Splash 2017
Course Catalog

Modular origami is the art of making complex structures from many identical components or modules. In this class, I will show you how to make a few different common modules and then you will have time to build your own creation from these building blocks.

Whether you write poems all the time, or you've never written a poem in your life, this workshop is a chance to learn more about the art of poetry, and to think about what stories you want to tell. We'll practice writing exercises that will help you write poems inspired by your life, the world, politics, music, art, sports, history, and more. Whether you like poetry on the page, on the stage (spoken word, poetry slam), or in music (song lyrics, hip hop), this workshop will help you dive deeper into your creative process. You'll leave with writing prompts and resources to continue honing your craft after the workshop is over.

Originating in the temples of South India, Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance form that combines rhythm, athleticism, storytelling, and grace. Photo: https://goo.gl/8qXoAq

In this short course, students will learn the building blocks of Bharatanatyam and then perform a 2 minute dance choreographed by the instructors.

Wear comfortable clothes to dance in (eg. tshirt and yoga pants) and bring water! Please bring a scarf that can be tied around your waist.


Prerequisites
Basic fitness. No prior dance experience required and people of all genders welcome.

Do you want to create your own comic book? In this course, we will look at the history of comics from the 1800’s to now, and discuss why comics are such an effective art form. Then we will learn how to create characters to tell YOUR stories, and put those characters into our own comics! Beginners to drawing and writing welcome!

Love to make noise, I mean a LOT of noise!!! Want to drive your family insane because of how loud you are! Well if you love these things or music, specifically acappela music, then this class is great for you! Professor Danny will teach you the ins and outs of how to be a college level Vocal Percussionist and impress your friends by making dope beats with your mouth!


Prerequisites
None

Have you ever looked out the plane window and wondered what's going on inside the engine? Find out in Introduction to Turbine Engines!

The course will provide a high-level overview of the function and design of a typical aircraft engine, with detailed descriptions of the most important parts. Thermodynamic concepts will be touched upon, but the focus will be on communicating a broad-level description of a turbine engine.

Feel free to come with questions! I would like for this class to be highly interactive.

This class will go into what sound is, how it is created, and different methods of analyzing it. It will cover a wide variety of areas in biology, engineering, and art including the use of sound for animal navigation, the engineering of speakers and microphones, and the analysis of sound frequency for voice recognition and designing sound reactive art.

Ever thought about how people and goods are moved across the globe? Curious as to how planners and engineers make decisions on transportation infrastructure?

This class will introduce students to the US Transportation system. We will talk about how demographics impact our travel behavior. Students will get a better understanding of how transportation decisions are made.

Students will have an opportunity to look into different transportation data, and will use software to analyze potential travel trends.


Prerequisites
Experience with Excel preferable but not required

This class will cover the series of events that started with a earthquake of the coast of Japan and eventually lead to the meltdown of three reactors in Fukushima.


Prerequisites
None

Often it seems like religion (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc) are at odds with science. They are two main lenses through which humanity has viewed the universe.
Can these two forces coexist? If so, how?

We will talk about the Big Bang and evolution, ethics, and the history of different faith traditions with science.

Come read and discuss a short story but Fyodor Dostoevsky, author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.


Prerequisites
N/A

Game theory is "the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers." Game theory has applications in economics, biology, political science, and psychology. Here one will learn the basic tools to study strategic interactions between people, governments, and more! We will cover the basic idea of a Nash Equilibrium, and go through multiple games to illustrate how one would think through strategic conflicts rationally.


Prerequisites
Algebra 1

LaTeX is a typesetting tool that scientists use to make their papers look fancy. We'll start with basic LaTeX commands, then quickly move into more advanced concepts: environments, fancy packages, and creating sample documents. A useful workshop for anyone looking to enter a STEM field.

We will be learning different ways to encode messages and how to break other people coded messages. This will be a general introduction to the field of cryptography..


Prerequisites
Algebra 1.

HTML is the standard language for building websites. This course will serve as an introduction to the language and a chance for students to create their first web page. This workshop will be useful for students interested in pursing a technical degree.

Graphs are mathematical objects consisting of points (vertices) connected by lines (edges). They are good ways to model networks and relationships in various contexts. In this course, we will introduce classical problems in graph theory, like the Traveling Salesman Problem and the Route Inspection Problem, and discuss various algorithms to arrive at a (non-optimal) solution.

We will look at examples of real paradoxes. This is a statement that is not only seemingly contradictory to common sense (yet perhaps is true), but that actually contradicts itself.

Have you read about artificial intelligence in the news? Curious about how Facebook and Amazon can predict what you will buy next? Come learn about the field of machine learning and what it's being used for today. This course will be a broad overview of the field, followed by recommendations for further learning.


Prerequisites
N/A

In this class, we will discuss the mysterious world of black holes. Starting with basic physics, we will derive the Schwarzschild radius and discuss the different types of black holes. At the end of the class, we will talk about the importance of black holes in formation of structure (like galaxies) from the early universe to today.


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of physics and algebra.

This course will be a fun introduction to the basic physics governing how musical instruments work. I will teach you some basics of waves and demonstrate how these properties play out (no pun intended) in actual musical instruments. At the end, we'll make some instruments together.

We'll be learning about materials science principles in extreme temperatures. There may or may not be liquid nitrogen and fire!

You'll perform a variety of hands-on demonstrations to discover the effects of different temperatures on materials.

Demonstrations and discussions will take place in small groups (approx. 5 students/group)


Prerequisites
Basic chemistry, physics preferred but not required

While you might be familiar with "dimensional analysis" as that thing with lots of fractions from your chemistry class, that is only the tip of the iceberg in a beautiful field! The dimensionality of a physical quantity (like force, energy, or electric field) can allow one to solve seemingly impossible problems within a few seconds. We will draw on examples from black holes, electromagnetism, and classical mechanics.


Prerequisites
You should have taken a high school physics course and be familiar with the meaning behind expressions like $$F=ma$$ and $$E_{kin}=\frac{1}{2}mv^2$$.

How do different people see color? How does the eye pick out different colors?

Students will get a brief introduction into how the human eye works and how color is perceived.

They say a true magician never reveals his secrets... but a science major will.
In this class you will witness some science based magic tricks and then learn about the principles behind how they work.

Do you REALLY only use 10% of your brain? Is there such thing as being left or right brained?

Come learn about misinformation about your brain! We'll be covering common misconceptions about your brain, why it can be swayed by misinformation, and how to keep yourself from getting brain-boozled!

Sign up to play the most popular trading card game in the world, Magic: the gathering (AKA Magic).

We will begin by first introducing the basics of how to play and how to build a deck. Afterwards, students will get to pick out their own decks (cards will be provided) and play other students.

As a gift, students will get to take home the deck they've built and a 20-sided die!

100 years ago, bulk information was only accessible to a select few.
But in today's society we have unlimited information at our fingertips because of the Internet and search engines.

Because of this, education is becoming less about memorization and more about creativity.

How do we use this increased access of information to create original ideas and develop our creative muscles? And how many of these lessons in creativity can be learned from rapper/producer Kanye West?

We will explore creativity by looking at examples from music and science.


Prerequisites
Actively listen through any full Kanye album.

Come to learn and enjoy yourself dancing to currently popular African songs, as well as, pop songs with an Afro-beat!
No past experience required!

Inform students on how to start investing their money today and give them the tools to be able to spot promising investment opportunities.


Prerequisites
Understanding of basic financial terms (revenue, debt, assets, etc)

We're gonna teach y'all city slickers how to juggle! Impress your parents, your friends, and even your crotchety old neighbors. No previous experience or hand-eye coordination required.

East Coast Swing is a partner dance that will be 100 times less awkward than middle-school square dancing, I promise. It draws from 1920s-era Big Band culture, but modern swing dancing is versatile and can be done to many, many pop and jazz songs. No partner or experience required.

A powerful life skill is the ability to effectively communicate. We present daily, whether it be telling our friends about our weekends, making bar charts in excel, or making a powerpoint for a class. This course will cover the basic design skills for the any individual and basic presentation techniques. Merely designing and presenting with mindfulness can take you miles!


Prerequisites
N/A

Have questions about college? Wondering what to do to get ready for college? Nervous about college? Join us in a panel where we'll answer all your questions about applying to college, what to expect once you're there, and what to do with a college degree!


Prerequisites
None. Bring questions!