending your cash on hats, gloves and scarves...make your own! In this class you will learn the three basic things you need to know to get started. You will cast on, knit and bind off. Each student will leave with a basic knit bracelet and instructions for your next project.


Prerequisites
None

H3980: A Brief Introduction to Sports Analytics
Difficulty: *
Teachers: David Wintermeyer

This class will discuss sports analytics of baseball, basketball, soccer, and more. Some statistics are involved, but no serious math, just sports!

H3736: Abstract Board Games
Difficulty: **

Games are incredible cultural artifacts. Like music, they transcend language. Like art, they can be appreciated across cultural boundaries. The best games survive for hundreds or thousands of years virtually unchanged--and are still being played.

Among games in general, abstract board games occupy a special place. Abstract board games include chess, checkers, go, and Mancala--games with simple rules (usually without luck), which nonetheless create strategic depth which exceed the ability of any human to master the game within their lifetime.

The best way to understand these games is to play them. In this class, you will learn how to play the following games: Connect Four, Hex, Dots and Boxes, Yavalath, Mini-chess, Mini-Mancala and Hippos and Crocodiles. The class will be split into two teams: each time we start a new game, a new leader will be selected for each team. The leader has one minute to decide what move to make, but should consult the other team members.

After playing a game, I will discuss some cool facts about the game (or related games). Then as a class, we will discuss what we like or dislike about the game.


Prerequisites
No previous playing experience necessary! Play as a team to learn together.

H3815: Salsalicious!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Marielos Sanson

Salsa dancing originated in Cuba and is lively, fun and easy to learn! This beginners Salsa lessons will teach you the basic steps you need to become a professional Salsa dancer!! We will be doing some partner work, but don't worry! You don't need a partner to come!


Prerequisites
No experience necessary! No partner necessary.

H3796: The Game of Go (Igo/Weiqi/Baduk)
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Zheng Cui

Go is an ancient board game that has survived in its original form for more than two thousand years! Still widely popular today, Go is both easy to learn and incredibly deep. Even the strongest computers have little chance against human experts. If you are intrigued but know absolutely nothing about the game, come to this class! You will hear some very interesting history, learn about the rules and etiquette, and of course play the game!

H3743: Understanding Diplomacy Through Wargaming
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Daniel Whalen

Much of historical European politics would have made more sense if you were there at the time. This class will give you a chance to recreate those politics. Take command of countries in a simple war game and learn about the balance of power by seeing it play out in action.


Life Skills

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L3908: Memory Techniques
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Gail Wilson

Learn memory and study techniques that will give you the important edge you will need to help find success in all aspects of your life.
Find out about simple ways to memorize any amount of information without repetition. Remember names; remember important facts. Learn how to memorize hundreds of definitions in time to ace the next exam.

Create a powerful brain.
Create a powerful life!


Prerequisites
A sincere desire to improve your memory!

L3825: Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

Bank bailouts. Stealing to feed your hungry kid. Lying to save Jews in your basement. Waterboarding. What’s right and what’s wrong? And how do we know?

This will be a crash course in Ethics, the rigorous discipline of determining what’s right. This lost science will be critical for anyone who will have to make decisions in their life.

L3839: Why and How to Volunteer Locally and Abroad?

Why should you volunteer local or abroad? How and Where? During this class we will answer these questions and also touch on how to use volunteer experience on college applications and job resumes. We'll provide personal examples of volunteering as co-organizers of our own volunteer group and unique experiences such as volunteering in prisons and various countries abroad.

L3854: How To Become a Better Listener

Are you interested in learning some lifelong skills that could help you become a better friend, build trust, and improve your overall relationships? In this 45-minute workshop, two Stanford undergrads from the Bridge Peer Counseling Center on campus will teach you how to gain these valuable skills through becoming a better listener. These skills and practices are used daily by peer counselors to support the Stanford community.


Prerequisites
none!

L3782: Preparing for College
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Kevin Liang

This class will give you a good sense of what to expect from college and how to have a successful college career. There are many pathways one can take in college and hopefully this class will help you discover what it will be.

L3840: Leadership/Managerial Skills
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Melisa Rillera

Discuss different leadership and managerial skills you will need not only in your professional career but in many aspects of your life. Talk about how to bring these aspects out of you. We'll go over the difference between leadership and management, discuss these skills, what it will take to develop and refine them, and how to apply them to your daily life.

L3879: How to Travel for (Almost) Free!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Yongjian Si

How do you interact with locals and get the most genuine cultural experience while traveling abroad?

How do I get the best deals on airfare, transportation, and lodging?

How do you identity avoid tourist traps?

How on earth do you avoid that dreaded $5-$10 ATM per transaction surcharge while abroad?

How do you stay connected while you're on your trip?

Find out from Yongjian, an experienced amateur backpacker who traveled alone through Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico for 33 days without staying for a single night in a hostel/hotel. He has also traveled from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Canada using only city buses and has spent time living/traveling in China, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Catalunya. Find out how he managed to get invited to a wedding in Guadalajara, Mexico or how he managed to get invited to a homemade family dinner in the mountains of rural Catalunya without knowing anyone in those places beforehand!


Prerequisites
A passion for traveling and a curious mind!

L4054: Managing Money: An Intro to Personal Finance Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Melissa Ko

L3805: Introduction to Philosophy: The Art of Discussion
Difficulty: **

Come learn from Stanford students about how to effectively articulate and listen to opinions. Through an intellectual roundtable discussion, you will practice these skills to start forming your own beliefs about complex issues.

L3987: Hacking Your Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Shadi Barhoumi

Back for a third time by popular demand, Hacking Your Life is bigger and better than ever! GET READY TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN. SERIOUSLY.


Prerequisites
A big big smile!

L3765: The Art of Effective Communication: A Primer on Telling a Good Story
Difficulty: *

Do you like telling stories? Do you wish you were better at expressing your thoughts and ideas in front of an audience? Whether you're talking to a group of 2 or 200, whether you're a scientist, an engineer, or a politician, getting your audience to quickly understand your ideas and be convinced by your arguments is a very useful superpower to have.

We'll cover a broad range of tips and tricks, from how to engage and hold your audience's attention, to how to organize your thoughts and express your ideas clearly.

Our class philosophy is: this is a safe environment, with no grades or judgment. We are here to practice and learn something. So, whether you've never spoken in public before or you're looking to hone your skills, come by and let's talk.

L3998: Interpersonal Communication in A Business Setting
Difficulty: *

Almost without exception, today’s business professionals attribute their success largely to their ability to write well, to speak dynamically, and to cultivate business relationships. In this class you will learn basic theories on communicating strategically in a business setting. We will start with an exploration of social styles and how to develop communication strategies to fit those styles, and end with a discussion on establishing credibility and influence through communication.

L4027: Making Maki Full!
Difficulty: *

L3766: Running a Campaign for Social and Political Change
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Courtney Pal

Do you want to change the world, but don't know where to start? Are you passionate about an issue, but unsure of how to take action? Whether you want to convince your local politician to raise the minimum wage, fight for federal marriage equality, end air pollution in your neighborhood, or make ANY type of meaningful change-- this course is for you!

This session will lead you through the steps of running a successful grassroots campaign for change. Topics include:

- identifying campaign goals and targets
- building coalitions
- outreach and awareness strategies
- fundraising "beyond the bake sale"
- social media engagement
- talking to decision-makers
- leadership development

While learning these skills, you will have the chance to plan a real-world campaign on an issue of your choosing, against a problem that you have identified in your community. If you want to make a difference in the world, this session will help you get started!


Prerequisites
Please come with a local or global issue in mind that you would like to solve!

L4047: Humble Lessons on Being True To Yourself
Difficulty: *

Being different is a blessing. Here's another lesson: as long as you are yourself you'll be happy. My attempt with this class will be to help you understand the importance and value of your personal self. Most importantly, I'll help you to learn how to create your own path and to listen to your inner voice. It'll be a fun and inspirational experience.
-Self changes, and you follow-

L3812: Personal Finance for Young Adults
Difficulty: **
Teachers: John Hwang

This class is going to teach kids:

a) how to research scholarships

b) how to get a savings account

c) how to get a credit card

d) how to maintain a good credit score

e) how to pick the right major

We can get more focused later

L3865: Preparing For A Career After College
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Benjamin Ting

While college is an important experience for many students, what comes after college is equally important. You spend 4 years in college, but probably 40 years after that in a career. It's never too early to plan for something you will spend a life time doing!


Prerequisites
A positive attitude and a big smile

L3923: Calm Down: Tips for Applying to College
Difficulty: *

Are you nervous about college applications? Sure you are. Isn't everyone? But we've been through them already, and we think we did alright, so if you'd like to pick our brains for advice or simply listen to us talk about what we think will help you, come talk to us.

L3826: The Neuroscience of Happiness: The Art and Science of a Great Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

What makes humans happy? Don't we all do whatever we think makes us happy? Yes, and we're often wrong. So then how do we get this most important of questions right?

We will explore the big ideas on how to be awesome at life, from ancient Greece to the latest neuroscience. Hear about the best things thought and said about how to flourish as a person and live the Happy life.


Prerequisites
This class draws from many of my other lectures. You will have a better foundation if you've taken them, but can still attend if you haven't.

L3884: Peaceful Communication
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Mango Martin

You will learn to use mindfulness and empathy to communicate honestly and non-violently.

L3913: Come Train your Mind: Memory as a Skill
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Connor Stubbs

Whether you’re a special agent, a president, a student, or a new driver trying to remember to turn off the car lights *cough* ‘me’ *cough*, a powerful memory is critical for success. Come learn what memory is and how to train yourself to become better at memorizing.

WARNING: Class includes epic memory games and extreme mental strain. Come at your own risk.


Prerequisites
You are required to have failed to effectively memorize something in the past.

L3914: Thinking with your feet
Difficulty: **

Thinking with your feet. How is that possible? Come have fun solving challenges with your new skills.


Prerequisites
Open mind, big smile and your thinking feet

L3962: Miss CEO: Becoming an Effective Leader
Difficulty: *

The world needs great leaders to tackle its biggest problems… and that starts with YOU! Although women are underrepresented in today's leadership ranks, this class will inspire and teach you how to position yourself as a leader in high school, college, and beyond. Come learn about relevant leadership skills such as effective negotiation and clear communication that will help you excel in a variety of academic, personal, and professional situations. More importantly you will also learn how to put these skills into practice starting today --including securing dream mentors, finding internships, navigating the college application process, and getting on the right trajectory for career achievement early on. The instructors for this class feature women from the Stanford community who have extensive experience leading and making innovative contributions to their fields. They also have a passion for helping students achieve their leadership potential, which you can learn more about at www.missceo.org.

L3988: Pizzaiolo Cowabunga: An Introduction to Design Through Pizza
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Bordow, Dan Somen

An introduction to basic design principles through preparing pizza and creating an experience around enjoying it.

L4061: Hack Your Memory
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Marcus Jackson

Do you struggle with tests that require lots of memorization? Wish you could remember lots of vocabulary for English and other languages? Want to wow your peers with incredible feats of memory?
Come to this class to start learning some basic yet useful memory techniques that I wish I had known about in grade school.


Prerequisites
A desire to learn something new and a willingness to believe you have a good memory.

L3885: Dealing with difficult people
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Mango Martin

You will learn how to handle upsetting or overwhelming conversations by communicating for collaboration.

L3953: Let’s Design a Sustainable Satisfying Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Tom Kabat

Let’s brainstorm to design a satisfying and sustainable life. We'll have group discussion of values, choices and results. We'll explore the intersection of satisfaction, sustainability, consumption and community. People increasingly view themselves as "consumers". What other roles can we take in meeting our needs? Let's explore the balance of many possible roles in our lives and how they can add satisfaction and promote sustainability

L3958: Stress, Self-Compassion and the Human Experience!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Alfred Delena

Have you ever asked yourself, “What does it mean to be happy? What is compassion? How do I lead a meaningful life? How can I stress less?" If you answered yes to one or all of those questions, this class is just for you!

I know, I know, it sounds like one of those TV advertisements about a new product, but fear not, in this course, we will explore the good, the bad and the ugly sides of stress from a scientific standpoint, we will learn about what compassion and self-compassion are and how we can practice it in our daily lives, and finally, we will look at other aspects of well-being, from gratitude to mindfulness. By the time class is over, you will have a quiver full of strategies to increase your happiness and decrease cortisol levels.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites, just an open mind and a willingness to really participate (hugs included):) Note: This course is meant to be interactive, and partner to partner participation will enhance the course dynamic.

L3758: Nutrition Labeling reading and Chi Quong exercise
Difficulty: *
Teachers: May To

Nutrition Label reading + Introduction to Chi Quong exercise
Come and learn what you are eating!!
We will explore label reading on packaged foods - fresh, frozen, canned, as a meal, desserts, cereals and more.
There will be samples and hands on practice. At the end, let’s have some fun and strength a little. There will be a short but fun session on introduction to Chi Quong for health and everyday exercise. It is simple and easy to do.


Prerequisites
None


Lunch

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L4065: Lunch Period
Difficulty: None
Teachers:

Enjoy a break for lunch with your friends! Please register for at least one lunch period on each day of the program.

L4066: Lunch Period
Difficulty: None
Teachers:

Enjoy a break for lunch with your friends! Please register for at least one lunch period on each day of the program.


Mathematics and Computer Science

[ Return to Category List ]

M3794: The Internet of Things: Cybersecurity, Privacy and the Law
Difficulty: **
Teachers: R Sachdev

In this class, students will learn from an Attorney, about modern computer security, privacy and relevant legal issues.

Some key tools used to secure our use of computers, mobile devices and modern media connected to the internet will be shared along with privacy tools for social media in the era of the internet of things.

Cybersecurity is a key topic in the news and will be discussed from a users perspective.

Use of websites and social media is common. Not so common is a users understanding of terms and conditions, privacy and security policies. Key examples will be provided.

Students will take away implementable methods and education about key legal issues presenting themselves in this growing field of information technology.

No legal advice is provided in this class. No confidential information should be provided in class as nothing will be treated as confidential. Very basic knowledge of computers/internet is required and no prior knowledge of the law of this area is assumed.


Prerequisites
None

M4024: Digital communications
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: NiBr Brode-Roger

How do computers talk together? How do they do it efficiently? How do you do it when it becomes really hard? How about when you're talking to something that's out of our Solar System?

We will analyse how we can encode and decode binary information, transmit it over a channel, and detect and correct for errors.

M3735: To Infinity and Beyond! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jonathan Kang

M3938: Compression Algorithms: How Bzip2 Works
Difficulty: **
Teachers: William Kuszmaul

Bzip2 uses state-of-the-art algorithms to compress files. Empirically it does a better job than almost any other compression scheme out there. How does it work?

The answer is surprisingly simple and awesomely cool.


Prerequisites
Enthusiasm for algorithms

M3929: The Story of Numbers
Difficulty: *

How did we come up with the modern number systems? What are the important characteristics of the modern numbers that make them different from pre-historic ideas about numbers? Join us for a fascinating tour of the modern number system beginning from the pre-historic tally counting to the modern decimal systems. We will look at Mesopotamian, Egyptian,Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indian, Arabic and Mayan number systems and the emergence of the current system that we use.

M3993: Intro to Probability
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Wenzhao Zhang

Solving real life problems using probabilities.


Prerequisites
Basic algebra and fractions

M3957: Code Hacking!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Zandra Vinegar

In this course, you'll explore (and hack!) combinations of codes used by ancient and modern military forces during wars.

M4039: Live Action Cryptography
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jordan Moldow

Send secure messages to your friends, in such a way that I can't possibly figure out the message you are sending.

We will do some exercises to demonstrate various real-life cryptographic systems. Though these concepts are heavily used in modern day security, they are also very simple to implement, and can be done with paper, pen, and calculator, as we shall do.

We will cover:
- One Time Pads
- Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange
- ElGamel Public Key Encryption
- RSA Public Key Encryption

M3772: Optimal Bubbleology
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Amy Liu

Everyone knows that soap bubbles are spherical, but have you ever wondered why? Come explore the exciting and beautiful connections between soap bubbles and mathematical optimization! Turns out, bubbles assume the shape of least surface area possible to contain a given volume. We will take advantage of this property and apply it to ideas such as the traveling salesman problem and finding the minimal surface area required to span vertices of polyhedra. Come ready to get your hands wet as we build a variety of 3D shapes and observe the surprising results when we dip them in bubble solution.


Prerequisites
Willingness to engage in mathematical play! Some knowledge of high school geometry is helpful, but not required.

M3846: Website Development in 45 Minutes
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Chaitanya Asawa

Ever wanted to build your own website? Ever wanted to easily advertise for something? Ever wanted to create a business? Ever wanted to show off? You're going to need to build a website to do all that!

M3977: The Math of Origami
Difficulty: ***

Come learn about the exciting math we can do with origami, folding, unfolding, cutting, and taping. Even learn about some problems mathematicians and computer scientists can't answer!

M4056: Google Search and Google Translate: How Humans (Accidentally) Teach Computers
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Aaron Kalb

Suppose you have billions of books, and someone asks you for all the pages containing the word “eggplant”, sorted by the quality of the books according to the world’s eggplant experts. How long would it take you to deliver the results? If you answered longer than 300 milliseconds, then you have something to learn from Google. It takes a human longer than that to even read—let alone to answer—such a question. In that time, Google actually fulfills thousands of such requests.

Their process is brilliant: conceptually simple but technically complex, and in this fast paced tour, we’ll zoom through the basics of both, covering:
- PageRank
- Inverted Indices
- TFIDF
- Text alignment
- Language modeling
and more…

We’ll end by discussing some limitations of the Google approach to Search and Translation and hinting at next steps in both fields…

M3778: Mathematical Fallacies: Can We Prove the Impossible?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kensen Shi

Mathematics is incredibly consistent -- there are often many different ways to prove the same mathematical idea, each being equally valid. Yet when we reach contradictory results, such as "1 = 0", this consistency seems to break down. (But does it really?)

In this class we will explore various "proofs" of mathematical absurdities, challenging the consistency of mathematics and logic. Instead of dismissing the entire field of mathematics, we resolve apparent inconsistencies by identifying the hidden fallacies in these "proofs."


Prerequisites
Enthusiasm in mathematics; basic understanding of complex numbers, differentiation, integration, and (if time permits) proof by induction.

M3895: Marketing: fluff or science?
Difficulty: **

Anyone who’s seen an episode of Madmen knows that marketing is about tailored suits, clever slogans, and the manipulation of masses. The reality is a little less glamorous but tons more interesting: we modern marketers are just a bunch of data geeks, and Marketing is at the heart of every business.

Come learn about how this unique function blends science and innovation to create differentiated products, predictive market modeling, and digital campaigns. We’ll discuss key concept and real-world examples in a highly interactive session — so come armed with questions!

M3755: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Games
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Peter Pham

We will cover basic principles of game AI before designing an AI as a class! The discussion will not cover mathematical/implementation details, so don't worry if you feel that your math is a bit shaky or if you don't have programming experience yet!

M3776: Introduction to Sabermetrics
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Rohan Mehta

An introduction to the mathematical analysis of baseball. Find out how people evaluate players, predict outcomes, and come up with statistics like BABIP, wRC+, and WAR while learning important principles in statistics and probability theory.


Prerequisites
Familiarity with the rules of baseball and basic baseball terminology required. Basic probability and statistics knowledge is helpful, but not required.

M3792: The Probabilistic Method
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Josh Alman

The probabilistic method is one of the most powerful and popular techniques in combinatorics. This is in part because of the big role that randomness is playing in statistical physics and theoretical computer science. But, the probabilistic method has also been successful at proving results that mathematicians have had a lot of trouble proving by other means.

Come learn about a clever and powerful mathematical idea!


Prerequisites
You should be comfortable with high school algebra, and the basics of combinatorics (e.g. what a binomial coefficient is) and probability (e.g. what expected value means).

M3837: Comparison Logic Puzzles
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Dima Kamalov

We'll spend the class solving the following logic puzzle:

You have a balance with two sides; it can determine which of the two sides is heavier.

You also have some coins, and one of them is slightly lighter or heavier than the rest.

How many times do you need to use the balance to find the defective coin?


Prerequisites
You like solving logic puzzles

M3869: The Pigeonhole Principle & Its Applications
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Hyde

The pigeonhole principle, in its namesake form, states that if you have $n$ pigeons trying to fit into $m < n$ holes, then at least two pigeons must be put into the same hole. While this is a simple idea, the pigeonhole principle is actually a very powerful mathematical tool that we can use to find surprisingly simple solutions to seemingly complex problems. We will go over a few examples of the pigeonhole principle together, and then we will spend the rest of the time in groups working on progressively harder problems. This class should be fun as long as you are interested in math, puzzles, and logic. This class is a must for those interested in math contests!


Prerequisites
While we won't be relying on a lot of standard school math, having good problem solving / critical thinking skills will make this class more enjoyable. As long as you are curious, though, most of this class should be accessible to you.

M3935: Great Mathematicians: Thales
Difficulty: *

Living in a time when mathematics, science and philosophy were not separate disciplines, Thales of Miletus is reputed to be the earliest philosopher in the Western intellectual tradition. From creatively determining the distance of a ship from the seashore, to calculating the height of the Great Pyramid using a simple stick; from predicting a solar eclipse to arguing that water is the origin of everything; from being an absent-minded stargazer who fell into a well, to being a practical-minded merchant who made a good profit, we will look at the limited and uncertain historical sources that we have about this earliest philosopher who is reputed to have introduced the notion of 'proof' in mathematics.

M4014: Instagram Filters: The Math behind the Art
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Winnie Lin

Ever wondered how red and yellow makes orange, and what happens when you put Instagram filters on your photos?

This class will be focused on color theory and how photo filters such as color tinting and vignetting are mathematically constructed. We will first explore how color can be represented and created both in the physical and the digital world, and then talk about how we can construct simple mathematical models to make image filters!


Prerequisites
Interest in hands-on exploration, no mathematical background required (and encouraged!)

M4053: For the Love of Optimization
Difficulty: **

Pretty much anything important in life—the stability of the Golden Gate bridge, the quality of a compressed image, the edibility of a vegan ice cream, your happiness, or the likelihood of winning the lottery on your birthday—can be modeled as a mathematical function of one (or many more!) variables. Say we want to optimize of one of these functions. Easy, you say—set the derivative to zero! Duh. But what if we don't even have an formula for the function? What if our function lives in multi-dimensional space and checking every single point where the derivative is zero would take eons? What if all you have to guess what the function is, is a pile of super noisy data? What if the derivative isn't even computable?

What your calculus teachers have been hiding from you is that there exists an elegant framework for minimizing or maximizing functions, even when we can't describe what the function or its derivative looks like (or if it even has a derivative). In the age of big data, that's all you need to solve problems from 3D protein folding and predicting the next stock-market crash, to filling in a damaged image or audio clip and designing a machine learning model for identifying faces. We'll show you the secrets of this magical optimization framework, and peer into the world of how to apply them to these awesome problems.

Core ideas: theory of mathematical optimization, optimization algorithms, machine learning, big data, and applications to science and engineering.


Prerequisites
Derivatives. Matrices are a plus, but so are you, so don't sweat it if you don't know them.

M3784: Learn Meteor - the better Ruby on Rails for building responsive apps
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Pan Wangperawong

Meteor makes building reactive and data rich web apps simple and quick. It is a full stack JavaScript framework, so learn both the client and backend once.

Do not just take my word, watch some screencasts and see what I mean at Meteor.com


Prerequisites
Wants to learn how to build apps

M3836: Into the fourth dimension
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Grant Sanderson

Every wondered what exactly people mean by the "fourth dimension"? Have you ever been skeptical of those who say it's impossible to visualize anything beyond three dimensions? Bollox! I say it absolutely is possible for humans to visualize higher dimensions, and while I believe it takes longer than one short class to do so, I can at least explain how you might start.

We will first go over the basics of what the fourth dimensions is, then I will devote most of the class time to going through a series of visualizations for various four dimensional shapes and figures. If you enjoy any one of math, philosophy, pretty pictures, or having your mind twisted in a knot, this class is for you.


Prerequisites
None!

M3886: A Beginner's Guide to the World of Programming
Difficulty: *

Ever wanted to learn to program but didn't know where to start? In this class we'll break down how to find the resources you need to become proficient at programming (as long as you have your willingness to learn!). We'll briefly introduce key languages such as R, Python, Java, and C, and also discuss the role of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in delivering high quality instruction in a number of topics to boost the skills of programmers at any level.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites; however laptops are recommended if you want to follow along with the demos. Step by step instructions will be handed out to recreate the class at home.

M3930: Interest Rates and the emergence of the number 'e'
Difficulty: **

From student loans and mortgages to the financial system, we see the use of interest rates everywhere. Wonder how the idea of charging interest started in the ancient world? Beginning from Hammurabi's code, we trace the evolution of interest rates in Greek, Roman and Christian world. How is the mysterious number e connected to something as practical as interest rates? You will learn about all this in this "interest"-ing class.

M3939: How To Make a Video Game (Advanced)
Difficulty: ***

The sequel to the popular How To Make a Video Game class!

Want to take your video game design skills to the next level? Do you want to improve your coding skills? Do you dream of designing and building your own video game from the ground up? Then this is the class for you.

In this course you will build your own 3D video game using the Unity engine. Along the way, you will learn new programming techniques, level design, and game design.


Prerequisites
Must have some familiarity with a programming language. Familiarity with basic technical video game tools will be helpful (game engines, editors, IDEs, modeling, etc.) It's not necessary to have taken the beginner course first, but it may be helpful to have done so.

M3970: Geometry: Plane and Simple (Or Is It?)
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Diego Hernandez

What is so special about a triangle? Are circles useful? Do proofs have to be so difficult and boring? And what does "power of a point" REALLY mean, anyway?

This class will address questions such as these by offering an interesting and easy-to-understand introduction to selected topics within plane geometry. It will emphasize basic principles and techniques of mathematical proof as a means of affirming visual intuition and uncovering surprising and beautiful truths.


Prerequisites
A little familiarity with the basic concepts of geometry and a healthy combination of curiosity and skepticism for the subject.

M4015: CGI Animation: The Math Behind the Art
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Winnie Lin

Ever wondered how animated films such as Pixar and Dreamworks movies were created?

This class will start with a brief exploration of ways to represent 3D models in computers. We will then look at a few different methods to color and shade these models, and delve briefly into the mathematics behind it.
We will then decompose still scenes from a Pixar movie to gain some insight into the intricate work that goes on in animation studios!

Other topics such as character animation, texturing, and water caustics can also be talked about in class depending on students' interests.


Prerequisites
Familiarity with trigonometry, as well as fundamental geometry and algebra

M4035: How YOU can be a "data scientist" and make sense of the world around you
Difficulty: **

Data science has become a popular term in silicon valley. Come to learn how you can analyze large sets of data with tools you currently use (e.g., microsoft excel, microsoft access) and slightly more sophisticated tools (e.g., python, SQL). We will run through real world examples of data sets you can access and what you can do with these data sets - look for stock correlations in finance, review insurance transactions for fraudulent patterns, understand the spread of ebola.


Prerequisites
Please bring a laptop if possible to follow along.

M3833: Who Controls Your Computer? Issues in Software Freedom
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Tim Howes

Does your computer follow your instructions, or does it take orders from Apple or Microsoft?

The big software companies sell apps that are black boxes. You can't see the code, and you're not allowed to change it. They have the power to control what your computer does. That can lead to unwanted restrictions and invasions of privacy.

The alternative is free software, developed by people who share the source code for everyone to use. Free software is what powers most of the web, but most people run non-free code on their PCs and smartphones.

We'll talk about important free software projects like Linux, GNU, and Firefox, and we'll look at free alternatives to things like Microsoft Office, Gmail, Facebook, and the iPhone.

You'll see how much control the big tech companies have, and how to escape!

M4034: Python for everyday computing
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Rohit Talreja

If you've never written a program before then Python is the place to start. We'll cover the fundamentals of Python programming, simple games like tic-tac-toe or hangman, and maybe even a simple website.

With the ever-increasing demand for programming in all professions, the skills and concepts we cover may beneficial you in the future.

This class is ideal for students who have never programmed before.

M3783: 1+1=2: The Beauty of Counting
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Enze Chen

Beginning with the simple equation 1+1=2, we will build up Pascal's triangle and explore its unique properties. We will learn the basic methods of counting and have a lot of fun recognizing patterns with some clever thinking. Serves to introduce students to the field of combinatorics.


Prerequisites
Familiarity with exponents, factorials, and multiplying polynomials (think "FOIL"). General curiosity for learning a bit of math outside of the school curriculum.

M3853: Cryptography Role Play
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Josh Alman, Timothy Chu

Crypto isn't just for computers! In this class, we'll try to tell each other secrets while our classmate (and nemesis) Eve listens in.

M3936: Great Mathematicians: Pythagoras
Difficulty: *

We have all heard of the Pythagorean Theorem, named after the Greek philosopher Pythagoras. But the Pythagorean Theorem was not discovered by Pythagoras. And it would be more accurate to look at Pythagoras as the founder of a religious community than as a mathematician.

In this class, we will look at the life and times of Pythagoras, one of the most enigmatic figures in history. We will look at his travels, his struggle to find students, and his subsequent rise to fame as the divine founder of a secretive religious community, that embraced mathematics as a core part of its religion, along with music, reincarnation and abstention from meat-eating. We will look at the relationship between music and mathematics that Pythagoras supposedly uncovered, his creation myth in which everything arises from number, and his influence on the scientific revolution much later. We will see how the discovery of irrationals shattered the worldview of the Pythagoreans, and we'll look at a possible proof of the Pythagorean Theorem that Pythagoras (or one of his followers) might have originally come up with.

Note: Though not required, we would recommend that you also enroll for Great Mathematicians: Thales if you're taking this course.

M4033: The power of a point
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Preyas Shah

Ever solved school geometry problems by changing the rules? Come learn new elegant geometric concepts that will make you drool. Bring pen, paper and your creativity. Welcome to the dark side, we have cookies!

Specific topics: power of a point, poles, polar, inversion, and if we have time left, coaxal circles. If you know these, you don't need my help!


Prerequisites
Basic school geometry.

M4049: Building iPhone Apps
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nick Troccoli

Ever wondered how the apps on an iPhone work? Ever wanted to go behind the scenes and make your own? We’ll take a look at how an iPhone app is created, from designing the interface to writing the code. Get a taste of what real developers do on a daily basis, and how you can make your own apps!


Prerequisites
Core programming knowledge, including functions and variables (knowledge of object-oriented programming, including classes and methods, recommended).

M4064: Intro to Algorithms
Difficulty: **

An algorithm is a list of instructions that helps you accomplish a particular task. Something as simple as sorting a list of numbers can be described as an algorithm!

If we were to ask you and a friend to tell us how to sort numbers, you might not come up with the same answer. In the science of algorithms, there is no single correct answer. Multiple algorithms can all come up with the same sorted list, though they may differ in how efficient they are or how easy they are to understand.

We will talk about what algorithms are, how you design algorithms, and how you evaluate algorithms to find the best one to get your job done fast!

M3862: The Beauty and Power of Advanced Math
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nicholas Dwork

Math is fundamentally the search for truth. In this lecture I will show students how this search is conducted. We will take a few steps of this journey together. We will see some powerful truths identified with math. And we will see advanced areas where this search is currently taking place.


Prerequisites
A student should know what a function is

M3978: Huffman Coding
Difficulty: **

Huffman coding is a way to encode messages to be as short as possible -- super important for efficiency! In fact, Huffman coding is used in tons of compression algorithms including JPEG images. In this class we'll understand why Huffman coding is so advantageous and use it to encode secret messages to each other!


Prerequisites
We'll use concepts from probability and binary, but if you're not that familiar with them that's fine, everything will be explained.

M4040: I couldn't decide what to teach, AMA
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Benjamin Yang

I couldn't decide what to teach, so I'll let you guys decide. Ask me what you'd like to learn, and hopefully I'll have good answers.

I was a math and CS major, and I currently work as a software engineer on anti-spam/security.

M4052: Learn how to make your own video game!
Difficulty: *

In this class, we will walk you through the necessary steps to build your own video game! This class will be taught in Java only a basic understanding of computer programming is required.

M3852: Extreme Math
Difficulty: **

This class is mostly an excuse for us (the teachers) to watch you (the students) flail while you try to solve tricky math problems on the spot. This is how it will work. We will give you a math problem, and you’ll have to immediately present a solution on the black-board. You’ll have up to eight minutes to present your proof, but you need to continuously be presenting. Then our panel of judges will award you a score based on how correct, confusing, and amusing your solution was. There may or may not be teams, depending on how many students we get.


Prerequisites
The problems we’ll give you will probably be at an easy Olympiad level. At a bare minimum, you should be comfortable writing/coming up with proofs; preferably, you’re a USAMO qualifier or at least feel comfortable solving Olympiad-level problems. Also, if you’re extremely shy, you probably won’t enjoy this that much.

M3925: Great Mathematicians: Euclid
Difficulty: *

"At the age of 11, I began Euclid, with my brother as tutor. This was one of the great events in my life, as dazzling as first love. I had not imagined there was anything so delicious in the world... From that moment until I was 38, mathematics was my chief interest and my chief source of happiness." This is how Bertrand Russell, one of the most famous 20th century mathematicians (and also a Nobel Laureate) described his childhood encounter with Euclid's Elements. It is reputed to be one of the most widely read texts in the Western tradition, next only to the Bible. It has influenced scientists like Albert Einstein, politicians and lawyers like Abraham Lincoln, philosophers and mathematicians like Rene Descartes, political philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and even the ethics of Spinoza.

After reviewing the state of mathematics prior to Euclid, and the importance of the Museum of Alexandria, where Euclid was the first professor of mathematics, we will look at the chief contribution of Euclid for which he has been so influential - the axiomatic method, and the way he employs it to construct all of Greek mathematics in the Elements. We will devote most of our attention to his two-dimensional geometry, which has come to be known as 'Euclidean geometry'. The Elements also has portions on number theory, and we will look at an elegant proof of the fact that there are an infinite number of primes.

Note: Though not required, we would recommend that you also enroll for Great Mathematicians: Thales and Great Mathematicians: Pythagoras if you're enrolling for this course.

M3937: Build Your Own Website Closed!
Difficulty: **

M3956: Mad Hatter Mathematics
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Zandra Vinegar

There is math. Like no math in school. And proofs full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive them, you need to be as mad as a hatter!


Prerequisites
Come prepared for logic that doesn’t make any sense.

M3934: How To Make a Video Game
Difficulty: **

Back by popular demand!

Ever wanted to design and build your own video game? Do you want to learn how to code? Do you dream of mapping out your own loot-filled, monster-infested dungeon? Then this is the class for you.

In this course you will build your own 3D video game using the Unity engine. Along the way, you will learn to program in Javascript, how to design levels, and basics of good game design.


Prerequisites
A love for great video games. Design elements of classic video games will guide our discussion. In order to facilitate critical discussion of game design, students should be familiar with some of the most famous and highly-regarded games. If they haven't already, students should play through some of these (The Legend of Zelda, Half Life, and Super Mario 64 are great examples)

M3968: The Question of the Century
Difficulty: *

The deepest academic problem of our time is perhaps also the most human of them all. A computer science problem at heart, a few looks into it and you discover it says as much about philosophy and creativity as it does about mathematics and computation.

The person who solves this puzzle could overnight become the most powerful man alive. Mozart would never have cared about a math problem more. There's also a million dollars to be won from it...

Come find out with us what makes this single statement so profound. We will delve into puzzles, study how this problem appears all around us, and...who knows...maybe take a shot at solving it!


Prerequisites
Absolutely no requirements!


Physical Science

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P3861: How Symmetry Controls the World
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Joshua Straquadine

When I say "symmetry," you probably think about butterfly wings and starfish. What you might not know, though, is that symmetries actually control the physical world around you! In this class we'll explore the fundamental symmetries involved in materials science, and learn about how these symmetries (and the many ways in which they are broken) can lead scientists to discover exciting new phenomena! We'll cover solids, liquids, and gases, but also talk about more exotic materials like magnets, liquid crystals, and more. Come ready to move around, because we're going to scale these materials up and experience their properties firsthand!

P4001: How Organic Chemists Isolate and Identify Compounds: A Crash Course
Difficulty: ***

What do organic chemists really do? How is data collected in the lab? Organic chemists actually spend less time running reactions than you might think. Many lab techniques are not directly involved in running a reaction; their purpose is to isolate, purify, and identify the products of those reactions. This is a crash course into those techniques, covering the basics of extraction, chromatography, and spectroscopy amongst others.


Prerequisites
A full year of chemistry is highly recommended. You should be able to understand bond-line drawings and the effects of intermolecular forces.

P3820: The Birth of Science
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

Where did science come from? Who were the heroes who invented it? Why wasn't it invented sooner?

In this class, we'll talk about the exciting story of how we went from alchemy to chemistry, from astrology to astronomy. We'll talk about the epic debate about whether it was the earth or the sun in the center of the universe, discussing the discoveries and politics involved. You'll hear about popes and kings, monks and bishops, and even a few professors.

If that's not enough, I'll tell you:
*Why practically nobody thought the earth was flat
*How Galileo accomplished the greatest troll of all time
*Why it's really hard to prove that the earth revolves around the sun (without satellites)

P3828: Gravitational Lensing
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Alfred Zong

You probably know that light usually travels in a straight line, unless a magnifying glass (i.e. a convex lens) bends it. But why do physicists claim that our Sun can also act like a lens? In this class, you will be introduced to Einstein's famous general theory of relativity and you will learn the reason for this magic lensing effect!


Prerequisites
No advanced math or physics knowledge required. If you know F = ma and you're ready to embrace some really weird (but true) phenomenon, this class is for you!

P3888: The Colors of Chemistry

Have you ever wondered why your soda tastes different once the bubbles are gone? Have you ever wondered why red cabbage is red, while other leafy plants are green? And are you wondering now how these two questions are related? Come learn about acids and bases! We will test several common household products to see how they interact with water. Students will have the opportunity to design a scientific question related to acids and bases, and they will then have the opportunity to test their hypothesis hands on!

P3742: Why do some volcanoes expload while others ooze?
Difficulty: **

Wonder why some volcanoes spew ash (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/images/090202-tokyo-volcano-ash-pictures-ap_big.jpg ) whereas others ooze lava (http://www.montserratvolcano.org/Kelud%202007,%20(Tom%20Pfeiffer%20-%20www.volcanodiscovery.com).jpg , http://www.montserratvolcano.org/Colima%20lava%20dome.jpg )?
Through small group activities and discussion, we will learn why volcanoes erupt. How does liquid from the mantle reach the surface? How does the liquid from the mantle change as it goes to the suface?

P3752: Near-Earth Asteroids and Space Missions
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Michael Busch

The near-Earth asteroids are a population of objects on orbits around the Sun that cross or come near that of the Earth. They are interesting because of what we can learn from them about the history of the solar system; because some of them have hit Earth in the past and some may hit Earth in the future; and because many of them are compelling targets for space exploration.

I will give an overview of near-Earth asteroids and their place in the solar system; the asteroid impact hazard and how it is being addressed; and the various recent, current, and potential future space missions to different asteroids - both robotic and human.


Prerequisites
An interest in astronomy.

P3911: The Flat Earth
Difficulty: *

There was a time when people across different cultures believed that the earth was more or less flat, not because they were stupid in any way, but because reasoning by common sense led them to it. Even many of the best philosophers in ancient Greece adhered to some version of a flat earth viewpoint. How did some of the philosophers (or 'scientists' of the time) begin to claim that the earth was spherical? What observations and arguments led them to it? In this course, we will imagine travelling back in time to the ancient world, two thousand years before the advent of modern science, and understand how educated people convinced themselves and the others that the earth was really spherical, without satellite pictures and the ability to circumnavigate the world. We will look at the arguments offered by the key philosophers and astronomers of the time, including Aristotle and Ptolemy. Along the way, we will also understand the phases of the moon, and how the ancients inferred that eclipses are caused by the alignment of the sun, moon and the earth.

Note: This is a history of science class, not a regular science class.

P3999: The Atomic Basis of Color and Luminescence
Difficulty: ***

Have you ever wondered what makes a firefly glow? Or how the Coors Light cold-activated bottles work? In this class, we will answer those questions and more by looking at the energy transfer between electrons and light. We will start from atomic theory and work up, using molecular orbital theory to explain why molecules such as chlorophyll and hemoglobin are colored. We will talk about the chemical reactions that allow you to see light and color, and the chemical basis of luminescence. Lastly, we will explore cool applications of color chemistry including color photography, thermochromicity, and more!


Prerequisites
A full year of chemistry is highly recommended. You should also know how to read basic bond-line drawings.

P3813: Make your own hologram
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Adam Backer

What makes a hologram different from a photograph? In the first part of this class, students will learn about the physical properties of light, and how holography works. Next, students will use lasers and special holographic film (provided by instructors) to create their own holographic images.


Prerequisites
Bring something from home that looks cool -- something the size of a hot wheels car or an action figure to turn into a hologram!

P3789: Hoops 4 Hope - Dribble Like a PRO Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kenneth Huo

P4019: The Geometry of Relativity, Part I
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Robert Moffatt

This is part-one of a two-part class.

In this class, we will discuss the geometric view of the Special and General Theories of Relativity. We will discuss some famous results and paradoxes of these two theories. Concepts will be presented in an intuitive and visual format, and students will learn how to use geometry to visualize relativistic effects and to perform relativistic calculations.


Prerequisites
Knowledge of Algebra and Trigonometry will be helpful for understanding some of the concepts discussed in this class.

P3926: Make Your Own Microscope!
Difficulty: **

Have you ever wondered what a bee's mouth looks like? What about a fly's eye? How do people examine and learn about things that small?

By the end of this class, you will know all about the microscope, one of the most important tools used to study tiny worlds too small to see by eye, and you will also have built one yourself!!

P3917: How to convince your friends and relatives that Climate Change is real
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Sudhanshu Jain

Do you still know people who deny that Climate Change is happening and is caused
primarily by human activities?

This class will arm you with the facts to educate others about the science behind
Climate Change and the consequences of not taking the issue seriously. Become a Climate Myth Buster. How do we know that what’s happening isn’t just “normal” variations in climate? How
does a warmer planet contribute to both floods and droughts?

You will also learn what you can do to reduce your own Carbon Footprint.

P3997: How Fireworks Work
Difficulty: **

This class investigates the chemical and physical changes that occur in fireworks. Come find out about the role of oxidizers and reducers in fireworks, the chemical principles governing color, the physical principles governing energy transfer, mechanisms to control fireworks, and more! Because if you can’t really blow stuff up, knowing how it works is the next best thing.


Prerequisites
Very basic chemistry and physics knowledge should suffice. Knowing about reduction-oxidation reactions will be very helpful.

P3797: Molecular Gastronomy: The Chemistry of Cooking
Difficulty: **

Like food? Like science? Come learn about both!


Prerequisites
None! Just bring your brain. :D

P3814: The Optics of Microscopes

Ever wonder how microscopes work? Come to this class to learn the physics of microscopes! We will be talking about basic optics concepts and applying them to the microscope. You will be provided with multiple types of microscopes and interesting things to view.

P3830: The Science of Jurassic Park Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Samantha Zarate

P3955: Maxwell's Equations
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Zandra Vinegar

ε\varoiintEds=qvdv
Bdl=I+εddtEds
Edl=μddtBds
μ\varoiintBds=0

These four equations describe one of the most universal and elegant relations in physics. They are Maxwell’s equations, unifying all observations of relativity, electricity, and magnetism. Don’t let the notation scare you off – this class has no prerequisites (as in, just be able to graph a function), but we will rigorously derive Maxwell’s explanation of electromagnetic phenomena (including light, electricity, magnets, …). “Derive” with the catch that, as I don’t believe in writing long equations on the board, everything in this class will be presented as a series of intuitive /and/ rigorous deductions, preserving concepts rather than constants. We will begin with only two observations. First, the relativistic nature of light: you can’t catch up to a light beam – it will always move away from you at speed c. Second, our observations of the force between two charges. From these two observations, we will DERIVE the explanation of everything else. Aka, the world will unfold before you and it will be beautiful.


Prerequisites
All this said, and there being no “hidden prerequisites,” the world will need to unfold before you /very/ quickly. I basically just claimed that I would introduce all of single-variable calculus and about half of multivariable calculus in the first hour of class – which I believe is an attainable goal – but this class will be rigorous, will be extremely intense, and will require the full two hours.

P3975: Quantum Mechanics
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Andrew Guo

The quintessential physicist Richard Feynman once said, “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” As inhabitants of this world, we’re familiar with everyday macroscopic physical behavior like throwing balls or playing bongo drums. Quantum mechanics, however, describes the counterintuitive underworld of the atom. Most of the subject’s notorious difficulty lies in its mathematics, although we’ll approach it from a different angle. In this short introduction, I’ll be telling an unsettling - but true - story about electrons.

P3849: 3 "R"s = Greener Planet
Difficulty: **

Science and technology have created many new products over the past few centuries. Although extremely useful to humans it has resulted in a huge increase in trash such as plastic that we find all over the land and the ocean. Nature, on the other hand, has a built-in recycling system, the food chain, which ensures that no trash is ever generated.

What can we learn from nature’s recycling machine to reduce the mountains of trash that humans create every day?

In this session, you will explore the 3 "R"s and find out how you can help make your planet greener.

P3873: Fun with Chemistry

Chemistry is exciting and it happens all around us every day. In this class we will talk about the states of matter, a little about polymers (like plastics), and really anything else that gives us a chance to do cool demos for you all! You may get a chance to make a souvenir to take home, too. You'll just have to come and find out!

P3878: The Physics of Waves
Difficulty: *

Have you ever wondered how sound moves through the air? Or how light moves through space? It’s hard to answer, but in this class, we will explore sound waves and light waves through experiment. Together we’ll build up our intuition about waves using a simple spring then explore interference (when two waves meet at a point) and diffraction (when a wave goes through a small hole) using sound and lasers. The results will be quite unexpected.

P3961: From bubbles to brains and beyond: the beauty behind the basic
Difficulty: **

There’s nothing more picturesque than blowing bubbles on the porch during a warm summer’s day. But have you ever thought about how strange and wonderful bubbles are? In this class we will be take the mundane and discover a multitude of complexity, hidden beneath the surface. Bubbles appear simple and plain, but the physics behind these translucent orbs is anything but. We will try to understand a number of these complexities, such as why they and oil slicks take on their rainbow-like appearance. We will then move on to the mechanism through which we appreciate them – our sight, something else often taken for granted but actually fascinatingly intricate. How do we perceive light and color, and how does the retina work? These are the questions we will try to answer together. We will blow some bubbles ourselves at the end, and hopefully by then a few minds will be blown as well!

The class will largely be conceptual and not too math-y. We will write a few equations, but students with all levels of science and math backgrounds are welcome to join!

P4020: The Geometry of Relativity, Part II
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Robert Moffatt

This is part-two of a two-part class.

In this class, we will discuss the geometric view of the Special and General Theories of Relativity. We will discuss some famous results and paradoxes of these two theories. Concepts will be presented in an intuitive and visual format, and students will learn how to use geometry to visualize relativistic effects and to perform relativistic calculations.


Prerequisites
Knowledge of Algebra and Trigonometry will be helpful for understanding some of the concepts discussed in this class. It is also recommended that you attend The Geometry of Relativity, Part I.

P4045: Plate Tectonics: What is happening beneath our feet?
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Cody Trigg

Plate tectonics is the unifying theory of the geosciences. This course will examine the lines of evidence which led to the development of this theory, what it actually means, and its profound implications. The course will also touch on some of the exciting current topics in the earth sciences and the tremendous amount of career opportunities for students in this field, including the quest for the world's natural resources!
It is not too often you get to study and work outdoors for a living. Come prepared to see beautiful pictures from around the planet!

P3943: Climate Change for Non-Scientists
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kaitlyn Gee

The funny thing about climate change is that it affects everyone, but very few actually understand it. Well, if the climate is changing, then so should we. Each and every one of you should know what our generation will be battling in terms of sea level rise, population displacement, changes in food supply production, coral reef destruction, and loss of biodiversity.

In this class, we will cover the basics of climate change: what causes the rise in global temperatures, the related consequences, and how we are working to mitigate its effects. We will also discuss what you, the Z generation, can do to address the global sustainability challenge no matter what career you end up in.

P3989: Nanoscience: Small Particles, Big Impact
Difficulty: **

Nanoscience is the science of really really small things, the size of which is about a millionth of a pencil tip. In this class, we are going to learn what it is that makes this size so special. Then we are going to make nanoparticles of gold and "see" them using a laser pointer.

Next, who doesn’t like space? Wouldn’t it be cool if we didn’t have to be on a rocket? If we could just get onto an elevator and go all the way up to space? Can we make cyborg tissues and make Star Trek science fiction a reality? You all know that a lot of people get heart attacks and their hearts get damaged after that. We are not like starfish. You can’t just regrow a heart. So is it possible to regenerate the human heart? Can any of these problems be solved by nanotechnology? You’ll find out!

P4023: Where is that star?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: NiBr Brode-Roger

You just found a cool object in the sky and you want to tell your friend about it. How do you tell your buddy standing next to you where to look? How about a friend in a different latitude and/or longitude? How about on another day?

It turns out that this is interestingly complex and interesting!

P3819: Real Science: What It Is and How to Spot BS
Difficulty: **
Teachers: David Carreon

Lots of people talk about what “Scientists say” and what is “experimentally proven”. We all want to be rational and make good decisions.

But what is science, really? And how do you know when someone is just trying to BS you by throwing around the word “science”? We’ll talk about that, and, like real scientists, do some real experiments.

P3928: Fahrenheit 4500
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jake Gold

Earth has been shaped by billions of years of intense, pyroclastic processes. Continents and oceans slam into one another through great cycles driven inside the molten layers of the earth. Come learn more about the extreme field known as geology and gain a better understanding of our world from the inside out.

P3946: Electricity and Chemistry
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Felix Alfonso

This course will focus on teaching students how a battery works and how chemists use electricity to understand electron transfer and other redox reactions.

P3995: Arrow of Time
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Yao-Yuan Mao

Why does time flow? Or does it really flow? Why is there a specific direction of time? Why do we remember the past but not the future? Why can't we travel back in time?

Although these questions may seem difficult, scientists try to understand (Well, one has to understand the questions before one can answer them!) these questions with some well-defined, physical interpretation.

In this class we will discuss how we perceive the arrow of time, and how the current framework of physics describes the arrow of time.


Social Science

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S3786: Taiwan 4 Youth/T-Pop Culture & Its Natural History
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kenneth Huo

Taiwan 4 Youth

If you have never been to Taiwan or know anything about Taiwan, this is a great way to jump into (NOT Thailand, or China-Mainland, but TAIWAN!) We will like to share with you the Pop Cultures, namely T-POP, Natural History of Taiwan -We will share and talk about Formosa, the beautiful island, its cultural history (from indigenous, KMT to today), its location (geopolitical), we will hear some nice pop songs, Jay Chou, JJ Line, we will get a chance to share Where, When, How, Who, What about your next summer’s travel destination, Taiwan!

S3788: Taiwan 4 Youth/T-Pop Culture & Its Natural History
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kenneth Huo

Taiwan 4 Youth

If you have never been to Taiwan or know anything about Taiwan, this is a great way to jump into (NOT Thailand, or China-Mainland, but TAIWAN!) We will like to share with you the Pop Cultures, namely T-POP, Natural History of Taiwan -We will share and talk about Formosa, the beautiful island, its cultural history (from indigenous, KMT to today), its location (geopolitical), we will hear some nice pop songs, Jay Chou, JJ Line, we will get a chance to share Where, When, How, Who, What about your next summer’s travel destination, Taiwan!

S3880: Why Babies Are Little Scientists
Difficulty: **

The hardest problems in intelligence are, literally, child's play: within the first few years of life, babies learn to speak a language, reason about other people, make moral judgments, navigate through the world, recognize faces and objects, and achieve many other incredible feats. How do kids do it? Is the mind a blank slate, or are we born ready to learn?

In this class, we'll discuss what kids know and how they learn about language, causality, randomness, and other people's minds. Along the way, we'll dip into math, philosophy, and history—and go through many, many cute videos.


Prerequisites
Appreciation of babies and sensitivity to cute things are highly recommended, but not required.

S3891: Chopsticks, Legos, and Hands! Learning about Supply Chain Management.
Difficulty: *

Through an interactive game, students will have an opportunity to learn about supply chain management and the productivity of different workers. We will play the interactive game using different scenarios and we will discuss its real life implications. This class is ideal for students who may be interested in economics and understanding how products go from factories to consumers.

S3919: International Security and Simulation
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Wesley Tiu

How does the world respond to international terrorism and the threat of nuclear weapons? How does the United States shape policy to keep ourselves secure? How do we deter terrorists? What happens if a terrorist gets a nuclear weapon?

In this class, we'll spend some time talking about international security, deterrence, terrorism,and nuclear weapons. Afterwards, students will have a chance to put what they've learned to use in a simulation that will enable students to debate issues and negotiate policies that could potentially improve a current int'l security challenge.


Prerequisites
Some knowledge of world events. Bringing a laptop for the simulation part of the class would be helpful, but is not required to participate.

S3966: disAbilities 101: More Alike than Different
Difficulty: *

What does it take to train a guide dog? What does it feel like to have trouble with your senses or communicating? Come learn about disabilities and see that we're more alike than different.


Prerequisites
An open mind

S4050: Was Indus Civilization the setting for the Rig Veda?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Ranjana Mehra

Rigveda (Sanskrit for Rg or verse and Veda or knowledge), the oldest of the four Vedas is also the oldest surviving document of Indo-European culture. The geography of the Rigveda, undivided Punjab and surrounding areas of the Indian Subcontinent, is also the geography of the Indus Civilization. The heart of this is the land of the seven rivers or Sapta Sindhu. This is attested even by the Zoroastrian religious text Avesta as Hapta Hendu, the oldest parts, Yasna (Sanskrit yajna or yagya), of which are identical to the Rigveda, if one were to make some minor phonetic changes like substituting Sanskrit s for Avestan h. Among these Rigvedic Sapta Sindhu or Seven Rivers, Sarasvati River reigns supreme with more than 50 hymns devoted to it. One hymn, nadistuti sukta or hymn in praise of rivers, that goes, “…ghaṅghe yamune sarasvati śutudri stemaṃ sacatā paruṣṇyā | asiknyā marudvṛdhe vitastayārjīkīye śṛṇuhyāsuṣomayā || tṛṣṭāmayā prathamaṃ yātave sajūḥ sasartvā rasayāśvetyā tyā | tvaṃ sindho kubhayā ghomatīṃ krumummehatnvā sarathaṃ yābhirīyase ||…” also places the rivers in correct order from east to west, correctly placing the Sarasvati between Yamuna and Sutlej (Sutudri). Now, while the other rivers mentioned in this hymn are still flowing, Sarasvati is a mere stream that carries its name, with its vigor preserved only in the memories of devout Hindus. It turns out, the faith of the devotees is not misplaced. Satellite imagery shows that the Sarasvati was once indeed a mighty river, up to 10 kilometers wide, until its main tributaries Sutlej and the Yamuna River changed course resulting in its drying up, sometime around 1900 BCE. Today, Sarasvati River is identified as the Ghaggar in India and Hakra in Pakistan. In a survey conducted in a 300 miles section of the Hakra riverbed in the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan, some 414 archaeological sites were discovered. This is surprising when we compare this to just three dozen Indus Civilization sites that lie along the Indus River. 80% of these 414 sites that lit up the Indus/Harappan Civilization map along the old Sarasvati River, on the Pakistan side, were dated to 4th or 3rd millennium BCE indicating that the Sarasvati flowed mightily like a “fortress of metal” during the Early Harappan (2500-2200 BCE) and Harappan Civilization ( 2200-1700 BCE) time. In other words, Sarasvati, where we can presume the oldest Vedic texts were composed, flowed vigorously as the Indus Civilization flowered along its banks. We will examine this and other archaeological evidence, including the fire altars along with bathing platforms in temple complexes and houses in Kalibangan, Lothal, Rakhigarhi and Banawali, the seals, the script, the Vedic lifestyle from clues in the Vedic texts, and a new hypothesis about the administrative set-up that enabled a highly advanced and uniform civilization to flower and thrive in the one million square mile territory of Indus Civilization, to find an answer to our query as to whether the Indus Civilization was also the setting for the Vedas.

S3791: Music 4 Social Change/Music Sharing
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kenneth Huo

Music 4 Social Change: Music Sharing - Rock, Pop, Urban, Folk, Soul, Country, Opera, etc...

Bring your iPod, iPhone, iPad, your mobile devices, and share with us your favorite music, songs, music videos, you can sing, dance and perform for us and teach and sing along with us!

You can bring the music you’re created, and share with us!

S3982: Discover the Other Facets of Africa Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Pascale Guiton

S3768: Marx and Capitalism: An Introduction
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Andrew Granato

Karl Marx, the 19th-century German philosopher/sociologist/economist/revolutionary socialist, is quite possibly the most (in)famous social scientist of all time. However, you may be surprised to learn, among many other things, that despite being known for The Communist Manifesto, Marx wrote next to nothing about what communism was. We will look Marx's theories of capitalism and communism, how they fit into his conception of history, and why he thought capitalism must ultimately destroy itself. We'll look at material from various writings including Das Kapital and the Manuscripts of 1844, examine possible differences between Marx the analyst and Marx the revolutionary, and have a discussion on whether popular conceptions of Marx are accurate.

Marx has inspired legions of followers and detractors across the world. His theories have been provided as justifications for the transformation of entire societies. By beginning to understand the ideas Marx was articulating, whether you think he's on to something or just totally wrong, you will get a fuller picture of one of the key figures of the past two centuries.


Prerequisites
Historical knowledge of capitalism and communism, particularly in Europe, and an interest in contemporary politics/economics. Having taken a World History or European History class is recommended. The material covered will be abstract and at a high level for high school.

S3965: A Class on Class
Difficulty: *

The study of social structure influences all fields of academics, from Archaeology to Economics to Public Health. In this class on class, we'll explore the evolving ways humans have chosen to organize themselves throughout history and the implications these social structures have on our modern society.


Prerequisites
Anyone who is an interested and engaged member of society. A love of cavemen and Mean Girls. Generally students from sophomores to seniors will find the most benefit from the class.

S3745: Philosophy: An Intro to Ethics
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Andrew Masley

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that explores what is right and wrong, what types of people we ought to be, decisions we ought to make, and whether we can even know the answers to these questions. As in all philosophy courses, this class will be designed to give you background in current important modes of thinking about the subject without trying to convince you that any one particular side is correct. Class will be oriented around student discussion and debate. We will cover the three most influential schools of ethical thought: utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. These ideas will be made accessible to every student using everyday examples and discussion topics.


Prerequisites
No prior experience in philosophy is expected. This class WILL involve a lot of discussion. Come in with an open mind and a willingness to debate and be questioned.

S3856: Landmark Supreme Court Cases: The Human Stories
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Rachel Roberts

This class will explore applications of the 14th Amendment to two landmark Supreme Court cases: Gideon v. Wainwright, which laid the groundwork for the public defense system, and Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage. In the process, we will learn the touching stories of the extraordinary individuals behind the cases and discover how these narratives contribute to our American identity.

S3992: Race in America Today
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Robert Wilkins

Are we really in a post-racial society? How do you think Race fits in to the America we live in today? We will explore these questions in a group setting by looking at current events and our own experiences.

S3829: Divorced, Beheaded, Died
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Samantha Zarate

Treason! Affairs! Murder! Who changes the religious hierarchy of England permanently just to call off a marriage? King Henry VIII does. This redheaded, temperamental monarch of medieval England might seem like an obscure historical figure, but in fact he lived a very interesting life. He married six times and personally beheaded two of his wives, all in an attempt to have a male son. This course will primarily cover the lives (and deaths) of Henry VIII and his six wives with plenty of violence, plotting, and drama in a storytelling fashion. We will also touch on the political goings-on of western Europe at the time as they become relevant to the story. The best part? It's 100% true!


Prerequisites
None -- just a taste for juicy historical gossip!

S4013: Inhuman Bondage: A History of Slavery in the United States
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Alexandra Stern

An exploration of violence, power, resistance, and the labor that helped build American capitalism, this course will trace the changing nature of slavery in America from its 17th century roots to the Civil War and emancipation. The relationship between slavery and race, as well as the diversity of human experiences in bondage, will receive particular attention.


Prerequisites
A familiarity of American history will be helpful, but not required

S3761: Food Issues through the lens of Sociology
Difficulty: **

Food issues are more of a problem nowadays? Why is that more people are aware of the problems of our broken food system such that the phrase "hacking the food system" arose? What about the organic and sustainability movement? Is that making a difference?

Let's talk about food issues in a sociological context. How do we define food issues? Relationships between the "system" and the "consumer".


Prerequisites
Some knowledge on sociology would be nice. Some understanding on food culture and food history would be better.

S4057: Education Policy 101: What's happening to my school?
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Ben Lei

How effective was No Child Left Behind? Why is there so much debate about charter schools? What's wrong with my school's budget?

As a student, you've experienced the effects of many education policies—some that are reasonable, some that are absurd. This class will walk you through the perspective of education policymakers. We will briefly cover the history of education and the basics of education philosophy, then workshop our way through two grad-school-level case studies.

If you're intensely curious about politics, education, and how things work behind the scenes, this class is perfect for you. This will be my sixth time teaching at Splash, and I hope to make this both informative and interactive for you.


Prerequisites
Be ready to participate and speak your opinion. This class isn't complicated per se, but is very fast-paced.

S3859: Prejudice and Pride: Queer/LGBT History
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Johnathan Bowes

In 1895, Oscar Wilde was convicted of “gross indecency” for practicing “the love that dare not speak its name.” In 2001, the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to allow same-sex marriage. How did such a dramatic shift occur in a little over a century, and have similar shifts happened in the past?

This class will look at how societies over the past few thousand years have dealt with queer/LGBT-identified people. This is primarily a lecture class, though it will also include some discussion.

S3759: Food Culture: Miracle berries and more!
Difficulty: **

Let us dive into the the concept of food culture! First off, a tasting of miracle berry tablets. These miracle tablets allows you to perceive sour taste as something sweet! Don't worry, the effects aren't permanent.

Through this tasting and more, we discover the mysteries of our perceptions on food.


Prerequisites
This class can be pretty in-depth with science! Have some scientific knowledge on basic chemistry. Have an open mind as there are other cultural perspectives discussed later.

S3983: Seeing Is Believing - Or Is It? The Science of Optical Illusions
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Corey Bernstein

Your eyes and brain are constantly working together to help interpret the world around you. But what happens when what you see and what you think you see don't match up? We'll explore the neurological and psychological reasons behind various types of optical illusions and see how our eyes and brain can play tricks on us. We will also discuss brain processes related to attention and memory.

S4011: Is War Necessary?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: lara prior-palmer

Are we as civilized and free as we like to think? The US is nearly always at war. Why?
What role does the media and public opinion play? Are we, in some way, as barbaric as the opposition? Philosophical/political/historical approach with a focus on the Middle East.

S4058: Current Events Workshop
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Ben Lei

If you're intensely curious about current events and how policymakers approach news, this is the class for you.

I've taught classes on current events for five previous Splashes, and this time we will be taking an interactive workshop approach. Together we will choose three international current events topics and analyze our way through them, using questions like "Is this topic important?", "What are the key facts for forming an opinion on this topic?", and "What biases do I hold about this topic?". I plan to leave you with not only a much better understanding of the three topics we choose, but also several fresh ways to approach current events issues.


Prerequisites
Be ready to participate and speak your opinion. This class isn't complicated per se, but is very fast-paced.

S4012: Picking Favorites: America's Greatest Presidents
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Alexandra Stern

What makes a great POTUS? Can we ever definitively rank our 44 presidents? Maybe not, but we certainly will try. Come and discuss your favorite presidents and why you think so as we try to determine what qualities and abilities make great or terrible American heads of state.


Visual and Performing Arts

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V3744: Time Traveler's Tales and Tunes
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Victor Vasquez

What did people do before television, video games and the internet? What about before the printing press? Learn about the life of the bard from a time traveler visiting from centuries past. Come prepared to enjoy traditional tales, music and song and join in the chorus. Each session will offer different tales and tunes from different periods and places. Warning: Traditional tales are not always child friendly and values dissonance may occur. Please consult your apothecary, herbalist or kitchen witch to determine whether or not Time Traveler's Tales and Tunes is right for you.


Prerequisites
An interest in history, music and theater.

V3770: StanShakes
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nora Tjossem

The Stanford Shakespeare Company gives a crash course in performing and producing Shakespeare

V3848: 1000 Years of Music: Part 1
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Timothy Anderson

Covers music history from prehistoric music through Beethoven. Will focus on Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical composers (1-2 from each period), and will cover the biography and historical context of a few key composers and the innovative theoretical and philosophical aspects of their music.


Prerequisites
Interest in the subject; background in music theory strongly recommended but not necessary.

V3959: Popular Scottish Dances
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Juliet Davoren

Try some of the most popular traditional dances in Scotland. Social, energetic and fun, these are danced at parties and weddings. Here’s one of the dances we’ll try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1iE_NTFhcQ

V3779: Taylor Swift, meet Bach
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Vishesh Gupta

What do Taylor Swift and Bach have in common? In this class we will investigate the underpinnings of music, starting with notes, intervals, and moving up to chords and chord progressions!

Then we will look at famous old composers and compare their music to the modern generation!


Prerequisites
Should be able to read music, or at least understand the names of the notes as they appear on a staff. It would be really nice to know the intervals, but this isn't required. Note: this class is geared towards students who have yet to learn any music theory, but have played music.

V3787: Architecture 4 Humanity/Passion 4 Future
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kenneth Huo

Architecture 4 Humanity:

If you like architecture, like me, we will talk and share about world architecture or architecture world, we will be sharing about the architects in the world, that we love or envy, from Kenneth Huo to Yung Ho Chang, from Shigeru Ban, to Daniel Libeskind, from Cooper Union to Cranbrook Academy, from refugee camps to World Trade Center, from your house to Bauhaus!

V3850: 1000 Years of Music: Part 2
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Timothy Anderson

Covers music history from late Beethoven to modern music. Will focus on the transition from Classical to Romantic styles, the Romantic era, and how this led to Impressionism, 20th Century music, and beyond. We will study key composers and the biographical and historical contexts and the innovative theoretical and philosophical aspects of their music.


Prerequisites
Interest in the subject. Background in music theory is strongly recommended but not necessary.

V3941: Why Can’t the English Teach Their Children How to Speak? The Art of British Accents
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Annie Loggins

Want to learn how to talk like the Queen? Harry Potter? James Bond? We’ll learn the sound changes, inflections, and speech style needed to pull off a good British accent. Students will need enthusiasm and a willingness to try sounds and practice short monologues. Come on, mate, have a go!

V4043: Fashion Design
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Amber Levine

This class will focus on the basics of the art of fashion design. Students will learn how to draw outfits and accessories on the 9 head figure that is standard in the fashion design business. Although this class involves drawing, fashion is an art that is much more focused on ideas than technical drawing skill, so students with no drawing background are welcome as well as those who already love to draw.

V3924: Patterns of the ancient world
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Megha Patnaik

In this class, students will learn patterns from the ancient world such as those in the monuments of the Alhambra and the Taj Mahal. These patterns are geometric and repetitive in nature, known to "tessellate" and cover the entire plane. Reference materials and drawing paper will be provided, please bring a long ruler, compass, and pencil to class to work with.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites for the class.

V3942: Why Can’t the English Teach Their Children How to Speak? The Art of British Accents
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Annie Loggins

Want to learn how to talk like the Queen? Harry Potter? James Bond? We’ll learn the sound changes, inflections, and speech style needed to pull off a good British accent. Students will need enthusiasm and a willingness to try sounds and practice short monologues, culminating in mini-scenes. Come on, mate, have a go!

V3864: American Folk Music
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Derry Akin

What is folk music? Where does it come from and how is it different from classical music? Ever wonder where those lively jigs and foot-stompin' reels you hear of actually come from? In our class, we'll learn about the answers to these questions, and many other interesting aspects of American folk music!


Prerequisites
A basic understanding of music theory would be helpful.

V3842: Social Dancing: Swing
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nick Enge

Learn the basics of social swing dancing, including four count swing, six count swing, and swing moves.

V4042: Sex, Drugs, and Racist Puppets
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Tori Testa

Musical theater is not always jazz hands, spontaneous bursts of song, and happily ever afters. Sex, drugs, racist puppets, Mormons, mental illness, and rock and roll all permeate some of the greatest musicals of our time. Explore some of the most controversial aspects of American Musical Theater. Consider current events through the lens of musical expression and discuss censorship in the arts. Spring Awakening, Hair, Rent, Avenue Q, and the Book of Mormon will be covered, but I am open to any musicals students would like to discuss.

V3843: Social Dancing: Salsa
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nick Enge

Learn the basics of social salsa dancing, including the basic step, and salsa moves.

V3795: The Art of Being a DJ
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Tawaun Lucas

Ever wanted to know how DJ's got started?
Want a chance to learn how to mix, match, and cut songs seamlessly to get a party started?

This class walks through the basics of beat mixing and matching. Also provides a brief history of the art of being a DJ. Students will practice and record their first DJ sets!

V3844: Social Dancing: Line Dancing
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Nick Enge

Learn and dance some of the most popular social line dances, including the Cupid Shuffle, the Macarena, the Time Warp, the Saturday Night Fever dance, and others.

V4031: How to Draw Insanely Fast: Sketch training for life
Difficulty: *

The basic idea: Drawing is important and most people have never been shown the proper way of thinking about it so it is stressful and unsatisfying. Mel will show you how he was trained when he was in high school in a high energy class that will make you laugh, cry, sweat, and free you from all your old habits. sounds fun right?

wrong. IT'S AWESOME. IT'S FAST WORK. IT's....NOT FOR BORING PEOPLE.

(Mel stretches fingers as he prepares to write this class description again...takes a deep breath...ok). Five years ago Mel graduated from Stanford with a product Design Degree. FOR 5 YEARS once or twice a year he offers this class. FOR 5 YEARS HE HAS BEEN TAKING A CLASSROOM FULL OF KIDS AND FORCING THEM TO DRAW....really really fast.

WHY? HOW? WHO? These are questions for fools! but I will tell you anyway.

WHY: Why Draw? I attribute most of my success in life to my understanding of illustration. Not only as a demonstrable skill but also as a way of thinking. As I write this (literally) I am on the floor in a Japanese style room in Hiroshima after a long night of eating and making new friends. My buddy is snoring on a futon along the opposite wall. this is the 3rd day of a 20 day romp around Japan tour for fun, profit and adventure. ALL THIS GLORY COULD BE YOURS IF YOU CAN DRAW. Time and time again I have landed control of major projects or made impactful contributions simply because I could (quickly) visually throw down my ideas on a piece of paper under pressure while everyone watched and freaked out. (in more recent years I've temporarily stunned them with the hand drawings long enough to make 3D renderings that absolutely crush them and bend them to my will. It's like capturing a pokemon, you have to beat it up first. WHAT ARE WE TEACHING OUR KIDS WITH THIS GAME?!!!?)

Drawing is important for Mechanical engineers, Electrical engineeres, Good artists, bad artists, businesspersons, product designers, people in marketing, doctors, EVERYONE. the ability to pull your ideas out of your head is worth 1000 words each time...so if you do it all the time you're basically cramming millions and millions of your mind words into people's heads and there is nothing they can do about it. It's easy to not listen to someone, its impossible to unsee something that someone drew. USE THIS POWER CAREFULLY. refine it. don't use it for good, don't use it for evil, USE IT FOR AWESOME.

The world opens up when you can think on paper. PERIOD.

BUT WAIT (deep breath) THERE'S MORE. One of the most important things in this class (sketch training for life) is that the process you learn is how I learned how to do everything from speaking japanese to welding. And this top secret process is the secret behind all the goal setting and success people find in life.

Such a secretive process! you should be ready to pay me a million dollars to learn that you decide what you want then fail as fast as physically possible while checking your progress towards your dream outcome.

...oops I told you everything... and that's ok because everyone writes this stuff but I can SHOW IT TO YOU ON THE SCREEN REAL TIME. learn to apply the drawing methods to your life to revolutionize your existence.

HOW? Most people draw the wrong way. They try to be perfect little printers. YOU ARE NOT A PRINTER. learn to sculpt instead of print. This class will show you in the most crazy way possible. PLUS! I bought new speakers so the audio won't be all spiky like last year.

WHO?

"Woah Bruce Wayne? Who is that? sounds like a cool guy" -lego movie

When Mel was in highschool (...its almost time for my 10 year reunion... I'm...so...old :c) NO TEARS. when mel was in highschool he was trained in Illustration at USC as part of the Herbert Ryman program (Herbert Ryman was the first imagineer, drew disneyland for walt disney, pretty cool guy). One of the instructors there changed his existence by teaching the class a few metaphors to change how they thought about drawing. CHANGE HOW YOU THINK AND YOUR HAND WILL FOLLOW. right now I'm thinking about punching my sleeping friend in the face because he is snoring so loud and I'm TRYING TO WRITE THIS AWESOME INTRO. thoughts are power.

Mel is currently on the corporate Team at TechShop INC (build your dreams) opening new locations and training the amazing staff HOW TO MAKE ANYTHING ridiculously fast (a different course that would require 2 million dollars of tools and 20,000 dollars of software licenses. or you can just go to your nearest TechShop location). He also gets thrown special design projects and fabrication assignments for important partners and clients...why?....BECAUSE HE CAN DRAW BRO!

dang. sounds like a cool guy.

I hope this intro has created more questions then it answers. the point of this class is to MAKE NEW HABITS AT EXTREME HIGH ENERGY. I want to MELT THE IMPURITIES OUT OF YOUR MINDS. every time I teach this class I sacrifice 2 red bull cans on the alter of AWESOME so don't let them have died in vain.

SUMMARY: drawing correctly is a metaphor for learning anything and achieving any goal in life. I can show this to you and I'm totz funnnnnn and cool and stuff.

WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS...seriously...I don't remember most of it...I'm too lazy to scroll back up on this ipad because the 'description' window is really little so I'm just going to post and hope no one gets hurt.

SEE YOU AT STANFORD.


Prerequisites
-no boring students -no 'I'm so cool because I'm popular so I'm just gonna sit here' students. I WILL CALL ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND MAKE THEM UNFRIEND YOU ON BOOKFACE. -bring a pencil, an eraser, and some paper. I always have a few extras but you will do yourself a big favor if you -bring a clip board. Sometimes these classrooms are super weird shaped and not everyone can sit and stuff. I don't sit because the coffee won't let me. -smile

V3845: The Music and the Math
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Timothy Anderson

Some of the basic math/physics behind waves with a focus on sound waves and a look into how these properties of sound have been a driving force behind music history. First half of the class will focus on the math/physics, second half will focus on music history, analysis, and composition and the applications of the material from the first half. For the history portion, the emphasis will be on the mathematics and physical properties of music and instruments throughout history. Students are more than welcome to drop by for only one half.


Prerequisites
Math portion: the more math the better. Through Calculus AB is preferred, though a bulk of the class will be geared towards those with just some precalculus. Music portion: some foundation in music required; ability to read music and play an instrument or sing is preferable though not required.

V3901: Asian Americans on Stage
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Leena Yin

Are you interested in theater? In race and ethnicity? In reading a cool play? In developing or trying out your acting skills? Then this class is for you!

Learn about the history of Asian representation in American theater, and explore the implications of race in an industry so dependent on appearances. How should directors cast shows that call for ethnically specific characters? Is there actually such thing as being “race-blind?” What is "Asian-American theater," really? We'll look at questions like these through works by famous playwrights, including David Henry Hwang, founder of the Stanford Asian American Theater Project.

No experience needed--just a willingness to discuss and participate!


Walk-in Activity

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W4008: Selecting a college
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Erin Schwartz

Hear from a panel of young professionals about their college experiences and how they selected their respective schools. There will be representatives from a diverse collection of colleges and universities, including large public and small private universities.

W4041: The Art of High-Fiving
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Laila Al-Shamma

In this fun workshop I'll teach students about the art of high-fiving, including a brief discussion of the Triangle of High-Fives (technique, endurance, and creativity), followed by a hands on review application of these principles. Students will learn to execute different types of high-fives and work with each other discover their inner high-five potential!

W3910: Do Androids Dream? Robots in History, Culture, and Nightmare
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Anne Siders

Golems, Terminator, Ghost in the Shell ...

What is our fascination with robots?

Learn about the ancient history of robotics, engage in the debate over what makes us human, and discuss how the portrayal of robots shifts in books, movies, and art.

Cyberpunk, steampunk, engineers, English lit, anime fans all welcome.

W3855: Peel an Orange in One Piece!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Josh Alman, Timothy Chu

When you peel an orange, does the skin come apart in many different pieces? Does juice fly everywhere? Well no more. Learn how to peel an orange with your hands in one piece, mess free.

This, and other fun facts like why you can peel an orange with your hands (but not an apple).

W4060: Online social platforms
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Michael Wei

From Twitter to WeChat to new startups, we'll try out chat, video, and games across a variety of devices and applications for creating fun social experiences.

W4037: Eggs-plosion
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Donald Ripatti

In this demonstration we will make eggs explode and learn about fundamental rules of chemistry!

W4044: Origami
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kaixi Ruan

Several models will be proposed for folders of all levels. Just pass by and play with paper!

W3972: Fun Improv Games for All
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Annie Loggins

W4062: Oobleck + Speakers
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Dominic Borg

What happens when you mix cornstarch, water and speakers? Come find out at this hands-on walk-in activity!

In addition to making a musical mess, you'll get the chance to learn about how sound works by putting together tiny speakers and taking apart big ones.


Writing, Literature, and Language

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R3866: Language Myths, Language Truths
Difficulty: *

Have you heard that the Eskimos have over 100 words for "snow"? That women talk three times as much as men? That some apes have learned to use American Sign Language? Have you heard that people who use slang or bad grammar are lazy?

In this class, we explore the origins of these myths, look at the empirical evidence that refutes them, and discuss how language myths can contribute to racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice. Students leave the class with an understanding of how linguists determine what is true and false about how language works.


Prerequisites
None

R3868: Conversational Hindi
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jayshree Jain

Learn Converstional Hindi

R3921: Writing The Hero
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Elizabeth Softky

The hero's journey is a story structure that has inspired imaginations for thousands of years, from Gilgamesh to Star Wars, and The Hunger Games. This workshop will explore the basic stages that almost every hero goes through, and how they guide character and plot development.


Prerequisites
Participants should feel comfortable with the writing process, and have some experience writing extended pieces, short stories, or have started a novel. This workshop is fun and highly collaborative. Please come prepared to participate, and bring writing materials or a laptop.

R4055: Let’s Talk About Poetry
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Melissa Ko

Enjoy reading and discussing poems? We will take it easy, eat some snacks, and talk about poems. Feel free to bring a short poem that you want to share, but please keep it PG-13.


Prerequisites
This class will consist entirely of reading poems out loud and discussing what we think about them in groups. Participation is a must.

R3831: Meet the Greeks
Difficulty: **

Which family had incest, drama, plotting, and murder? No, we're not talking about the Lannisters from Game of Thrones -- the original twisted family dynamic came from the Olympians of Greek mythology. This course will introduce you to some of the most famous, essential myths of ancient Greek mythology, giving a whole new depth to classic and modern literature alike. You'll be amazed at how many stories reference these classic tales, and we will touch on the real-life historical events of the era as they become relevant. So whether you're a fan of all things mythical, or just a fan of Percy Jackson, this course is definitely for you!

Brace yourselves: the gods are coming.


Prerequisites
None -- just an interest in really cool stories!

R3931: Spark Your Story: Fiction Brainstorming 101
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Kent Blake, Maria Greer

Do you love to write stories but never know what to write about? Ever find yourself staring at a blank screen with an equally blank brain? Just want to get those creative juices flowing? In this class, we'll play games, answer prompts, and engage in the ancient art of spitballin'. You'll leave with several new story ideas, plus the tools you'll need to generate more awesome ideas in the future! Taught by the editors of Stanford Anthology for Youth.

R3979: Splash Book Club: The Great Gatsby
Difficulty: **

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American classic of love, excess, longing, and murder -- and one of my all-time favorite books. This class will be a book-club style discussion format: please read the book before you come. You bring questions, I'll bring the snacks!


Prerequisites
Please read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald before you come!

R3896: The Art of Predicting the Future
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Derek Huang

What will the world look like 10 years from now, 100 years from now, 1000 years from now? We will look at predictions made in the past by scientists, science-fiction authors and movie directors. Which predictions have come true? Which ones are most likely to come true in our lifetimes? Finally, we will look at emerging technologies in computing, medicine, energy and warfare. The class will finish with the students coming up with predictions of their own.

R4063: Make it stick: The Art of Telling a Great Story
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Albert Gehami

Nobody likes a boring speech. Join us as we fight boredom with awesomeness in oratory form. We'll learn some of the fundamental keys of making tales moving, powerful, and above all else: entertaining. If you've ever wanted to learn how to hold the attention of a massive auditorium or of a small group at a dinner party, come on down and story it up.


Prerequisites
None.

R3882: Beginning Conversational Catalan Language
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Yongjian Si

Catalan is not, as many believe, a dialect of Spanish, but a language that developed independently out of the vulgar Latin spoken by the Romans who colonized the area. It is currently spoken by 9 million people in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Isles, Andorra and the town of Alghero in Sardinia. It is the language of the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and soccer player Gerard Piqué of FC Barcelona.

In this class, we will learn the basics of conversing in the Catalan language and learn the most common everyday phrases. This class will incorporate conversation, music, and the culture/ traditions of Catalunya and other Catalan speaking regions.


Prerequisites
Experience with another Romance language (Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, Portuguese, Romansh, Sardinian, Gascon, Occitan, Sicilian) is preferred, but not required.

R4046: Linguistics!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Alexander Wade

Why are there over 6000 languages in the world? What are they like? This class is a fun and interesting introduction to the scientific study of language. We will be using real linguistics materials to learn about fascinating aspects of diverse languages. We will also use linguistics problems as a way to approach the topic in a memorable and entertaining way. Some languages that we might take a look at are Basque, Shanghainese, Umbu-Ungu, Sango, and Northern Paiute.

The class presents major fields of linguistics such as:

phonology, the study of sounds,

morphology, the study of words,

syntax, the study of grammar,

historical linguistics, or the study of how languages change,

and an introduction to writing systems.

R3754: Chinese ABC or French
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Matthew Hartogh

Chinese Language. A basic course but which will include the basics for effective communication.
French as alternative for those who want it.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites.

R3920: Streetwise Spanish: What They Don't Teach You in Spanish Class
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Yongjian Si

In this class, we will learn the Spanish of the streets and the common folks, the Spanish used by friends, family, and in all kinds of informal settings.

We will mainly focus on slang and expressions from Mexico and Spain, but we will also give an overview of expressions from other Spanish-speaking countries.


Prerequisites
At least one year of Spanish required.

R4005: LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kyle Laviana, Sam Weyen

We will review clips from the movies, watch Sam do a mean Gollum impression, learn a little Elfish, focus heavily on the Norse/AngloSaxon influences that Tolkien used to fashion his works, and of course, WATCH SAURON BURN IN A FIERY PIT OF SAMMATH NAUR.


Prerequisites
All you technically need is an enthusiasm for Tolkien, but it'd be nice if you've read some of the books and seen some of the movies (i mean... spoilers, bro).

R3875: How to train your dragon: Vikings, Celts, Princesses, and Monks
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Christina Smith

So what's really behind the medieval world of the Vikings and Celts, as portrayed in many a major-motion picture, such as "How to Train Your Dragon" or "Brave"?

This class will cover some basic questions: Who were the Celts? What types of people made up their society? What about the dragons and faeries? Why did Vikings attack monasteries? What were monks doing there anyway?

Though the class will have brief historical background of the early Middle Ages, we will dwell more on saints' hagiographies ("lives" in Latin) which mention monsters, curious images in medieval books belonging to princesses, and artifacts (like swords and jewelry) found at sites like monasteries and castles.

Activities include the following:

(1) Trying your hand at writing with a quill and ink on vellum (actual animal skin!).

(2) Listening to some traditional Scottish and Irish music with medieval antecedents.

(3) Looking at a real medieval manuscript (book).

(4) Learning a couple of Latin and Gaelic words (and if you want more than just a couple, I'm here to provide that too).

(5) Watching a few clips from "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Brave."

(6) Eating snacks (because that was a medieval activity too).


Prerequisites
No knowledge of medieval worlds is required, nor is watching "How to Train Your Dragon" in advance! All that is needed is a curious, enthusiastic attitude. And I promise to equal that with my own! Even if you're just a wee bit interested in queens, cows, knights, princesses, or dragons.... please don't hesitate to sign up!

R3916: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Monsters in the Middle Ages
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Benjamin Diego

Just 1000 years ago, dragons scourged our lands, Donestrae preyed on unsuspecting travellers, and Basilisks turned all to stone who looked at them. But these medieval marvels have disappeared—to Narnia, Hogwarts, and Middle Earth. In our Splash seminar, we will explore the medieval origins of our favorite beasts and scariest monsters. We'll also tell you why you should never—and we mean NEVER—trust a Donestre.


Prerequisites
First-hand experience of monsters required. Just kidding. No prerequisites prerequired.

R4022: Esperanto: One Who Hopes
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Sophie Mori

L.L. Zamenhof created the world's most successful constructed language - Esperanto. He envisioned a peaceful world and believed that a universal language would help facilitate this dream. Come learn the basics of this extremely regular language!


Prerequisites
Experience with learning a second language would help but is not required.

R3871: How to Get Away With Murder Mystery Writing
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Alex Cohn, Linda Liu

From the pages of Agatha Christie to the grisly gore of CSI, the murder mystery is a major part of our popular culture. In this class, we will briefly go over the history of the murder mystery, but we’ll spend the majority of the course analyzing the structure of what makes for a compelling, logical, and thoroughly entertaining murder mystery. Our discussion will culminate in a small tour around campus as we try to find suitable locations for our class’s own SPLASH Day Murder Mystery.

R3971: The Poetry Incubator
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Joshua De Leon

Design thinking and poetry is combined in an interactive workshop where students can experiment with their writing and hone in on the ideas and images that most inspire them.

R4036: Introduction to the Japanese Culture and Language
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Erica Chai

Konnichiwa mina-san! Do you like watching anime, Japanese dramas, and movies or reading Manga? In this class, you will have the opportunity to learn one out of the three Japanese writing systems, Hiragana. In addition, you will learn some Katakana characters so you can write your name in Japanese. Besides, learning the language, it is not complete unless you are exposed to the culture itself! So, you will learn about some fascinating facts about the Japanese culture as well!


Prerequisites
None required

R3767: The Witchcraft and Wizardry of Literary Analysis
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Loralee Sepsey

We will be exploring the magical power of literary analysis using the magnificent literary masterpiece that is the Harry Potter series. Prepare to have your mind blown.

Students will also have the opportunity to analyze a work of their choice using their newfound magical powers.


Prerequisites
It's recommended to have a knowledge of the Potter series. If you don't, that's okay! We'll catch you up in 99 seconds!

R3793: An Introduction to Phonetics with Elvish Writing
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Will Monroe

Ever wondered how speakers of foreign languages and actors that play aliens in sci-fi movies make such bizarre sounds? Want to expand your sound inventory and make some of those sounds yourself? Are you interested in learning how to decipher the flowing Elvish letters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy? Join us for a tour of the basics of phonetics and you can learn a new alphabet on the side!

The class begins with a look at Tolkien’s Tengwar, a writing system that is closely tied to the science of speech. Once you know the basic rules of the script, you can learn it in only a few hours of practice. We will then explore the full diversity of the sounds of human language, from the simple places and manners of articulation to clicks, ejectives, and more.

R3806: Exploring Your Writing Voice
Difficulty: **

Young writers often have no idea what type of writing best suits their invividual talents. This class represents an opportunity to explore your writing voice.

Please bring something you've written, no more than 150 words, that you can share with the class. Copies for the others to mark up are optional--if you bring them, please bring 7 copies


Prerequisites
Every student should read John Updike's story "A&P" before class. Here's the link: http://www.tiger-town.com/whatnot/updike/

R3857: Roman Scribbling: Introduction to Latin Composition
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Divya Ramakrishnan

Tired of people calling Latin a dead language? Eager to construct your own Latin sentences? Then this class is for you! Through step by step instructions, learn how to compose your own stories, poems, and songs in Latin. Perhaps even write a love letter to someone in Latin. Having a basic knowledge of Latin grammar and syntax will be helpful, so we can dive right into composition. This course will involve participation and individual focus.


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Latin grammar and syntax

R3858: Introduction to Latin Grammar and Syntax
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Divya Ramakrishnan

This course will largely be lecture-based and focus on giving the students a solid introduction to Latin grammar and syntax. We will be focusing on learning noun declensions, verb types and conjugation, and syntax. People who are interested in learning Latin but have never been exposed to it before should sign up for this class. Be ready to nerd out!!!


Prerequisites
No experience in Latin is required.