Splash 2023
Course Catalog
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Arts
A15742: Design Fundamentals
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Steven Faerm
Ever wonder how designers create their exciting work? This 45-minute lecture examines how designers research for inspiration, develop innovative design methods, and create powerful concepts and design outcomes. While this lecture examines design fundamentals through fashion design, all the key topics discussed can be applied to every design discipline, including architecture, graphics, industrial, and more. This lecture is for anyone who wants to: learn about art and design principles; understand how to innovative creative processes; and discover ways to apply them to their own work.
First, we will examine design fundamentals such as color theory, motif, and visual storytelling. We will then look at professional and student work that applies these fundamentals in different ways. Finally, we will analyze an Alexander McQueen runway show that incorporates all the concepts we discussed. You will leave the presentation with a broad understanding of the complex design process and how designers work—all of which can boost your own creativity!
Please note, this is a lecture presentation and not a workshop.
Presented by Steven Faerm, Associate Professor, Parsons School of Design.
Class Style
Lecture
First, we will examine design fundamentals such as color theory, motif, and visual storytelling. We will then look at professional and student work that applies these fundamentals in different ways. Finally, we will analyze an Alexander McQueen runway show that incorporates all the concepts we discussed. You will leave the presentation with a broad understanding of the complex design process and how designers work—all of which can boost your own creativity!
Please note, this is a lecture presentation and not a workshop.
Presented by Steven Faerm, Associate Professor, Parsons School of Design.
Class Style
Lecture
A15711: Adventures in Piano Tuning Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Melbourne Tang,
Grace Tian
Have you ever played an out-of-tune piano that made you sad?
Have you ever wondered how pianos are tuned?
Did you know that it's mathematically impossible to perfectly tune a piano?
Come learn the principles of piano tuning and hear some fun stories! We may also do a demo or give you a chance to tune (TBS) Stay tuned for more info ;)
Class Style
Activity
Have you ever wondered how pianos are tuned?
Did you know that it's mathematically impossible to perfectly tune a piano?
Come learn the principles of piano tuning and hear some fun stories! We may also do a demo or give you a chance to tune (TBS) Stay tuned for more info ;)
Class Style
Activity
A15858: what da zine?! Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Caroline Chea
Zines, like “magazine” or “fanzine”, are self-published and self-distributed small booklets about stories, comics, how-tos, issues like climate change, every chair in your house, and just about anything you want. You, that’s right, you! can tell your story through a zine. Learn how to make a simple and quick zine in this workshop.
Activities include: folding, cutting, scribbling/writing and doodling/drawing (any skill level)
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None!
Activities include: folding, cutting, scribbling/writing and doodling/drawing (any skill level)
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None!
A15698: Funky Architecture for Beginners Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Mingpei Li,
Natalie Tan
Learn how to design and draw your dream home, or make something silly that would annoy any engineer. Draw floorplans and sketch the outside of your funny-looking buildings! No math or drawing skills required!!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A15731: From CASIOPEA to Mario Kart: The Evolution of J-Fusion Music
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Maria Aguiar,
David Miller
Ever wonder what inspired the music of Mario Kart and Nintendo games? Join us as we discuss the long, fun history of early video game music and its origins in 1970s Japan!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
A15878: Beethoven???
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Song Kim,
Daina Neithardt
Join us in listening to and analyzing some of the greatest works of classical orchestra repertoire! We'll explore Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies, and how they reflect his position at the border between the Classical and Romantic eras.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic music theory
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic music theory
A15843: Intro to Lacemaking Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Shayna Ahteck
Discover the “lost art” of making lace by hand. We will review several techniques of historical and contemporary lacemaking, then learn (hands-on) how to make a type of lace called tatting lace.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A15757: finding symmetry in letters: how to make your own ambigrams! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Pablo Hu,
sovannjet lim
an ambigram is a visual design featuring a word or phrase written in such a way that you can read it from multiple perspectives. scroll through https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambigram for concrete examples—they're really cool!
this class will present examples of ambigrams, discuss techniques for making ambigrams, and guide you through making your own! you can choose whatever words and phrases you want; we'll probably start by making ambigrams of all our names (making ambigrams is more possible than you think! but of course, some words/phrases/names have letter combinations that just won't work). this class will mostly focus on rotational ambigrams, since they're the easiest and the most common, but other types of ambigrams (see descriptions below) will be discussed too, and i'd be super excited to try some together! come dip your toes into an art form that is a wonderful mix of calligraphy and puzzle-solving—you'll probably also pick up some calligraphy skills along the way (no experience needed)! brush pens and chisel-tip markers will be provided; bring your phones as well so you can try making ambigrams digitally! (the symmetry option in drawing apps is very useful)
types of ambigrams: there are rotational ambigrams (rotationally symmetric; readable normally and upside down), mirror ambigrams (vertically symmetric; readable normally and in a mirror), "lake" ambigrams (horizontally symmetric; readable normally and when reflected as in a lake), and more! there are also asymmetric ambigrams, including asymmetric versions of the above types (which read as a different word/phrase when turned upside down or reflected), as well as perceptual shift ambigrams and figure-ground ambigrams (which can read as multiple different words/phrases from a single perspective depending on how you process it).
Class Style
Activity
this class will present examples of ambigrams, discuss techniques for making ambigrams, and guide you through making your own! you can choose whatever words and phrases you want; we'll probably start by making ambigrams of all our names (making ambigrams is more possible than you think! but of course, some words/phrases/names have letter combinations that just won't work). this class will mostly focus on rotational ambigrams, since they're the easiest and the most common, but other types of ambigrams (see descriptions below) will be discussed too, and i'd be super excited to try some together! come dip your toes into an art form that is a wonderful mix of calligraphy and puzzle-solving—you'll probably also pick up some calligraphy skills along the way (no experience needed)! brush pens and chisel-tip markers will be provided; bring your phones as well so you can try making ambigrams digitally! (the symmetry option in drawing apps is very useful)
types of ambigrams: there are rotational ambigrams (rotationally symmetric; readable normally and upside down), mirror ambigrams (vertically symmetric; readable normally and in a mirror), "lake" ambigrams (horizontally symmetric; readable normally and when reflected as in a lake), and more! there are also asymmetric ambigrams, including asymmetric versions of the above types (which read as a different word/phrase when turned upside down or reflected), as well as perceptual shift ambigrams and figure-ground ambigrams (which can read as multiple different words/phrases from a single perspective depending on how you process it).
Class Style
Activity
A15822: Composing Music!! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sanjay Raman
Ever wondered what makes music sound good? Ever wanted to try writing music yourself? Look no further! This class will teach you everything you could possibly want to know (and maybe things you don't want to know) about composing music.
Come here to have a fun time and generally screw around with composing software!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Maybe some familiarity with sheet music?
Come here to have a fun time and generally screw around with composing software!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Maybe some familiarity with sheet music?
A15845: Special FX Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vera McCoy,
Ryan Stam
Fan of creature features? CGI snob? Halloween overachiever? Appreciate aliens, gremlins, and giant sharks? Come learn special fx techniques like casting, sculpting, and rigging with this hands-on class!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
Visual and Performing Arts
A15753: Sing Like a Scientist with the Chorallaries of MIT!
Difficulty: *
Get vocal-folds-on experience with members of the Chorallaries of MIT, the oldest mixed-voice a cappella groups on campus!
Analyze vocal music with methods in biology, mathematics, and physics. Learn about singing with scientific insight!
Everyone is welcome--whether you are a choir/a cappella expert or a shower-singing-enthusiast, join us and have a really cool musical 2 hours of your life at MIT:D
Class Style
Activity
Analyze vocal music with methods in biology, mathematics, and physics. Learn about singing with scientific insight!
Everyone is welcome--whether you are a choir/a cappella expert or a shower-singing-enthusiast, join us and have a really cool musical 2 hours of your life at MIT:D
Class Style
Activity
A15771: Throat Singing Workshop
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jason Li
Dive into the centuries-old art of Turkic-Mongolian throat singing! We’ll learn about throat singing cultures and the acoustic and anatomical secrets behind these deep growls and high whistles that sound like magic. Of course, this includes live demos and interactive tutorials, and you'll get to try out some techniques for yourself! No prior experience in anything is required.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A15749: Sea Shanties: A Maritime Medley Full!
Difficulty: *
Sing a sea shanty with the Centrifugues, MIT's mash-up a cappella group! You'll learn about the history of the sea shanty, a rhythmic song designed to help workers on a boat move in time with one another that was often sung in a call-and-response format. We'll do fun music exercises, sing a sea shanty, and even make up some of our own verses. No singing experience is required.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
Languages and Literatures
B15801: Czech it out!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Katrina Jander,
Michelle Touma
Have you never heard of the Czech Republic and can't find it on a map? This class is for you! Do you know where the Czech Republic is but still want to learn more? This class is also for you! Do you still think it's called Czechoslovakia? You're wrong, but that's ok; you should take this class! We'll learn some Czech words, eat some Czech snacks, and learn about the country's history and culture!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
B15695: How to Read Korean
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Joseph Hobbs
친구들 여러분, 안녕하세요? Hello, friends!
Are you interested in Korean language or culture? Do you want to be able to read the lyrics to your favorite K-Pop song? Do you want to learn a new alphabet so you and your friends can exchange secret messages? Take "How to Read Korean"!
In just two hours, you will learn how to read Hangul (the Korean alphabet), an incredibly simple writing system with about 40 unique characters. You will also learn about the origins of Hangul, why Hangul is so unique, and why it's considered to be among the most scientific of the world's alphabets.
No prior knowledge of the Korean language is required.
Class Style
Lecture
Are you interested in Korean language or culture? Do you want to be able to read the lyrics to your favorite K-Pop song? Do you want to learn a new alphabet so you and your friends can exchange secret messages? Take "How to Read Korean"!
In just two hours, you will learn how to read Hangul (the Korean alphabet), an incredibly simple writing system with about 40 unique characters. You will also learn about the origins of Hangul, why Hangul is so unique, and why it's considered to be among the most scientific of the world's alphabets.
No prior knowledge of the Korean language is required.
Class Style
Lecture
B15746: Old Chinese poems (pronounced in Old Chinese!)
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Zed Li,
Kenneth Moon
Want to learn about an ancient Chinese language that has trilled Rs and a bunch of consecutive consonants like Russian, throaty sounds like Arabic, and *no* tones unlike modern Chinese? Wondering how such a non-Chinese-sounding language became what the modern Chinese dialects sound like today? Then this is the right class for you! You’ll be learning some basic Old Chinese (spoken in the 1st millenium BC), including both vocabulary and phrases; a brief history on how it evolved into the modern varieties of Chinese; and finally some Old Chinese poems! Beware—we will be making many funny noises together! Here’s one of the poems we’ll all be learning together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZSIvf-YCtA (0:00-0:48)
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
B15827: Languages of Middle Earth
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ryker Reed
Love Lord of the Rings? Ever wondered where all the names in Middle Earth come from? Come find out more about the complex linguistic systems underlying Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. For instance, did you know that Tolkien was a linguist and actually invented an entire Elvish language before even writing the Lord of the Rings books? Learn about some of the real world languages that inspired and influenced Tolkien’s invented languages. And find out more about the history of Middle Earth and how its languages came to be what they are now.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, if you've taken this class before, it will be the same material.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, if you've taken this class before, it will be the same material.
B15786: 'Hello' in 9 languages! Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Amber Bick,
Antoni Soledad
Come dabble in foreign language with us! We'll introduce a handful of phrases in each language, then we'll play a few games to get some practice in.
Disclaimer: we're not fluent in any of these languages, we just like to learn and welcome you with any background.
Class Style
Activity
Disclaimer: we're not fluent in any of these languages, we just like to learn and welcome you with any background.
Class Style
Activity
B15825: What's in a word? An Introduction to Morphology Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Cora Lesure
Chances are you know an astounding number of words, words that you never had to sit down and purposefully memorize. From "antidisestablishmentarianism" to "dog", words of all shapes and sizes can live in your brain ready to be called upon at a moment's notice. It doesn't stop there, something as simple as "dog" can be further changed, "dogs" now there is more than one, "dog-sitter" now this isn't even a dog at all. I also would wager that you haven't heard this word before: "dogification", and yet! If you had to, I bet you could tell me what it means.
This ability of ours raises a lot of big questions. It raises questions about the words themselves: What even IS a word anyway? It also raises questions about us: How do we know how to build words, and how do we keep track of them all? This class will explore these questions through the lens of "morphology", the scientific study of words. Morphology is a part of the field of Linguistics, which is the scientific study of language. Languages are big and complicated and really amazing things, with lots of intersecting parts. We are going to take an in depth look at just one of those parts, the "word", in English and beyond.
Class Style
Lecture
This ability of ours raises a lot of big questions. It raises questions about the words themselves: What even IS a word anyway? It also raises questions about us: How do we know how to build words, and how do we keep track of them all? This class will explore these questions through the lens of "morphology", the scientific study of words. Morphology is a part of the field of Linguistics, which is the scientific study of language. Languages are big and complicated and really amazing things, with lots of intersecting parts. We are going to take an in depth look at just one of those parts, the "word", in English and beyond.
Class Style
Lecture
B15726: Learn Chinese in One Hour!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vivian Hir,
Anna Liu
Do you want to learn how to speak the most widely spoken language in the world? In this class, I will go over some basic phrases as well as some tips on how to pronounce certain sounds correctly. Tones, hanyu pinyin, greetings, phrases, and grammar structures not found in English.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
Computer Science
C15794: Steering Large Language Models Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
James Camacho,
Joseph Camacho
Learn how to manipulate the inner activations of a neural network to generate text in different styles.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
- Heard of large language models before - Know what a vector is - Know what "fine tuning" means - Can read Python code
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
- Heard of large language models before - Know what a vector is - Know what "fine tuning" means - Can read Python code
C15686: Machine Learning for Computational Biology
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Giulianna Hashemi-Asasi
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are rapidly reshaping the world we live in. However, ChatGPT is not the only output of novel artificial intelligence discoveries ... Machine learning has the power to revolutionize the field of medicine and biology due to the incredible amount of data that is now available. Let's explore this fascinating new world together! I'm looking forward to seeing you in class!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
C15879: Cryptography: the art of keeping secrets
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Gilford Ting
How can you be sure that your passwords are kept secret? How are military codes created, and then broken to turn the tides? And how does being human make all these systems weaker?
In this class, we’ll take a look at the battle between codemakers and codebreakers that has lasted for over 5,000 years, from the simple ciphers of ancient Egypt to the modern era of post-quantum cryptography! Keeping secrets is what keeps the world safe – come find out how huge companies and governments do it, and how you can do it too :D
Class Style
Lecture
In this class, we’ll take a look at the battle between codemakers and codebreakers that has lasted for over 5,000 years, from the simple ciphers of ancient Egypt to the modern era of post-quantum cryptography! Keeping secrets is what keeps the world safe – come find out how huge companies and governments do it, and how you can do it too :D
Class Style
Lecture
C15818: A Computational Theory of the Pursuit of Science, Curiosity, and Beauty: The Quest towards Self-driven AI Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Adelmo Morrison Orozco
What motivates humans: infants, scientists, and artists alike? What is humanity’s objective? For artificial intelligence to act in this world, what should they have as a goal?
In this class you'll learn to understand the mathematical principle to explain the pursuit of beauty, novelty, creativity, art, and science. We will uncover the universal objective that will allow us to create self-driven artificial intelligence.
Along that path we’ll delve into Kolmogorov complexity, information theory, provably optimal actions, reinforcement learning (and predictive models), among many other topics!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
-Knowledge of algebra 2: logarithms, exponentials, understanding of functions and their meaning (minimums and maximums) -Familiarity with the concept of an algorithm -Willingness to stretch your mind!!!
In this class you'll learn to understand the mathematical principle to explain the pursuit of beauty, novelty, creativity, art, and science. We will uncover the universal objective that will allow us to create self-driven artificial intelligence.
Along that path we’ll delve into Kolmogorov complexity, information theory, provably optimal actions, reinforcement learning (and predictive models), among many other topics!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
-Knowledge of algebra 2: logarithms, exponentials, understanding of functions and their meaning (minimums and maximums) -Familiarity with the concept of an algorithm -Willingness to stretch your mind!!!
C15810: Becoming a Software Engineer without a CS Degree
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Lester Kim
This course will cover how to become a software engineer without a computer science degree. Software engineers are well-paid, can work in many industries, and change the world. You are interested in being a software engineer, but you want to major in something else in college or work at a startup before you get a degree. We will cover how to prepare for interviews, what hiring managers look for, what software engineers do, and what hard and soft skills are needed to succeed. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some background in computer science would be helpful, but not essential.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some background in computer science would be helpful, but not essential.
C15694: Composing music with computer science! Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Angelica Chin,
Hilary Zen
Ever wondered how technology has changed music theory, analysis, and composition? This class is an introduction to MIT's music21, a new software built in Python that helps analyze music scores and create new compositions!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
- Basic music theory (playing an instrument or in band/orchestra) - Basic computer science (any language, Scratch/drag & drop coders are sufficient)
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
- Basic music theory (playing an instrument or in band/orchestra) - Basic computer science (any language, Scratch/drag & drop coders are sufficient)
C15795: Computers: From NAND Gates to Assembly
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Joseph Camacho,
James Camacho
An overview of the modern computer. Why are semiconductors so dope? What's the obsession with flip-flops? How do bits and bytes become programs? Learn here!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
We don't believe in pre-reqs, but it'll be easier to follow if you know what "NAND" means.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
We don't believe in pre-reqs, but it'll be easier to follow if you know what "NAND" means.
C15804: Cars (or anything digital really) Aren't As Secure As You Think Full!
Difficulty: ***
we'll talk about electric vehicles and how easy it is to (theoretically) hack into them and other cryptography/cybersecurity stuff hehe
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
warning: there will be a decent amount of math, and we'll probably attempt to go through it fast to get to the fun stuff, nothing like calculus though
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
warning: there will be a decent amount of math, and we'll probably attempt to go through it fast to get to the fun stuff, nothing like calculus though
C15692: LaTeX: Typesetting Done Beautifully and Efficiently
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Fareed Sheriff,
Justin Yu
Do you have a research paper you want to write? Have you ever seen good notes for a CS or math class and wondered how they were written so cleanly? LaTeX is a typesetting system used by computer scientists and mathematicians for practically all of their typesetting and paper-writing needs. It is the gold standard for technical content presentation. However, not only is it easy to pick up but it is also easy to get started. In this course, you will go from knowing nothing about modern typesetting to learning about standard paper formatting and writing or replicating a technical-style document with the knowledge to expand and hone your LaTeX abilities to format papers in your field of choice. Will discuss LaTeX and some TikZ.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
A laptop that can install LaTeX (pdfTeX or some other software) or the ability to access Overleaf on any web browser.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
A laptop that can install LaTeX (pdfTeX or some other software) or the ability to access Overleaf on any web browser.
C15783: Build Together on CoCo — Multiplayer Games, Interactive Video, Collaborative Art, Physical Computing, and more!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Shruti Dhariwal,
Manuj Dhariwal
CoCo (https://coco.build) is a new platform being developed at MIT that lets young people engage in an endless variety of collaborative creative coding experiences, WITH PEERS IN REAL-TIME! It supports a variety of expressive computational environments that include both block-based and text-based coding (building on top of Scratch 3.0 and p5.js). In this session, you’ll get to explore firsthand the beta version of the platform and try all the exciting new features and co-creative possibilities!
CoCo has been featured in MIT News (https://bit.ly/coco-mit-news) and young people and educators from 75+ countries have joined the invite list to use the platform. CoCo is being co-developed by Manuj Dhariwal and Shruti Dhariwal, PhD students at MIT Media Lab in the Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group (where the Scratch programming platform was originally developed).
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Some experience with Scratch preferred, but not required
CoCo has been featured in MIT News (https://bit.ly/coco-mit-news) and young people and educators from 75+ countries have joined the invite list to use the platform. CoCo is being co-developed by Manuj Dhariwal and Shruti Dhariwal, PhD students at MIT Media Lab in the Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group (where the Scratch programming platform was originally developed).
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Some experience with Scratch preferred, but not required
C15856: From Sexist Recruiting Tools to Biased Sentencing Algorithms - Why we Need Ethics in AI
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Pragnya Govindu,
Shreya Ravikumar
From personalized TikTok feeds to smart chatbots, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed our lives. However, it’s not always been for the better. In this class, you will learn about times when AI went wrong, such as sexist recruiting tools and biased criminal sentencing algorithms, and the importance of considering societal and ethical implications of AI. Find out with us in this awesome course - no prior background in AI is needed - we hope to see you there!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
C15732: Making art with Robots 🤖🎨
Difficulty: **
Interested in code? art? robots? What about the union of all these? Together, we’ll learn the basics of coding and robotics through coding beautiful unique sketches and then… seeing them live!? with our drawing machine 🤖!! And learn how you can get your own (free) drawing machine too!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None / Some experience with JavaScript can be helpful
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None / Some experience with JavaScript can be helpful
C15684: Web APIs for Fun & Profit Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Kiera Reed,
Kyle Williams
Over the course of a day, we generate and absorb tons and tons of data about the world through computers. In this class, we hope to empower you with an understanding of how to wrangle that data and do awesome stuff with it!
Topics include:
- How does the Internet and HTTP work?
- Why and how do we use interchange formats like JSON and XML?
- Reading API documentation
- Applying for API access
- Asynchronous programming
- Writing and running scripts
- Data visualizations
The class will culminate in a free-form project where students will use Web APIs to create cool/useful/funny software.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Previous programming experience required. If you’ve taken something like “AP Computer Science A” or “Intro to Programming with Python/JavaScript/Java” at your school, you’re likely good to go! We will be teaching the class in JavaScript. While we have no intention of using any advanced features of the language, you will be expected to know the basics and how to make webpages. If you are confident in a language other than JS, we recommend you read Learn JavaScript in Y Minutes <https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/javascript/> and MDN’s JavaScript language overview <https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Language_overview>. Please come to class with your own laptop or other device to write code on (if you only have a mobile device, Replit <https://replit.com/> is a free and easy way to write code in the cloud) and an email account you can access. Optionally, if you’d like to use APIs associated with a service, make sure you have an account for said service: - Spotify - Discord - Google/YouTube - …
Topics include:
- How does the Internet and HTTP work?
- Why and how do we use interchange formats like JSON and XML?
- Reading API documentation
- Applying for API access
- Asynchronous programming
- Writing and running scripts
- Data visualizations
The class will culminate in a free-form project where students will use Web APIs to create cool/useful/funny software.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Previous programming experience required. If you’ve taken something like “AP Computer Science A” or “Intro to Programming with Python/JavaScript/Java” at your school, you’re likely good to go! We will be teaching the class in JavaScript. While we have no intention of using any advanced features of the language, you will be expected to know the basics and how to make webpages. If you are confident in a language other than JS, we recommend you read Learn JavaScript in Y Minutes <https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/javascript/> and MDN’s JavaScript language overview <https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Language_overview>. Please come to class with your own laptop or other device to write code on (if you only have a mobile device, Replit <https://replit.com/> is a free and easy way to write code in the cloud) and an email account you can access. Optionally, if you’d like to use APIs associated with a service, make sure you have an account for said service: - Spotify - Discord - Google/YouTube - …
C15704: How to Fail AP Computer Science
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Conner Shelton,
Andrew Zhou
"My hope is that this code is so awful I'm never allowed to write code again"
I did terribly at AP Computer Science and so can you! Join me as I not only teach you bad computer science, I will *badly* teach you bad computer science.
(And maybe, if we still have time at the end, I can answer your questions about actually doing computer science in both college and work)
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A basic understanding of programming concepts is assumed, but the class itself is language agnostic - we'll be covering multiple programming languages in the class, except Java
I did terribly at AP Computer Science and so can you! Join me as I not only teach you bad computer science, I will *badly* teach you bad computer science.
(And maybe, if we still have time at the end, I can answer your questions about actually doing computer science in both college and work)
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A basic understanding of programming concepts is assumed, but the class itself is language agnostic - we'll be covering multiple programming languages in the class, except Java
C15683: Algorithms That Keep the World Running
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kiera Reed,
Kyle Williams
Have you ever wondered how musicians can autotune their voice? How computers can fit huge images into not-so-huge amounts of memory? How Google can know the number of search results when you look something up? How video games can light up shapes just right, over and over?
Well, you've come to the right place. This class will take a tour of various computer algorithms that much of modern computing relies on day-to-day. Come learn how computers compress files to make them smaller with DEFLATE, how computers count huge numbers of things quickly with HyperLogLog++, how computers can compute reciprocal square roots with the mysterious and magical fast_invsqrt(), and more!
Class Style
Lecture
Well, you've come to the right place. This class will take a tour of various computer algorithms that much of modern computing relies on day-to-day. Come learn how computers compress files to make them smaller with DEFLATE, how computers count huge numbers of things quickly with HyperLogLog++, how computers can compute reciprocal square roots with the mysterious and magical fast_invsqrt(), and more!
Class Style
Lecture
C15679: Hacking Classic Video Games Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Fareed Sheriff,
Justin Yu
If you like channels like Retro Video Game Mechanics Explained or Displaced Gamers, then this course is for you!
Have you ever been fascinated by classic video games like Super Mario Bros or Tetris? Have you ever wondered how they work? In this course, we'll take games like these and learn how to reverse engineer the details for how they work. And once we do that, we'll learn how to modify these games to make them do anything you desire.
Disclaimer: all modifications are for personal use only, please do not distribute hacked games.
Class Style
Activity
Have you ever been fascinated by classic video games like Super Mario Bros or Tetris? Have you ever wondered how they work? In this course, we'll take games like these and learn how to reverse engineer the details for how they work. And once we do that, we'll learn how to modify these games to make them do anything you desire.
Disclaimer: all modifications are for personal use only, please do not distribute hacked games.
Class Style
Activity
C15729: Creating Generative Art with Code Full!
Difficulty: *
An often overlooked use of programming is as a creative medium. Instead of the traditional brush or pencil, code can be used to generate everything from abstracts to landscapes and beyond.
In this class we will be using the graphical library Processing to create our own works of art. The class will open with a brief intro to the language/environment and walk you through creating your first piece of generative art. Additional examples and sample techniques will be introduced to inspire and get your creative juices flowing. In the end, you'll leave with your own mini-portfolio and the tools needed to make infinitely more!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Basic programming experience (in any language) is recommended.
In this class we will be using the graphical library Processing to create our own works of art. The class will open with a brief intro to the language/environment and walk you through creating your first piece of generative art. Additional examples and sample techniques will be introduced to inspire and get your creative juices flowing. In the end, you'll leave with your own mini-portfolio and the tools needed to make infinitely more!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Basic programming experience (in any language) is recommended.
C15819: 6.100A in Two Hours
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Ignacio Guzman,
Michael Samuel
This course will cover all of the material that is taught in 6.100A (Introduction to CS and Programming using Python) in the span of two days.
No IDE is necessary for this class since we will be using a sandbox.
This is where the fun begins.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Prior exposure to programming is strongly recommend to fully understand the class; however it is not necessary.
No IDE is necessary for this class since we will be using a sandbox.
This is where the fun begins.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Prior exposure to programming is strongly recommend to fully understand the class; however it is not necessary.
Engineering
E15855: Everything One Could Possibly Want to Learn About the T Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jonathan Huang,
Katie Kitzinger
Have you wondered why the red line is always so slow, or why a CharlieCard has Charlie inside? Come to hear everything one could possibly want to learn about the MBTA subway system.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
E15741: Introduction to Advanced Space Propulsion Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Saba Shaik
Ever wonder how those glowing ion engines on your favorite sci-fi spaceships might work? Learn the physics behind in-space electric propulsion and how engineers at MIT and elsewhere are transforming this futuristic concept into real, high-performance thrusters!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Introductory physics and algebra
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Introductory physics and algebra
E15805: Underwater Robotics with Arcturus Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Reyna Ayala,
Wells Crosby
Learn about the engineering concepts involved in making your own underwater robot: designing, wiring, coding, building, and testing! We'll also discuss the relevance of marine robotics to real-world applications (such as ocean-based climate research).
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E15842: Free Space Laser Communications
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Katia Shtyrkova
This class is about technologies that use lasers to transmit information across space. Free space laser communications provide many advantages over radio frequency communications between satellites in space and Earth. A forthcoming NASA crewed lunar exploration mission, Artemis II, will be equipped with a laser communication terminal (named O2O) that will have the capability for high-rate data transmission to and from several ground stations on Earth, providing the astronauts with real time video capabilities. In this talk we shall discuss the basic theory of laser communications, and provide the overview of recent and upcoming laser communications missions for space exploration, with a particular focus on NASA’s Artemis II/O2O system.
______________________
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Air Force Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0001. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Class Style
Lecture
______________________
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Air Force Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0001. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Class Style
Lecture
E15724: Mission Control Center - Flying the International Space Station (ISS)
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Yana Charoenboonvivat
Have you ever wondered how the International Space Station (ISS) flies? Who are the people and facilities involved with flying the ISS? Sign up for this class to find out and hear about what happens inside Mission Control Center.
Right now, the ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes at approximately 250 miles above us. For over two decades, the ISS has provided us with a platform for scientific research in space and has hosted astronauts who conduct experiments in microgravity. Together, we’ll learn more about how flight controllers work together to keep the ISS flying and make sure our astronauts are safe!
Class Style
Lecture
Right now, the ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes at approximately 250 miles above us. For over two decades, the ISS has provided us with a platform for scientific research in space and has hosted astronauts who conduct experiments in microgravity. Together, we’ll learn more about how flight controllers work together to keep the ISS flying and make sure our astronauts are safe!
Class Style
Lecture
E15703: Intro to Rocketry! Full!
Difficulty: **
In this rocketry crash course, you will hear from members of MIT Rocket Team and learn all it takes to design, test, and launch a rocket!!! We'll discuss sub-teams (propulsion, structures, aerodynamics, and avionics) and also show rocket parts!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None.
E15690: How to Build a Solar Car
Difficulty: **
Interested in sustainability? ♻️ solar energy? ☀️ cars? 🚗 engineering? Learn how to build a road legal car powered solely by solar energy from the ground up! We will cover our design process, the different technical projects on the car, manufacturing, and racing! Topics include solar cells, welding, steering system, battery design, PCB population, composites, CAD and FEA validation of mechanical systems, carplay development, and more!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
E15782: Crystals and Crystallography Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lisa Maiocco
Crystals are beautiful and sparkling! Have you ever wondered about their properties? Or wondered how "Lab grown" crystals are made? We will delve into the science of crystals & crystallography. We will look at samples of naturally occurring sapphire crystals found in rocks from a sapphire mine. We’ll also talk about how sapphire is manufactured in industrial factories and look at a sample of man made sapphire.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Grade 10 or higher, basic chemistry.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Grade 10 or higher, basic chemistry.
E15700: How to Run an Airline
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ryan de Freitas Bart
Right now, there are about 10,000 aircraft flying around the world, each traveling hundreds of miles per hour, carrying people in a manner safer than driving a car. This amazing feat is the work of a global airline industry which is a marvel of our time. But how is this done? Also, why are flights always delayed and how can you get the best price when taking a flight? In this class we will answer these questions by delving into how airlines operate from a technological and business perspective. We will start by looking at an overview of the US domestic airline industry and the business models of different airlines. Next, we will cover ticket sales/distribution, the timeline of a typical flight, and airport operations. Finally, we will explore the process for becoming a pilot and how to identify common plane types.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
E15831: How to build a plane Full!
Difficulty: **
Explore the world of aviation by learning to design and build balsa wood airplanes. Through this course you will learn basic aerospace principles and then build your own balsa planes.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E15797: Engineers Without Borders: Projects in Global Development
Difficulty: *
Learn about the exciting work MIT Engineers Without Borders is doing in global development! In this class, you'll get an overview the projects we're working on - renovating a healthcare clinic and building a fully-irrigated garden - and the engineering and social challenges that come along with it. Afterwards, we'll be doing hands-on activities in health, sanitation, and irrigation, so you can experience the work we do.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E15764: Everyday Engineering Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Raleigh Berman,
Gabriel Woolf
We live in a world designed and built by engineers, and often overlook how much careful thought and calculation goes into our every experiences. Join me in exploring the depths of this complexity, from the ground beneath our feet to the machines that move us!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No prerequisites required, but a basic understanding of Physics concepts is preferred.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No prerequisites required, but a basic understanding of Physics concepts is preferred.
E15737: Intro to CAD with Onshape!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Abi Dixon,
Nithya Kothnur
NOTE: Students should bring their own laptop device (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, etc.) and mouse if possible. If you don't have a device that fits this requirement, no worries, we will have a limited number of devices available for your use!
CAD, or computer-aided design, has applications in engineering, architecture, 3D printing, interior design, and more. Plus, it is loads of fun! Whether you aspire to work in one of these fields or just love to design your own maker projects, this class is for you!
We will be learning the fundamentals of CAD using Onshape, a web-based CAD software that can be accessed on any laptop device. Skills such as creating sketches, extruding parts, and forming assemblies will be taught in a project-based approach. Example projects include 3D-printable name keychains, geartrain models, and more! No experience is required, and all are welcome!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Prior to arriving to class, please create your own FREE Onshape For Education account using this link: https://www.onshape.com/en/education/sign-up Make sure you can log in!
CAD, or computer-aided design, has applications in engineering, architecture, 3D printing, interior design, and more. Plus, it is loads of fun! Whether you aspire to work in one of these fields or just love to design your own maker projects, this class is for you!
We will be learning the fundamentals of CAD using Onshape, a web-based CAD software that can be accessed on any laptop device. Skills such as creating sketches, extruding parts, and forming assemblies will be taught in a project-based approach. Example projects include 3D-printable name keychains, geartrain models, and more! No experience is required, and all are welcome!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Prior to arriving to class, please create your own FREE Onshape For Education account using this link: https://www.onshape.com/en/education/sign-up Make sure you can log in!
E15840: Reinvent Recycling - Rethink, Repurpose, Revalue
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Hung Huynh
What if the trash you discarded held more than meets the eye? Ever pondered the future of waste management in bustling cities? This immersive course challenges the conventional view of waste as mere garbage, unveiling its untapped potential. Dive deep into real-world examples from businesses, communities, and cities that have transformed waste into wealth. Explore how nations at different development stages handle their waste and the intricacies of innovative recycling systems. From grassroots waste pickers to state-of-the-art technologies, uncover the profound impact of your consumer patterns on the planet as we try to create a circular economy. Through hands-on activities, you'll not only gain a fresh perspective on waste but also be empowered to design pioneering solutions for the cities of tomorrow. Whether you're driven by sustainability, entrepreneurship, engineering, or sheer curiosity, this course promises a harmonious blend of theory and hands-on application. Join us in reshaping the narrative of waste and harnessing its latent potential!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E15790: Magic of Manufacturing
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Amber Bick,
Antoni Soledad
Come learn about various manufacturing processes from injection molding to sheet metal forming. How was your water bottle made? We'll find out!, and watch a smattering of "How It's Made" style videos along the way.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
E15747: How to reduce CO2 emissions
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Michael Bichnevicius,
Shomik Verma
As you may have learned in many classes, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that is contributing to climate change. As engineers, our natural next thought is: how can we reduce CO2 emissions? It turns out that there are two major culprits: industrial processes and electric power generation. Through this class, you’ll understand why, and what we can do about it. For industry, we’ll learn about cement and steel manufacturing, how these produce CO2, and how we can adjust current processes. For power generation, we’ll discuss where our electricity currently comes from and how we can improve it. By the end, you’ll get an overview of both industrial decarbonization and power generation, and appreciate some of the technical underpinnings of both!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
E15826: Why Things Go Wrong
Difficulty: **
Learn the tools that system safety engineers use to investigate and understand accidents.
This 2-hour course will teach you all you need to know to understand common causes of accidents and what you can do to prevent them. You will learn to apply these tools to real world accidents in addition to everyday situations.
Class Style
Seminar
This 2-hour course will teach you all you need to know to understand common causes of accidents and what you can do to prevent them. You will learn to apply these tools to real world accidents in addition to everyday situations.
Class Style
Seminar
E15847: CAD moment
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Vera McCoy,
Ryan Stam
Learn some 3D modeling basics... it's useful for things.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Bring a laptop and mouse
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Bring a laptop and mouse
E15792: Learn Arduino Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Emilia Szczepaniak
I invite you to get a taste of digital circuits by learning how to build circuits with an Arduino board, a microcontroller we can code to program what we would like our circuits to do. No experience required, just curiosity! We'll complete a project together in class.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
Humanities
H15736: Writing workshop Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Isabel Anderson
In the middle of NaNoWriMo? Looking for somewhere to get help with a short story, poem, or fanfiction? English essay deadline staring you down? I'll send out a survey prior to class to get an idea of what sort of writing advice/strategies people want to talk about, and then we'll have time for people to write, share/workshop what they're writing, or bounce ideas off each other depending on interest.
If you want to work on writing on a computer, we can provide one.
Class Style
Discussion
If you want to work on writing on a computer, we can provide one.
Class Style
Discussion
H15675: Bioethics and the Olympics
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Constantine Psimopoulos
Would you sacrifice your health and well being in order to win Olympic Gold? You probably shouldn’t but some actually are willing to cheat, use performance enhancing drugs, and any means necessary to do so!
Come and learn why this goes against the spirit of Olympism, find out what real Olympic Champions do, how they think, get advice from an Olympic level cyclist, and leave a better and more ethical person knowing a lot more about the meaning of life, exciting cases from part Olympic Games, hold an actual Olympic medal in your hand and have a chance to examine your own life!
Class Style
Lecture
Come and learn why this goes against the spirit of Olympism, find out what real Olympic Champions do, how they think, get advice from an Olympic level cyclist, and leave a better and more ethical person knowing a lot more about the meaning of life, exciting cases from part Olympic Games, hold an actual Olympic medal in your hand and have a chance to examine your own life!
Class Style
Lecture
H15723: Introduction to Latin
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jeremy Freudberg,
Peter Klapes
This course will cover the basics of the Latin language--case, the 1st and 2nd declensions, the 1st conjugation, and just enough vocabulary to be able to put it all together.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
H15678: How to be moved by a work of art
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Kartik Chandra
What does one *do* in an art museum? Stand in front of a framed painting: do you feel drawn in, or does the canvas resist you? How, then, do you invite the image into your mind, into your life? —what are the stakes to doing so? And why do we look at art, anyway? What is seeing, and what is believing? These are some of the questions we will ask, together, in this course.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Thoughtfulness and a willingness to engage with challenging works of art
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Thoughtfulness and a willingness to engage with challenging works of art
H15735: Tanakh Crash Course
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Isabel Anderson
This class will cover the structure and some history of the Tanakh (also known as the Hebrew Bible) through an academic lens as well as an overview of what the other major texts of Judaism are. You do not need to know anything about Judaism (or any religion) to take this class; the goal is to explain what the different terms that are thrown around mean as well as give some historical context for the linguistic and narrative elements of the Tanakh.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
H15738: Verbal Disagreements Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kenneth Black,
Katie Zhou
Some people think that the earth is flat, while the rest of us think it is (roughly) spherical. We disagree with the flat-earthers. But this is a disagreement which we can resolve by investigating the world around us. Contrast this with a disagreement over whether hot dogs are sandwiches. This is a different kind of disagreement, one which might make us throw up our hands and say, “It’s just a verbal disagreement” or “It’s just semantics.” But sometimes we are really invested in verbal disagreements and seek to persuade others; we argue at the dinner table, write opinion articles, and so on. So what makes apparently verbal disagreements unique, and why do we care so much about them? In this class, we’ll have a philosophical discussion to try to get to the bottom of this issue.
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
H15750: We live in a world of Magic! Exploring the power of signs
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Leo Huang
If you are a lover of stories and art, and have an interest in wielding magic, come to my class! We will explore the ancient magic that have been existed since the begining of human culture: signs. Nowadays people take them as granted, not knowing that they were living in a magic world! People put spells on others everyday, and were trapped in the spells all the time. And this can be DANGEROUS. This class will give you a basic understanding of the magic of signs and how to use them.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
You must devote yourself to be a good magician.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
You must devote yourself to be a good magician.
Lunch
L15893: 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.
L15892: 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
M15734: Introduction to Fractals
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Isabel Anderson
Ever wondered where fractals come from? In this class we will talk about how fractals are formed, specifically the Mandelbrot and Julia sets, and how the two are connected. If there is time, we will also look at fractal dimensions. While it is helpful to know what complex numbers are for this class, it is not required, and I will try to remember to send information about complex numbers prior to class.
Note that if you attended this class last year, I will mostly be covering the same material.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Know what a coordinate plane is
Note that if you attended this class last year, I will mostly be covering the same material.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Know what a coordinate plane is
M15682: Introduction to Economics: Analyzing Data Full!
Difficulty: **
J-PAL North America's "Introduction to Economics" workshop provides high school students with the opportunity to engage with the field of economics and understand how they can use economics as a tool for social change. This course will explore important questions, including but not limited to:
- What is economics?
- How are my passions and the field of economics connected?
- What is it like being an economics student?
- What topics do you study?
- What career pathways are available in economics?
- If I’m interested in economics, what should I do next?
Students will learn how economists use data to inform approaches to social issues. The workshop will introduce career options for students who may be interested in majoring in economics in college.
Class Style
Activity
- What is economics?
- How are my passions and the field of economics connected?
- What is it like being an economics student?
- What topics do you study?
- What career pathways are available in economics?
- If I’m interested in economics, what should I do next?
Students will learn how economists use data to inform approaches to social issues. The workshop will introduce career options for students who may be interested in majoring in economics in college.
Class Style
Activity
M15745: The Mathematical Foundations of Language Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Christopher Legerme,
Lorenzo Pinton
Math is all about solving puzzles where we explore patterns, come up with new ideas, and prove them right by carefully building on our starting point. In this course we will explore a specific application of mathematics, namely, the way we can use it for understanding how language works. We will build on basic mathematical and logical notions to get insight into the inner workings of the human psychology of language, with special attention to sound and meaning. Whether you love or hate math, this course is for you because through the study of language it is readily apparent that math can be lots of fun!
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
M15721: Introduction to SET (card game)
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alan Lee,
Andy Zheng
SET is a fun card game that tests your memory, logic, and pattern finding skills. We will explain the mathematical properties of the card as we also explore some strategies and variants. Even if at the start the game doesn’t come as naturally, it will be easy and fun in just a couple of rounds! And if we have time, we will also have a speed run challenge or tournament.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
An interest in card games is all you need, and pattern recognition skills is a plus.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
An interest in card games is all you need, and pattern recognition skills is a plus.
M15830: Introduction to Proof Writing
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Skyler Pulling
This course will cover the basics of writing mathematical proofs, including statements, conditional statements, direct proofs, proof by contradiction, casework, and mathematical induction.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
M15766: Groups with grapes
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Uzay Girit,
Mohit Hulse
Speed through the intuitions and framework of basic group theory. Dive into the nature of symmetry to learn about why these objects are ubiquitous in the world of math, relating things you wouldn't expect to be related. There will be fun with groups, with grapes, and with you!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Interest in math and grapes; some mathematical maturity is helpful but not required.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Interest in math and grapes; some mathematical maturity is helpful but not required.
M15793: Exploring the Beauty of Mathematics Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Jophy Ye
Hi there! I am Jophy. I do a lot of mathematics and computer science back when I was in high school and when I am now in MIT. I participated in IMO and IOI as a team member too.
And no, we are not just starring at problems or coding under the hood in the dark. There is a reason why mathematicians and computer scientists love their field.
Mathematics is way more than computation or arithmetic, or even IQ!
I believe in understanding the beauty of mathematics, such as through visuals and inspiring problems. Come and learn together! We will go through some famous puzzles and paradoxes. We will have an interactive lesson filled with discussions and questions. Tedious calculation not involved! Take a look at Course Prerequisites to see if you are already comfortable with them~ If you are good at high school maths but just don't find it interesting, or if you hate it, let's see if we can love maths together!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Assume basic mathematics tool from high-school, such as: (1) odd/even numbers, powers of 2, finding the circumference of a circle, etc (2) graphs, notation of functions, etc. (3) really basic concepts in probability, etc.
And no, we are not just starring at problems or coding under the hood in the dark. There is a reason why mathematicians and computer scientists love their field.
Mathematics is way more than computation or arithmetic, or even IQ!
I believe in understanding the beauty of mathematics, such as through visuals and inspiring problems. Come and learn together! We will go through some famous puzzles and paradoxes. We will have an interactive lesson filled with discussions and questions. Tedious calculation not involved! Take a look at Course Prerequisites to see if you are already comfortable with them~ If you are good at high school maths but just don't find it interesting, or if you hate it, let's see if we can love maths together!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Assume basic mathematics tool from high-school, such as: (1) odd/even numbers, powers of 2, finding the circumference of a circle, etc (2) graphs, notation of functions, etc. (3) really basic concepts in probability, etc.
M15881: Breaking your intuition Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eunice Choi,
Gilford Ting
Think you’re good at math? Think again. In this class, we’ll take a look at some problems from math and game theory that lead to confounding results, and have kept dozens of mathematicians and professors up at night. No complicated math will be involved – we’ll play some simple games, maybe do some basic calculations, and put on our detective hats to discover the source of the confuzzlement! You’ll question everything you know about the world, and then have your faith brought back. It’ll be a fun time :)
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
M15800: Interesting Integers Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Elijah Fernandez
What makes a number interesting? Let's talk about it! We'll talk about what makes a number worth extra consideration to a mathematician, look at some examples of how almost every number is interesting, and discuss the "interesting number paradox". Then, we'll try to find an uninteresting number as a group!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No mathematical prerequisites, you just need to show up ready to learn about numbers!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No mathematical prerequisites, you just need to show up ready to learn about numbers!
M15839: Mysteries of the Infinite Hotel: Room for Thought!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sharut Gupta,
Abhishek Mukherjee
Ever imagined a hotel so vast it has an endless number of rooms? What if it's fully booked, and yet there's always space for more? Dive into the mind-bending world of Hilbert's Infinite Hotel, a mathematical marvel where the impossible becomes possible! Join us for a captivating journey that challenges the very essence of infinity, stretches your imagination, and redefines the limits of space. Perfect for high schoolers ready for an intellectual adventure. Book your 'room' now for an hour of infinite wonder!
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Aptitude in Mathematics
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Aptitude in Mathematics
M15808: Matrices as Numbers Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Elijah Fernandez
A quick look at how matrices can be used to represent the numbers you're already used to. Assumes no prior knowledge of any matrix operations or linear algebra. We'll start with how to multiply matrices, then figure out how to make numbers out of them, and then see some interesting results, including complex numbers and using matrices as exponents!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A willingness to learn about matrices!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A willingness to learn about matrices!
M15862: Mathematicians Are Really Bad At Naming Things Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Zachary Steinberg
Math is filled with cool ideas, but sometimes naming that idea is a bit of an afterthought. Come laugh at similar sounding words with completely different meanings, how the word "normal" is anything but normal, and theorems with the exact same name. As we laugh, you'll also get a gentle introduction to the beautiful landscape of math after high school!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
This is designed for students without much college-level math experience - otherwise, you might know a few of the punchlines already.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
This is designed for students without much college-level math experience - otherwise, you might know a few of the punchlines already.
M15740: Advanced Integration Techniques
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Max Misterka,
Ethan Zhou
In this class, you'll learn how to evaluate lots of interesting integrals, many of which require clever tricks! For example, we will derive these very strange results: $$ \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} = \sqrt{\pi} $$ and $$ \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \frac{\cos(x)}{4x^2 + 1}dx = \frac{\pi}{2\sqrt{e}}. $$ This class is mostly lecture but will have a few pauses where you can try out the techniques that you learn.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Calculus II at the AP Calculus BC level. Precalculus (specifically complex number arithmetic and polar coordinates).
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Calculus II at the AP Calculus BC level. Precalculus (specifically complex number arithmetic and polar coordinates).
M15696: Fun with Graph Theory
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vetri Vel
A broad introduction to graphs and what makes them interesting! Problems and examples will be used to motivate concepts. For example, Euler and the Seven Bridges of Königsberg. Will see some ways to traverse graphs, and various representations and properties of graphs.
No prior knowledge of graphs needed, only curiosity! About half lecture and half problem solving.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic algebra
No prior knowledge of graphs needed, only curiosity! About half lecture and half problem solving.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic algebra
M15854: How to Think about Four Dimensions
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zachary Steinberg
Thinking about four dimensions may sound scary, but it’s actually surprisingly simple. You’re probably used to graphing points using two coordinates, but what happens when those coordinates are circles instead of numbers? That simple question leads to a surprisingly flexible way to think about spaces our three-dimensional brains can’t imagine.
Along the way, we’ll answer some questions. How do mathematicians think about four dimensions? Isn’t the fourth dimension time? If so, how do we distinguish between possible universes? What’s a “manifold” and why do mathematicians love them so much? Why is tying knots impossible in four dimensions? Come find out!
By the power of 3D graphics, come learn how to think about dimensions beyond our imagination – visually!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
If you know what points, planes, and spheres are, you're good. Bring with you a love of cool visuals. Calculus might let you get more out of the class, but you don't need it!
Along the way, we’ll answer some questions. How do mathematicians think about four dimensions? Isn’t the fourth dimension time? If so, how do we distinguish between possible universes? What’s a “manifold” and why do mathematicians love them so much? Why is tying knots impossible in four dimensions? Come find out!
By the power of 3D graphics, come learn how to think about dimensions beyond our imagination – visually!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
If you know what points, planes, and spheres are, you're good. Bring with you a love of cool visuals. Calculus might let you get more out of the class, but you don't need it!
M15846: Introduction to Group Theory
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Skyler Pulling
This class will teach introductory group theory and set theory, both foundational concepts in abstract algebra.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A background with mathematical proof methods would be helpful.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A background with mathematical proof methods would be helpful.
Pop (and not-so-pop) Culture
P15821: Wikipedia is weird.
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Zed Li,
Quan Nguyen
You may have been warned by your teachers about the pitfalls of citing Wikipedia, and for good reasons. Does that mean you should steer clear of Wikipedia altogether? No! Wikipedia is amazingly weird and weirdly amazing. In the first half of the class, we will introduce you to the wonderful ways of using Wikipedia, both by us and many others. During the second half, we will embark on a Depths-of-Wikipedia-inspired tour, exploring intriguing Wikipedia articles, with a particular focus on MIT-related information. Bring along your own bizarre Wikipedia facts!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
P15752: Analyzing Fandom - AO3 Edition Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Rabab Alrufayi,
Caroline Chea
Do you go on (so many) deep dives into fandom rabbit holes)? Read fanfiction late into the night? Watch several video essays on breakdown of your fav show/book/movie characters and plot? Curious about what fandom is (fan-produced media and culture centering around a piece of media, ex. Marvel fandoms)? Come as we give an overview of fandom in fanfiction!
Primarily focusing on AO3 (Archive of Our Own, a fan-run fanfiction site).
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Just an interest or passion in fandoms/ao3 :)
Primarily focusing on AO3 (Archive of Our Own, a fan-run fanfiction site).
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Just an interest or passion in fandoms/ao3 :)
P15702: The American Film Industry in WWII
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jessica Gu
“Entertainment is always a national asset,” FDR once proclaimed. “Invaluable in time of peace, it is indispensable in wartime.”
During a time in which the average American citizen went to the movies at least twice a week, Hollywood was not only influential- it was essential to the war effort. For the millions of American soldiers in uniform, movies became a valuable link to home; for the people, a voice and a morale booster; for the American government, an instrumental tool for swaying both public opinion and foreign relations.
This class will aim to give a broad overview of Hollywood’s role in World War II, starting from its absorption of Eastern European film industry professionals in 1933 to the end of the war in 1945. From there, the class will be able to choose which topics they wish to learn about in depth- whether it be a deep dive on the role of Disney in the war, or the story of a starlet who single-handedly raised the equivalent of $94 million in war bonds by selling kisses.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge surrounding the events of WWII.
During a time in which the average American citizen went to the movies at least twice a week, Hollywood was not only influential- it was essential to the war effort. For the millions of American soldiers in uniform, movies became a valuable link to home; for the people, a voice and a morale booster; for the American government, an instrumental tool for swaying both public opinion and foreign relations.
This class will aim to give a broad overview of Hollywood’s role in World War II, starting from its absorption of Eastern European film industry professionals in 1933 to the end of the war in 1945. From there, the class will be able to choose which topics they wish to learn about in depth- whether it be a deep dive on the role of Disney in the war, or the story of a starlet who single-handedly raised the equivalent of $94 million in war bonds by selling kisses.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge surrounding the events of WWII.
P15806: Fantasy Football 101
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Evan Wang
Ever wonder how Fantasy Football works? Want to start playing but feel intimidated by the rules? Interested in learning the basics?
Look no further! This course will teach you about the fundamentals of Fantasy Football from the scoring mechanics, how you can start playing, and a brief history of the coolest nerdy mainstream game.
Class Style
Lecture
Look no further! This course will teach you about the fundamentals of Fantasy Football from the scoring mechanics, how you can start playing, and a brief history of the coolest nerdy mainstream game.
Class Style
Lecture
P15841: X-Ploring Superhero Adaptations
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Diana Bishop,
Annie Dong
Sure, the MCU is the most famous example of cinematic superhero adaptations, but is it the only one? Come help us analyze superhero movies (and the difficulties of adaptation in general!) using the seven core X-Men movies as a case study. Instead of dismissing movies with the classic "The comics did it better," let's figure out what changes were made, which ones worked, and which ones didn't. Hey, media analysis is more fun when you're talking about Wolverine, right? No prior knowledge of the X-Men or their movies necessary, and students will receive small pieces of X-Men paraphernalia at the end of class!
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
P15877: Knights in Media
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Heidi Durresi,
Tara Sarma
What do all of these have in common:
-lesbian anime
-Star Wars
-medieval Europe
-Islamic golden age literature
-fairy tales
If you guessed that they've all contributed to the concept of knighthood in media, you're right! Come to our class to learn more :D
Class Style
Lecture
-lesbian anime
-Star Wars
-medieval Europe
-Islamic golden age literature
-fairy tales
If you guessed that they've all contributed to the concept of knighthood in media, you're right! Come to our class to learn more :D
Class Style
Lecture
P15772: Secure. Contain. Protect.: A Guide to the SCP Foundation
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Conner Shelton,
Andrew Zhou
There is a hidden world out there. A world of anomalies, monsters, and terrors beyond our imagining. In that world, one group works behind the veil to protect humanity and the world. That group is the SCP Foundation. This is their story.
Join me as I show you a quick introduction to the SCP Foundation - one of the greatest collaborative writing projects on the internet.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Content Warning - SCP stories are horror stories, and as a result can get quite dark, with themes of death, body horror, and psychological horror all present. We won't *extensively* go into these in the class, but they will be present.
Join me as I show you a quick introduction to the SCP Foundation - one of the greatest collaborative writing projects on the internet.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Content Warning - SCP stories are horror stories, and as a result can get quite dark, with themes of death, body horror, and psychological horror all present. We won't *extensively* go into these in the class, but they will be present.
P15875: Movies, Books and Plots
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Abhay Bestrapalli,
Theo Jiang
We are gonna analyze movies, books, and TV shows and figure out how to structure a plot, how to build character arcs of different kinds, how to set up cliffhangers, how different genres are different, and how pacing stories works. Includes 3 Act structure, the hero's journey and all the other buzzwords.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
P15762: A Shallow Dive into Shallow Dives: Speed Surveys of Pop Culture
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Alicia Lin,
Lillian Wang
Have you ever wanted to spend an hour learning useless pop culture facts? Did you want those facts to be in the form of 5-10 slideshow presentations/? Well, have we got the class for you!
[something about how we’re not boring and lame we’re actually quite fun and interesting to talk to/listen to/interact with]
Come take our class!!
Current potential topics:
- Rusty Lake
- TXT
- A Specific Subset of Indie Games
- Web Literature (novels+fanfiction+pirated textbooks i mean)
- Tax Evasion
- Anime (it’s gojover)
- How to not get into MIT
- a list of quotes from my professors that i think are funny
- A Dramatic Reading of Does Bruno Mars is Gay
- a brief Hamilton reenactment
- A survey of math media
- … and more! or less. or roughly the same amount.
Class Style
Lecture
[something about how we’re not boring and lame we’re actually quite fun and interesting to talk to/listen to/interact with]
Come take our class!!
Current potential topics:
- Rusty Lake
- TXT
- A Specific Subset of Indie Games
- Web Literature (novels+fanfiction+pirated textbooks i mean)
- Tax Evasion
- Anime (it’s gojover)
- How to not get into MIT
- a list of quotes from my professors that i think are funny
- A Dramatic Reading of Does Bruno Mars is Gay
- a brief Hamilton reenactment
- A survey of math media
- … and more! or less. or roughly the same amount.
Class Style
Lecture
P15824: Ghosting Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Serena Salam
Ghosting is
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
You must have ghosted, been ghosted, or know a guy.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
You must have ghosted, been ghosted, or know a guy.
P15720: So Bad It's Good: The Art of Fanfiction
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Tarang Lunawat,
Estin Van Alstine
Ever wondered what exactly makes you unable to put down that terrible fanfiction? Or how the tropes are so unrelatable yet still hook you? In this class, we'll be diving into the hallmarks of bad fanfiction pop culture and why your brain can't seem to stop coming back for more, and maybe even create some of our own bad fanfiction!
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
P15865: How to Make Your Players Cry: A Guide to Game Mastering and Storytelling
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ella Sheffield
Have you ever wanted to play god? To build and populate a world from nothing but your mind? To force your innocent friends to suffer through your twisted machinations and devilish schemes? In that case, being a Game Master may be right for you!
This class is suitable for beginners and experienced GMs alike! No prior experience with role-playing games necessary: the class will focus on being a Game Master in general rather than the rules of any specific system. We will go through the basics of how to GM, including worldbuilding, NPC creation, planning plot, and how to play at the table. We will also discuss how RPGs function as collaborative story-telling experiences, and examine live-action roleplaying as a genre of media.
Class Style
Lecture
This class is suitable for beginners and experienced GMs alike! No prior experience with role-playing games necessary: the class will focus on being a Game Master in general rather than the rules of any specific system. We will go through the basics of how to GM, including worldbuilding, NPC creation, planning plot, and how to play at the table. We will also discuss how RPGs function as collaborative story-telling experiences, and examine live-action roleplaying as a genre of media.
Class Style
Lecture
P15744: History of "Mario Kart"
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Maynard Larweh
Come and learn about the history of the greatest celebration of kart racing (point is not up for debate). This course will cover the full history (or as much that can be fit into an hour) of the well-known racing game, ranging from the first SNES game to the current state of the series.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
P15849: ~Queer Cartoons~
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Leon Hernandez,
Ryan Stam
Are you queer? Do you like queer TV shows? Are shows the Owl House, Steven Universe, and She-Ra single-handedly combating your overwhelming sense of dread about society? If so, you should come to ~Queer Cartoons~, where we hang out and discuss the role of queer cartoons (and other media) in society!
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Must not be homophobic or transphobic (or any other -phobics)
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Must not be homophobic or transphobic (or any other -phobics)
Science
S15781: Plant Adaptations
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Fatima Nasir Abbasi,
Katie Kitzinger
Squash is a fruit! Over thousands of years humans have selectively breed plants for various purposes. In this class we will be discussing some of the features humans have selected for as well as some interesting adaptations plants have developed to live in difficult environments. We will be having a discussion on some aspects of plant physiology and adaptations and then figuring out what parts of the plant some common foods are. We will also spend some time doing dissections and biological drawings of beans.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
S15699: Dissect a Mouse: A Lesson on Anatomy Full!
Difficulty: ***
We dissect a mouse, safely. And then we learn about mouse anatomy and how it compares to human anatomy! Look at and poke around different organs and learn about what they do.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Biology
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Biology
S15811: You're hot and you're cold: Investigating changes in Earth's climate Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Benjamin Tiger,
Shouyi Wang
In this course, we will explore Earth's climate in the past, present and future. We will cover what climate is, how it changes on timescales of seasons to millions of years, and how it's expected to change in the future. Various components of the climate system including the oceans, atmosphere, and ice sheets will be discussed here. We will also explore how records of past climate, such as ice cores, tree rings, and corals, can tell us about Earth's climate in the past and how they can inform our predictions of the future. This will primarily be a lecture-style course with several interactive components.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15761: What are you really seeing? the neuroscience behind perceptual illusions
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Claire Lu,
Kristine Zheng
Ever wondered how perceptual illusions like the Yanny Laurel or the Dress tricked our minds?
The internet went crazy debating these two sensations back in the day but there’s so many more phenomenons that have long been studied in neuroscience to reveal mysteries about vision and audition. Come learn about a variety of visual and auditory illusions, the brain anatomy and science behind them, and maybe even create your own illusions!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Just an interest in learning more about how brains work and don’t work!
The internet went crazy debating these two sensations back in the day but there’s so many more phenomenons that have long been studied in neuroscience to reveal mysteries about vision and audition. Come learn about a variety of visual and auditory illusions, the brain anatomy and science behind them, and maybe even create your own illusions!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Just an interest in learning more about how brains work and don’t work!
S15687: Nobel Prize-Worthy Science
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ana Florescu,
Mudita Goyal
Step into the captivating world of cutting-edge science with our class centered around the Nobel Prize in Chemistry or Physiology for the current year, a prestigious award that has yet to be revealed to the world. In this exhilarating course, students will embark on an exploratory journey, delving into the forefront of scientific discovery, unraveling mysteries, and anticipating groundbreaking breakthroughs. With the Nobel Prize as our guiding star, we will examine the latest trends, theories, and discoveries in the chosen field, immersing ourselves in the excitement and intrigue of science on the brink of recognition. Through engaging discussions, interactive activities, and thought-provoking questions, students will gain a deeper appreciation for the boundless possibilities of scientific inquiry and the transformative power of human innovation. Join us as we await the announcement of this year's laureates and uncover the secrets of their remarkable achievements.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
none
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
none
S15850: The Fascinating Physics of Solids Full!
Difficulty: ***
Have you ever wondered what is happening within a material on an atomic level? Why can electrons move through metals but not insulators (like wood)? Come learn about the exciting field of condensed matter physics, which has led to the development of numerous technologies and innovations, such as semiconductors, transistors, and microelectronics. In this class we will cover the main conceptual ideas needed for understanding solids and introduce some advanced topics in quantum mechanics (wavefunctions, Schrodinger’s Equation, and more).
Note: No knowledge of advanced physics will be assumed - we will build up everything along the way.
Class Style
Lecture
Note: No knowledge of advanced physics will be assumed - we will build up everything along the way.
Class Style
Lecture
S15674: Help Solve Climate Change!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Gage
We know the technical changes needed for a relatively safe climate future: reduce human-made greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050 and reduce CO2 in the air below 350 ppm by 2100. We also know that pollution should not be free, but climate pollution is still free in most countries. The cheapest, fairest, and most comprehensive way to address our climate pollution problem is to fix the market's failure to account for the costs of pollution with a three-part solution:
1) Charge a steadily increasing carbon fee on fossil fuel production to price climate pollution as it enters the economy,
2) Give the money collected to the third party that is being harmed (all households equally), and
3) Use border carbon adjustments to protect US businesses and push the carbon price around the world.
A strong carbon price signal will incentivize efficiency, innovation, transition, and drawdown. Giving the money collected to households will protect family purchasing power and let us achieve the high price needed. Complementary policies are also necessary, but this is our best first step.
It sounds so easy! What's preventing us from doing this? Is it possible to break the logjam and save ourselves? Can any of us do anything to help solve the most significant existential crisis human civilization has ever faced? Yes, we can.
Each of us can take effective action in this pivotal moment in humankind’s history. Ordinary citizens advocating for change is our last, best hope to avoid climate catastrophe. Let's get started right now!
Class Style
Discussion
1) Charge a steadily increasing carbon fee on fossil fuel production to price climate pollution as it enters the economy,
2) Give the money collected to the third party that is being harmed (all households equally), and
3) Use border carbon adjustments to protect US businesses and push the carbon price around the world.
A strong carbon price signal will incentivize efficiency, innovation, transition, and drawdown. Giving the money collected to households will protect family purchasing power and let us achieve the high price needed. Complementary policies are also necessary, but this is our best first step.
It sounds so easy! What's preventing us from doing this? Is it possible to break the logjam and save ourselves? Can any of us do anything to help solve the most significant existential crisis human civilization has ever faced? Yes, we can.
Each of us can take effective action in this pivotal moment in humankind’s history. Ordinary citizens advocating for change is our last, best hope to avoid climate catastrophe. Let's get started right now!
Class Style
Discussion
S15869: Why is CO poisonous, but not O2? Answers from Molecular Orbital Theory Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Vivian Hir,
Anna Liu
What makes O2 compatible with life but CO poisonous with the change of one atom? We will delve into the molecular structure of a few diatomic molecules through the lens of molecular orbital theory to help us answer this question. Molecular orbital theory is key to a deeper understanding of how our bodies interact with molecules in the world and of higher-level chemistry.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge of atomic orbitals and how to fill them. Eg: what is the electron configuration of an oxygen atom in the ground state?
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge of atomic orbitals and how to fill them. Eg: what is the electron configuration of an oxygen atom in the ground state?
S15868: Stars, Sundials, and Shadows Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Fatima Nasir Abbasi,
Leo Yao
Did you know that twice a year, the shadow of a sundial will trace out a straight line? Get ready to learn about how the Sun actually moves in the sky (it's a bit more than just going 'round each day'), how to define coordinates for the stars above us, and what seasonal changes mean for observers (us!) on the ground. We'll go through the conceptual basics of geometry on a sphere, how the night sky changes over the course of a year, and whether the Sun really does rise in the east and set in the west. And while we're at it, we'll put the Earth at the center of the Universe, explain the Infinite Corridor's twice-yearly perfect alignments, and might even pick out a surprising conic section!
(no previous knowledge of heliocentrism required)
Class Style
Lecture
(no previous knowledge of heliocentrism required)
Class Style
Lecture
S15677: Debates in Bioethics
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Talya Kramer
Come learn about bioethics, the study of moral questions around science and medicine. First, we'll talk about the framework used to assess and debate bioethical questions. Then we'll discuss case studies of bioethical issues that are ongoing topics of conversation, such as what age should children be allowed to make their own medical decisions? Or, how should countries prioritize organ donation lists?
This is a discussion based class with participation encouraged, but students are also welcome to just listen and learn.
Class Style
Discussion
This is a discussion based class with participation encouraged, but students are also welcome to just listen and learn.
Class Style
Discussion
S15857: Inner Workings of Plants Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eldar Urkumbayev
Have you ever wondered how blueberries turn purple or how leaves capture light? Did you love learning about plant cells' funky quirks in your Science class? Are you curious about the world inside our green friends? Then this seminar is for you!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of what cells, evolution, and atoms/molecules are.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of what cells, evolution, and atoms/molecules are.
S15851: The shape of DNA is more than you can think of! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Marcela Silvera Tafur
DNA is a well-known genetic material found in every living being that surrounds us, with it's (also) well-known double helix shape. But, watch out! DNA can form unimaginable shapes because of its physical properties. Let's learn together more about DNA as a nanomaterial that can form shapes like: Quadruplexes, Tetrahedral, Hairpin, and more.
We'll go over fundamental aspects of the DNA structure, have an introduction to the physics and chemistry behind DNA, do an in-class DNA extraction activity, and finish off with a discussion about the future of DNA nanotechnology.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Introductory biology, chemistry and physics. But if you don't feel too confident in your STEM skills don't hesitate to apply! I'd love to make this class as friendly as possible for everybody
We'll go over fundamental aspects of the DNA structure, have an introduction to the physics and chemistry behind DNA, do an in-class DNA extraction activity, and finish off with a discussion about the future of DNA nanotechnology.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Introductory biology, chemistry and physics. But if you don't feel too confident in your STEM skills don't hesitate to apply! I'd love to make this class as friendly as possible for everybody
S15722: 3,2,1 Lets Beyblade Physics
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joshua Curtis Kuffour,
Alberto Mora Trinidad
Do you like beyblades? Do you like physics? Then this class is the one of you! Come watch some nostalgic 2010s TV and learn some physics while you are at it!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge of AP Physics 1 is helpful
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge of AP Physics 1 is helpful
S15777: Stupid human tricks
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
We'll cover some of the more unusual examples of how the human body can be an example of exquisite functional design or completely stupid fail. From here I hope to encourage discussion and question and answer of any bodily myth, mystery, or ailment. Topics such as: Our weak backs, a penchant for atherosclerosis, the valgus knee and why this tells you Bigfoot has to be a guy in a furry suit. etc
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15751: Physics of Music Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Van Dusen,
Edward Xiong
Why do flutes and clarinets sound different? How can you tell if your violin is perfectly in tune? And what is a sound wave, really?
In this class, we'll explore the science of music, including sound waves, beat frequencies, tuning systems, and more. Come learn about what physics can (and can't!) say about music.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Musical experience recommended.
In this class, we'll explore the science of music, including sound waves, beat frequencies, tuning systems, and more. Come learn about what physics can (and can't!) say about music.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Musical experience recommended.
S15880: Food Chemistry
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Anna Lian,
Gilford Ting
You’ve been eating ever since you’ve been born. But have you ever stopped to think about how incredibly complex it all is? What makes some foods delicious and others unpalatable? Why is it so important to add salt to your food? What tricks do restaurants use to make their dishes taste better? And how can you use ✨ science ✨ to make finicky recipes effortless?
In this class, we’ll answer all these questions, analyze some food mysteries, and do some fun demos – and of course, you’ll get to apply the scientific method yourself by eating some snacks :)
Class Style
Lecture
In this class, we’ll answer all these questions, analyze some food mysteries, and do some fun demos – and of course, you’ll get to apply the scientific method yourself by eating some snacks :)
Class Style
Lecture
S15708: The Atom: Theory and Experiment
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Christopher Miller,
Gustavo Velez
Explore the evolution of the theory of the atom - with an opportunity to get up close and personal with real experimental apparatuses. Some live data collection and analysis included.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Familiarity with algebra II, statistics, or high school chemistry are useful but not required.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Familiarity with algebra II, statistics, or high school chemistry are useful but not required.
S15759: Neuroscience w/ Applications to Alzheimer's Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alex Jiang
The class starts with a quick overview of biology, going through all of the essentials needed to understand neuroscience. We'll then cover parts of the brain, anatomy of the neuron, molecular neurobiology, and topics related to memory and cognition. We'll spend the last hour discussing Alzheimer's Disease and give an overview of how research is done in a lab.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic biology would be helpful, but not required.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic biology would be helpful, but not required.
S15780: Histochemistry and special stains in pathology
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
A brief tour of the various chemical dyes and stains still used in the modern day pathology lab. By perusing images of tissue sections stained by a dozen or so separate dyes (often just two), a fantastic amount of biochemical information can be gleaned. Tissue changes due to disease or death alter the staining landscape and consequently, the gallery of images obtained through histology.
This will give us an excuse to discuss the underlying chemistry of the molecules the dyes stain; proteins, carbohydrates, DNA, RNA etc.
A sneaky way of introducing the student to biochemistry though the old fashioned light microscope.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic understanding of biology and chemistry. acid/base
This will give us an excuse to discuss the underlying chemistry of the molecules the dyes stain; proteins, carbohydrates, DNA, RNA etc.
A sneaky way of introducing the student to biochemistry though the old fashioned light microscope.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic understanding of biology and chemistry. acid/base
S15844: Blood Things
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Leon Hernandez,
Vera McCoy
All the things that eat blood! Sanguivores are cool.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15872: How do tiny ninja squids glow in the dark?
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Matthew Benet,
Jessica Pan
Self-explanatory.
Actually though, the answer is a single kind of bacteria!! But that leaves some mysteries in the air :0
1) How does the squid pick only the bacteria that it wants?? Bacteria are so small and there are so many everywhere?
2) How do the bacteria glow? Like actually?
3) Why??????
4) And my favorite: a single bacteria glowing isn't enough for anyone to see, but it would be a waste for it to use those resources all of the time. So how does it know when it has enough friends to make big lights? This is called quorum sensing, and this entire class is an excuse to talk about it.
P.S. this is not about Splatoon. It's about Hawaiian bobtail squids.
Class Style
Lecture
Actually though, the answer is a single kind of bacteria!! But that leaves some mysteries in the air :0
1) How does the squid pick only the bacteria that it wants?? Bacteria are so small and there are so many everywhere?
2) How do the bacteria glow? Like actually?
3) Why??????
4) And my favorite: a single bacteria glowing isn't enough for anyone to see, but it would be a waste for it to use those resources all of the time. So how does it know when it has enough friends to make big lights? This is called quorum sensing, and this entire class is an excuse to talk about it.
P.S. this is not about Splatoon. It's about Hawaiian bobtail squids.
Class Style
Lecture
S15823: strings Full!
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Sanjay Raman
Ever heard of strings?
Wait. You mean like a spool of thread? Nope.
A violin string? Nope, but getting warmer.
A 10-dimensional vibrating extended object whose oscillatory modes make up all the particles in the universe? Bingo.
Want to learn more about string theory? Want to learn about weird science ideas that sound like shitposts? Want to ~understand the universe~? Look no further! This class will teach you nothing less than a theory of everything.
Highlights include bubbles of nothing, the swampland, and the dark dimension.
Be there or be a Calabi-Yau manifold.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some knowledge of calculus and high-school physics (mechanics, EM, etc.) and lots of enthusiasm!
Wait. You mean like a spool of thread? Nope.
A violin string? Nope, but getting warmer.
A 10-dimensional vibrating extended object whose oscillatory modes make up all the particles in the universe? Bingo.
Want to learn more about string theory? Want to learn about weird science ideas that sound like shitposts? Want to ~understand the universe~? Look no further! This class will teach you nothing less than a theory of everything.
Highlights include bubbles of nothing, the swampland, and the dark dimension.
Be there or be a Calabi-Yau manifold.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some knowledge of calculus and high-school physics (mechanics, EM, etc.) and lots of enthusiasm!
S15725: Let's Talk about the Weather!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sarah Weidman
Have you ever wondered how hurricanes or tornadoes form? Or why thunder snow exists? What is a Nor'easter, and why do they occur?
Together, we'll explore the basic physics that create the weather we observe every day, as well as look into some ways to forecast weather yourself!
Class Style
Lecture
Together, we'll explore the basic physics that create the weather we observe every day, as well as look into some ways to forecast weather yourself!
Class Style
Lecture
S15710: Underwater Earthquake Science: An Intro to Performing Research on Ships as a Marine Geophysicist
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Bailey Fluegel
Have you ever wondered what causes earthquakes? Do you want to learn more about what it is like to perform science on ships in the middle of the ocean for a job? If you are interested in learning more about the natural processes of Earth, then this is the class for you! In this course, we will cover the basics of earthquakes (with emphasis on the physical properties causing them) and how to study them in marine environments using geophysical techniques (primarily seismology and electromagnetics). We will have demonstrations and will also talk about what it is like to live and work on a research vessel. No prior Earth Science knowledge necessary.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
S15785: Shooting for the Stars: Notable Women in Physics Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Karen Lei,
Sophie Vulpe
Ever wondered why no famous female physicists are mentioned in your physics classes? (Marie Curie is the exception, not the rule.) Look no further, for the Undergraduate Women in Physics club (UWiP) will patch the holes in your knowledge left by the Massachusetts education system. Join us for a fun discussion about the lives and work of renowned physicists such as Chien-Shiung Wu and Shirley Ann Jackson, and meet the coolest group of future physicists at MIT.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15813: Learning about Velocity with Mario Kart
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Luis Gaitan,
Xuanzhe Han
Students will learn about Velocity, Distance, and Time by creating their own racetrack and racing with Mario Kart Live! This class combines physics concepts with video games and creativity!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
S15820: Let's Talk about Weather!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Youran Gao,
Daina Neithardt
Have you ever wondered why hurricanes form? Or the science behind why the weather changes day to day?
In this class, we will explore some of the basic physics behind weather, and learn how to read weather maps to make your own forecast!
Class Style
Lecture
In this class, we will explore some of the basic physics behind weather, and learn how to read weather maps to make your own forecast!
Class Style
Lecture
S15709: magnets: how do they work?
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Christopher Miller,
Gustavo Velez
Can you hear a magnet? Can you see a spin? What is the field in the nucleus of an iron atom? Why do our magnets explode if we don't feed them $4000 of liquid helium every year? Answers to all these questions and more!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15837: Superhero (and villain) Psychology: Unraveling Minds in Comics and Movies Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jayashabari Shankar
Do you want to be a superhero psychologist? Whether you are interested in comics and TV (Ironman went to MIT btw!) or the biology and the depths of how the human mind works (and how authors and artists depict it!), this class is for you! Unravel trauma-fueled origins, dissect psychological disorders, and delve into nature vs. nurture debates. Witness therapy's power, empathize with redemption stories, and engage in character analyses. Whether you enjoy comics, biology, psychology, or just new things, check this class out!!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15812: Introduction to Enzymes Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Hannah Hicks
Have you ever wondered how your food is digested, cheese is made, or detergents work? The answer to all of them is enzymes! Enzymes are crucial catalysts for chemical reactions. They are a part of almost everything in our lives. Learn the basics of what enzymes are and how they work!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
S15876: Putting the neural in neural networks
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Heidi Durresi,
Tara Sarma
You may have heard of neural networks. But where did the idea come from? Why are they called "neural" networks? We tackle the neuroscience inspiration of neural networks, and we dive more into modeling brains. 🧠 💻!!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15817: Forestryyyyy
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Richard Chen,
Alan Wang
In this class, we talk about the giant beings that peacefully living alongside us ... trees! We will get to the roots of how trees function and their various features. A discussion about the many benefits that trees provide will transform your prior be-leafs about trees, while a discussion on best management practices and threats to the health our forests will show you the importance of good forest stewardship.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15778: Quaternary ammonium compounds or Positive charges are hard to find in biology
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
Quaternary ammonium compounds are wonderfully stable, non-toxic and find derive much utility as disinfectants though one peculiar property, a stable positive charge on a nitrogen atom. Be exploring the utility of "quats" well find out why that positive charge explains it's antimicrobial activity as well as it's relative lack of toxicity. From the chemistry of hair, to the nature of blood clotting, and functioning of our immune system can be explained through the management of a stable + charge.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15796: Modeling the Human Body Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jonah Xu
Are you interested in how the human body works? Discover the intricacies of the human body through models! We will explore different human body systems by performing hands-on labs, including finding blood pressure, modeling the kidney, and making muscles out of clay!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
S15883: How your brain works Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Gilford Ting
Your brain is a truly astounding machine, for something that’s just a wet lump of meat. For a moment, just think about how much is going on. You’re turning the array of lights from your computer that you’re turning into weird squiggles and then words and sentences and ideas. You can wiggle your toes at a moment’s notice, despite how you haven’t been actively thinking about moving your feet recently. Focus for a second on the rhythm of your breathing, and now you can’t un-notice it. Now consider the fact that you were at all able to think about what your brain was doing (very meta!) Isn’t that crazy?
In this class, we’ll explore how your brain is able to take in all the chaos surrounding you and make sense of it. We’ll do some simple demos that will both test the limits of your brain and show you how powerful it truly is. In the end, you’ll walk away appreciating how incredible it is to be a human and do all the things we’re capable of :)
Class Style
Lecture
In this class, we’ll explore how your brain is able to take in all the chaos surrounding you and make sense of it. We’ll do some simple demos that will both test the limits of your brain and show you how powerful it truly is. In the end, you’ll walk away appreciating how incredible it is to be a human and do all the things we’re capable of :)
Class Style
Lecture
S15776: Cosmology and the Dark Side of the Universe
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jared Machtinger
How did the universe begin? How has it evolved to its current state? What are dark matter and dark energy? Is the universe a donut? These questions probably won’t be answered in this class, but we’ll explore them as much as we can.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15833: Marine Algae
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Aarshi Jain
Dive into the fascinating world beneath the waves! Discover the breathtaking diversity of marine algae, from the tiniest phytoplankton to majestic kelp forests, and explore the intricate web of relationships in our oceans. Learn about their vital roles in our planet's health, from producing half of our oxygen to structuring ecosystems. We'll also discuss the urgent need for marine conservation and how you can make a difference. Whether you dream of becoming a marine biologist or simply want to explore the wonders of our oceans, this seminar offers a captivating journey into the realm of marine algae.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
S15672: What's in a Nuclear Reactor?
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Angelica Chin,
Li Xuan Tan
Come learn what goes on inside a nuclear reactor! We'll talk about the physics behind how it produces energy, how we control this energy and keep it safe, and how to do useful things with it!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15685: Shockingly Scientific: Intro to Cardiac Electrophysiology
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Rudy Gelb-Bicknell
No matter how strong you are, if you lift something heavy over and over again, you will get tired. Your arms will start to ache, and eventually your muscles will just stop listening to you. Your heart muscle doesn't have that luxury. It needs to make sure every one of the cells in your body gets fresh oxygenated blood in a single squeeze. It needs to do this without fail every single second from the moment you are born to the moment you die. Why don't our hearts ever need a break? What determines how fast it beats? What if our hearts pump too hard or too soft? Too fast or too slow? How does it squeeze in just the right way to pump the blood all the way around the body with ease? Welcome to the world of Cardiac Electrophysiology, or electricity of the heart. In this world you will encounter balloons filled with liquid nitrogen, laser-firing wands, and orbs that rip cells apart with electric fields. We'll first go through the basics of how the heart works, where it sends blood to and where it gets it back from. Then we'll talk about how regular muscles work and how their behaviors are controlled by electricity, as well as what makes heart muscle different from all other muscle in your body. Then we get to the really fun stuff: how electricity propagates through the heart, and what happens when things go wrong in that system. Finally, we'll finish up with a dive into the extremely cool field of 3D electrophysiology mapping and ablation, the tools that doctors use to understand and fix hearts with conduction abnormalities (that’s where all those crazy tools come in!). I’m gonna try to cover a lot of ground in this class, so it’ll definitely move pretty speedily. There will be some math and basic physics talked about, but I’ll do my best to cover any prerequisite material for understanding it. I’ll also make sure to stress the key takeaways from each section so that everyone can get the general idea of what is going on, and the people that want to can understand some of the math going on behind it.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Any math and physics you have seen will help you understand the material on a more quantitative level, but my goal is that anyone who wants to will walk away from this course having a general idea for how the heart works, why electricity is central to its function, and what happens when things go wrong.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Any math and physics you have seen will help you understand the material on a more quantitative level, but my goal is that anyone who wants to will walk away from this course having a general idea for how the heart works, why electricity is central to its function, and what happens when things go wrong.
Social Science
S15835: Star Wars Studies: The Economics of Recyling
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Janelle Cai,
Megan Tian
Jakku. Tatooine. The Outer Rim. Many Star Wars planets and societies survive off of repurposing and recycling space junk. In an era on Earth where reducing, reusing, and recycling is more important to our survival than ever before, Star Wars offers a source of inspiration in designing new technologies and systems to meet our collective climate goals. Together, we'll take a deep dive into the global economics of recycling and think about what can learn from a galaxy far, far away.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15773: Alexander's Battlefield Brilliance
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Yongao Hu,
Pranjal Srivastava
Alexander the Great is one of the most revered military leaders in history. His campaigns expanded his empire at an unprecedented rate and using his military genius, he swiftly vanquished his foes. But how exactly did Alexander do so?! Come to "Alexander's Battlefield Brilliance" as we delve into the specifics of how Alexander achieved his remarkable victories.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15848: Memory, Bears, and South Dakota Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jonathan Huang,
Katie Kitzinger
How do we memorize things? How can we try to memorize things faster or for longer? We'll try to answer these questions in just under one hour with some funny examples.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
S15767: Truth or Trend: The Danger of Social Media Science Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Srihitha Dasari,
Emmi Mills
One of the most popular social platforms of today has increasingly become a platform for health and wellness information, advice, and techniques - regardless of the lack of fact-checking mechanisms. In this lesson, we go over some of the most common misconceptions found on TikTok, and how misinformation on social media regarding our health can lead to dangerous public health repercussions.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15717: Introduction to Global Health
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Srihitha Dasari,
Emmi Mills
How do we guarantee medical care for all? Should vaccinations be mandatory? How should we conduct triage if our medical system is under stress? Is it possible to balance protecting our economy, our environment, and our citizens? Physicians, scientists, politicians and advocates work tirelessly to promote global health equity—but how? In this class, we’ll learn about how we can work towards achieving equal, accessible, and quality care for all—and what that means globally.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15756: Linguistic Relativity
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Josh Martin
Does the language that you speak change the way you think? If you speak a language with more color words, can you see more colors? If your language has gender markers, do you think about gender differently? Are there really languages without numbers? Do the Inuit people really have 100 words for snow? This class will explore the controversial idea that your particular language affects your cognition and perception, the hypothesis known as linguistic relativity. We'll bust some popular myths about language, recreate some classic experiments, and learn how linguists do research and what happens when scientific research goes wrong.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S15814: Dark Truth behind Body Mass Index (BMI)
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zara Poon
Widely known as BMI, the body mass index is nationally considered an accurate measure of health. BUT THIS IS CONTROVERSIAL. There are several problems with BMI, including its dark origin, covert oppression, and foundation on racism and sexism. In this class, we will discuss 1) your existing knowledge of BMI and uncover the discrete ways it affects the way you act and live, 2) symbolism between small bodies and small voices, and, 3) formulate an educated opinion on BMI and consider next steps to deal with an oppressive system. My goal is to create a safe space for you to relate and make deep connections with each other as we discuss the injustices of BMI. **note** this class does NOT promote, teach, nor mention weight or numbers associated with BMI to avoid triggering content. Rather, it focuses on the societal effects and implications of BMI.
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
Walk-in Activity
W15834: Tea Tasting: Learn about MITea
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vivian Hir
Do you like drinking tea? Want to sample all types of tea from peppermint to pomegranate? Then come to this walk-in activity! You can also come if you want to hear the tea about MITea (pun intended).
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15829: making bracelets!!!!! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eunice Zhang
come make super cute bracelets!! pastel letter beads, sparkly stars, flower charms, what more could you want :3
hehe hello there
let's make bracelets together!
it'll be super slay <3
Class Style
Activity
hehe hello there
let's make bracelets together!
it'll be super slay <3
Class Style
Activity
W15715: Create Your Own Shrink Art!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Anne Gvozdjak,
Kate Lu
Come make shrink art with us! Shrink art, also known as shrink plastic, begins as a colored drawing on a thin sheet of polystyrene plastic; the plastic is then baked, causing it to shrink and thicken, resulting in a hard plastic object approximately half its original size. Come have fun making custom keychains, ornaments or jewelry!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15870: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream!
Difficulty: **
Want to watch some cool chemistry and eat some cool liquid? Come join us for a delicious treat!!! Lactose-free options are available.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15887: Finger Loop Braiding!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Cindy Zhang
Learn how to make finger loop braids with 3 or 5 strands!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15888: Crosswords!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Geoffrey Enwere
Down for a cross? We'll be working together to solve a variety of crosswords online, from New York Times to Los Angeles Times! It's time to put your word association skills to the test!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15889: Ruby Red Appreciation
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joshua Curtis Kuffour
Come learn about the wonders of one of the best juices to grace human kind, ruby red
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15891: Not Ruby Red Appreciation
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Geoffrey Enwere
Ruby Red is bad! Anyone who agrees is a chump! Fight for the glory of Not Ruby Red!
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
W15693: Cross Stitching!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Angelica Chin,
Hilary Zen
Come learn how to cross stitch with a needle and yarn! All skill levels welcome.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15890: write and mail haiku postcards (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eunice Zhang
hey you, yes, you! hi :D
do you want to write haikus?
and send them to friends :0
(ノ*°▽°*)
if yes, then hello!!
i'd love to haiku with you
stamps, paper, fun!!!!
(っ˘з(˘⌣˘ ) ♡
Class Style
Activity
do you want to write haikus?
and send them to friends :0
(ノ*°▽°*)
if yes, then hello!!
i'd love to haiku with you
stamps, paper, fun!!!!
(っ˘з(˘⌣˘ ) ♡
Class Style
Activity
W15884: Smoke Cannon Construction
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Gilford Ting
do you like cool projectiles? special effects? arts and crafts? knocking things down? candy? if the answer to any of these is yes, pull up to this walk-in, where you'll make your very own smoke cannon and get to take it home! we'll mess around with them and maybe you'll even learn something about physics?? come and find out :000 oooo very mysterious
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15894: How to get good at rhythm games
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Evan Ingoldsby,
Jing Xuan Sun
Come play rhythm games with us! Discuss topics like "What makes a game a rhythm game?" and "How do I get better?" Got a rhythm game in mind? Bring it to the table! Don't know what a rhythm game is? Come learn! All skill levels welcome. Featuring a spotlight rhythm game for those looking to try something new!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15898: Winter Coat Appreciation
Difficulty: **
Come appreciate the many types of coats on MIT's campus! Look at and judge ESP admin's coats, and possibly try them on yourself!
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
W15873: Make Your Own Airzooka
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joyce Yuan
Make your own airzooka -- your very own mini air cannon.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15763: Nertz: Competitive Speed Solitaire!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jessica Wu,
Eunice Zhang
Learn how to play Nertz, a card game that combines elements of Solitaire and Speed!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15885: Arbitrary Rankings of Arbitrary Things
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vidya Ranjan
Come rank things with us! Have a strong opinion about which is the best shade of green or what is the ideal banana ripeness? Now is your time to shine!
"A 10/10 experience--would highly recommend"
"This activity is S-tier; the best part of my weekend"
"On a scale of 7 to 17, I'd give this walk-in a 17!"
Class Style
Activity
"A 10/10 experience--would highly recommend"
"This activity is S-tier; the best part of my weekend"
"On a scale of 7 to 17, I'd give this walk-in a 17!"
Class Style
Activity
W15886: Intro to Soldering
Difficulty: **
Ever wanted to learn how to assemble circuits? Come to this walk-in and learn basic soldering! Circuit boards and electronic components will be provided.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15867: Handstamped Jewelry and Cabochon Keychains
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joyce Yuan
Come make your own custom handstamped jewelry and cabochon keychains! Draw your own pictures, stamp your own name, and go home with something you made yourself.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W15897: Learn West Coast Swing <3
Difficulty: **
Have you ever:
Had fond memories of playground swings as a child;
Wanted to be Spiderman swinging off buildings;
While walking, swung your arms;
Watched the pendulum in an old grandfather clock swing;
Been to the west of a coast;
Or had a coast be to the west of you.
If you said yes to any of the above, then come swing with us! Otherwise, I hope you find the North/South Pole very cool, and come swing with us anyway! If you're somehow still not sold on the wonders of West Coast Swing, come check us out and maybe we can swing your opinion around!
Class Style
Activity
Had fond memories of playground swings as a child;
Wanted to be Spiderman swinging off buildings;
While walking, swung your arms;
Watched the pendulum in an old grandfather clock swing;
Been to the west of a coast;
Or had a coast be to the west of you.
If you said yes to any of the above, then come swing with us! Otherwise, I hope you find the North/South Pole very cool, and come swing with us anyway! If you're somehow still not sold on the wonders of West Coast Swing, come check us out and maybe we can swing your opinion around!
Class Style
Activity
W15895: Mutant Plushie Lab
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Evan Lofink
Create an army of mis-matched minions to unleash your vengeance on the world! Or, you know, just see what a teddy with an alligator head would look like. If you would rather play with Sid's toys than Andy's, this is the Activity for you. No prior sewing/gene splicing experience required.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
Miscellaneous
X15871: Let's talk NFL & Fantasy Football!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Paolo Adajar,
Ahaan Rungta
Who are the real Super Bowl contenders this year? What do you need to do to win your fantasy football championship? This and everything NFL-related: let's talk about anything y'all want to discuss! 🏈
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
A decent knowledge of the NFL.
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
A decent knowledge of the NFL.
X15798: Introduction to Specialty Coffee: A Journey from Bean to Cup Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Henri Jackson,
Nicholas Pfaff
This 2-hour introductory course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of specialty coffee, with a focus on filter coffee. Participants will explore the cultivation, processing, roasting, brewing, and tasting of specialty coffee and gain insights into the art and science behind creating the perfect cup. While the course primarily centers around filter coffee, it will introduce techniques and concepts that are also applicable to espresso preparation. This course is ideal for coffee enthusiasts and anyone interested in gaining a deeper appreciation for specialty coffee.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X15760: How to avoid committing Tax Evasion (4 Dummies)
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lilian Zhu
Jeff Bezos paid a 0.1% tax on his money in 2022. The average American, on the other hand, pays over 10% of their income to the IRS yearly. Wanna reduce that number? Come learn how the uberrich keep more of what they make.
We'll discuss the types of taxes levied, loopholes for evading each, and some famous people who have been caught for paying less than their fair share. Along the way, I'll include some 100% legal tax deductions you or your parents might be missing out on. After all, why pay more than you have to?
(Dear IRS: I neither endorse nor support these actions)
Class Style
Lecture
We'll discuss the types of taxes levied, loopholes for evading each, and some famous people who have been caught for paying less than their fair share. Along the way, I'll include some 100% legal tax deductions you or your parents might be missing out on. After all, why pay more than you have to?
(Dear IRS: I neither endorse nor support these actions)
Class Style
Lecture
X15689: Intro to Business and Finance
Difficulty: **
So you’ve heard about finance... but what does that ~actually~ mean?
Come join our team of Sloan Business Club members to learn about general finance topics in an interactive 50-min session. After a brief lecture introducing you to the world of finance, you will engage in small groups with one of our members who will provide you with some tools to conduct simple analyses on potential investments.
Class Style
Lecture
Come join our team of Sloan Business Club members to learn about general finance topics in an interactive 50-min session. After a brief lecture introducing you to the world of finance, you will engage in small groups with one of our members who will provide you with some tools to conduct simple analyses on potential investments.
Class Style
Lecture
X15713: Making the Best Financial Decisions for You: College, Career, etc.
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Patricia Craig,
Jean Diskin
A handful of major decisions can really influence your life and possibly have a lasting influence on your future happiness. What career you choose, what college you attend & courses you take, how you pay for college, who you choose to marry, whether you buy a house or rent - - these are some of the really big "financial" decisions. The purpose of this course is to help you expand your thinking on these very critical decisions with particular emphasis on college decisions.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X15712: Making Cream Puffs!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Michelle Luo
Learn how to make pâte à choux, or choux pastry, the basis of many desserts ranging from churros to beignets to profiteroles and eclairs! In this class, we will learn how to make profiteroles (cream puffs) with a creamy filling.
This class will involve dairy, gluten, and eggs.
Class Style
Activity
This class will involve dairy, gluten, and eggs.
Class Style
Activity
X15719: Building Your Inner Strength to Get What You Want in Life
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Patricia Craig,
Jean Diskin
Every person has times in their life when it is really tough. Whether a grandparent just died, or parents are getting divorced, or not fitting in at school - - - life can get really really tough. This course will provide some helpful hints on managing those rough patches. The hints are drawn from the following books, “The Adversity Quotient”, “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living”, and “The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook.” Additionally, some hints from Stanford Professor Michael Ray’s course, “Creativity in Business” will be discussed.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X15706: College Application Readiness
Difficulty: *
This course will demystify the college application process. Led by members of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, we want to empower all students to apply for college with awareness and confidence.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
X15866: Volleyball - Hit Like Hinata!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Paul Ihim
Come learn how to play volleyball, no experience necessary!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X15779: GeoGuessr - Let's Explore the World!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Sean Cheng,
Mason Fang
In which countries do people drive on the left side of the road? Which places have yellow license plates? Can you determine where you are simply based on a Google Maps street view image? Come play some GeoGuessr with us and learn tricks and techniques to help you identify where you are anywhere in the world!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X15769: MIT Emergency Medical Services: Equipment, Calls, and Running an Ambulance Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Julianna Lian,
Laboni Santra
MIT EMS is a Massachusetts licensed basic life support (BLS) ambulance serving the MIT community. We operate a transporting ambulance and offer a biannual EMT-B training course. We are entirely student-run and operate on a volunteer basis under the authority of the Massachusetts Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS).
In this course, the MIT EMS Equipment Officers will discuss equipment, common call types, and the structure of our service. We will also provide a tour of the bunk room, ambulance bay, and the ambulance.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None
In this course, the MIT EMS Equipment Officers will discuss equipment, common call types, and the structure of our service. We will also provide a tour of the bunk room, ambulance bay, and the ambulance.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None
X15727: Hanabi I
Difficulty: *
Hanabi is an acclaimed cooperative card game where players work together to a common goal. The twist? You don't see what cards you have!
This class will go through the rules and some basic conventions of the game. Includes practical training with fellow students and teachers.
Class Style
Activity
This class will go through the rules and some basic conventions of the game. Includes practical training with fellow students and teachers.
Class Style
Activity
X15691: Saving Lives: CPR and Stop the Bleed
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Sabrina Liu,
Meryl Tigenoah
You will learn how to respond in emergency situations, including providing life-saving CPR, using an AED, as well as learning how to stop bleeding - all of which could very well save a life!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X15676: Europe Does Not Exist: learn the art of making conspiracy theories Full!
Difficulty: **
Did you learn in school that there is something called a "Europe" located north of Africa and west of Asia? Well, that is actually wrong! You've been lied to and brainwashed by the shameless ruling elites to believe in this nonsense. There is overwhelming evidence to prove that every single thing you've heard regarding this so-called "Europe" is pure fabrication.
What about the Eiffel Tower? That's actually in China. Stonehenge? In Zimbabwe. Shakespeare was an Iraqi and Isaac Newton flat out never existed.
Come learn about just some of the abundant evidence that there is no such thing as "Europe". Let us together uncover this obscene conspiracy. In the process we'll learn tips on how you too can spin a conspiracy theory to prove any claim you want.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. But a thorough knowledge of world geography would make this more fun. You should also be prepared to follow complicated reasoning. No lizards allowed.
What about the Eiffel Tower? That's actually in China. Stonehenge? In Zimbabwe. Shakespeare was an Iraqi and Isaac Newton flat out never existed.
Come learn about just some of the abundant evidence that there is no such thing as "Europe". Let us together uncover this obscene conspiracy. In the process we'll learn tips on how you too can spin a conspiracy theory to prove any claim you want.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. But a thorough knowledge of world geography would make this more fun. You should also be prepared to follow complicated reasoning. No lizards allowed.
X15787: How to master the bloody period and why it exists in the first place
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Amber Bick,
Antoni Soledad
Goopy gunky gushing gore, let's dive into period lore...
This class will be on the history of period management methods, why humans have periods, and, most importantly, what we can do about them. Namely, menstrual cups and other fun products :)
Everyone is welcome, whether or not you menstruate!
Class Style
Lecture
This class will be on the history of period management methods, why humans have periods, and, most importantly, what we can do about them. Namely, menstrual cups and other fun products :)
Everyone is welcome, whether or not you menstruate!
Class Style
Lecture
X15803: Embroidery and Chocolate Milk! Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Fiona Lu,
Sharon Zhu
Complete an embroidery kit and drink chocolate milk (from chocolate cows) with the residents of Room 1066! We'll be doing embroidery kits of some tasteful arrangements of fruit and furniture (which you'll get to keep.) Along the way, feel free to ask us any questions you have about high school and life at MIT!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
hands (2) (preferred)
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
hands (2) (preferred)
X15701: How to fly on the cheap Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Edward Wang
Want to travel the world in college but not sure how to do it while broke? Want to learn how passenger (pax) airline tickets are priced? Come to this class to find out!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Web browsing, Spreadsheets
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Web browsing, Spreadsheets
X15754: Being an Immovable Object Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
James Koppel
If you twist your shoulder in the right way, you can lift twice as much. Tense your abs in the right way, and you can punch three times as hard. Whether you like martial arts or yoga, dancing or football, or even if you just want to seem more confident when presenting, you can do more with less effort when you put your body in a position of stability. So come to this class and get better at everything!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Wear loose clothing
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Wear loose clothing
X15882: Transit, Transport, Transportation: A Look at the Past and Present of the Public Transit in Boston
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vidya Ranjan
Have you ever wondered what an "Alewife" is, and why there's a train station named after it? How about why each of the lines of T has the color that they have? Join us on a journey through time and space as we look at the history of public transit in Boston since the 1600s. We'll learn about the first ferry established in the city during colonial times, how accessibility concerns affect the design of the MBTA map, and os much more! By the end, you might even be designing your own plans for a transit network in Boston!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None!
X15874: Locked Doors Aren't As Secure As You Think Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Eugeniya Artemova,
Matthew Cox
A locked door seems secure. Right?
Actually, it turns out that most locked doors can be bypassed in a variety of ways. We'll talk about some of the flaws in common door systems, give some practical demonstrations, and have you try it out for yourselves. Whether you've locked yourself out of your house or you're trying to get into your sibling's locked room, this class is for you!
Disclaimer: please use your discretion as to when you apply these techniques, and always follow the law.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Must have opened a door
Actually, it turns out that most locked doors can be bypassed in a variety of ways. We'll talk about some of the flaws in common door systems, give some practical demonstrations, and have you try it out for yourselves. Whether you've locked yourself out of your house or you're trying to get into your sibling's locked room, this class is for you!
Disclaimer: please use your discretion as to when you apply these techniques, and always follow the law.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Must have opened a door
X15836: The Science of Nerf Guns
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Evan Lofink
Have you ever wondered about the science that goes into building Nerf guns, or the unique ways that process can be innovated upon? Through a set of demonstrations and introductory breakdowns, this course will explore such ideas. We will look at how an understanding of aerodynamics and design principles can be used to create much more powerful Nerf guns from scratch. We will also examine the basics of circuitry and battery composition in order to learn about building electronic Nerf guns. Additionally, we will look at alternative ways to launch Nerf darts. By taking a look at materials science we will consider the relative merits of using 3d printers, cnc machines, or even old instruments as the basis of new Nerf designs.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X15828: Gender Beyond the Binary
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ryker Reed
Like thinking about gender? Ever felt like male and female don't cover all the possibilities? Come learn all about the Gender Spectrum and all the different identities that a person can have that fall outside the Binary of Female or Male. We will talk about gender identity in society, in science, and in life. Come enjoy a fun discussion and bring your questions! No prior knowledge necessary, just respect and an open mind.
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
X15728: Hanabi II
Difficulty: **
Which is the chop? How do we finesse cards? What is the bluff? Why did they discard? Why is that a misplay?!?
Hanabi can be played purely with trust, but it can also be played with conventions that the players agree to. These make it more likely to win the game! In this class, we will go into more detail and explore some conventions of Hanabi. Includes practical training with fellow students and teachers.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Trust. Recommended to attend Hanabi I or have some familiarity with the rules,
Hanabi can be played purely with trust, but it can also be played with conventions that the players agree to. These make it more likely to win the game! In this class, we will go into more detail and explore some conventions of Hanabi. Includes practical training with fellow students and teachers.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Trust. Recommended to attend Hanabi I or have some familiarity with the rules,
X15716: How to Bark
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Janet Guo,
Espen Slettnes
bark-ing, in more ways than one. tap into nature with this class on self-discovery!
feedback from past sessions:
"this class changed my life. arfarfarfarfarf" – anonymous barker #1
"⚘" – anonymous bark-er #2
"zzzzzz" – anonymous barkr #3
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
a willingness to learn and embrace your inner bark
feedback from past sessions:
"this class changed my life. arfarfarfarfarf" – anonymous barker #1
"⚘" – anonymous bark-er #2
"zzzzzz" – anonymous barkr #3
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
a willingness to learn and embrace your inner bark
X15791: Jeopardy! Tips and Tricks
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Emilia Szczepaniak
It's funny how people can win thousands of dollars for knowing random facts...and that can be you (in the future, not during this class unfortunately)! We'll talk about how one can prepare for trivia contests (mainly Jeopardy!) while learning random facts along the way. We'll wrap up with a stimulating round of Jeopardy!!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X15733: How to tie a tie
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Isabel Anderson
In this class, we will briefly talk about how ties are supposed to fit/be worn, and then we will go into the more interactive portion of the class, where we will practice tying ties! We’ll go over the basic knots and do a couple novelty ones if we have time. I will bring some extras just in case, but this class is intended to be BYOT (bring your own tie). All are welcome regardless of gender; ties are for everyone!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X15784: Personal Finance But Cool
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kenneth Cox
There's a lot of personal finance advice out there, but what can you trust? In this class, we'll learn about balancing personal budgets and investing for the long-term - and justify our approach with economics and math.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
not wanting to go bankrupt
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
not wanting to go bankrupt
X15799: Juggling
Difficulty: ***
Things that we will learn how to juggle:
-academics
-social life
-extracurriculars
-downtime / "self care"
-hobbies
-three 2.25 inch juggling balls
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
hands (2)
-academics
-social life
-extracurriculars
-downtime / "self care"
-hobbies
-three 2.25 inch juggling balls
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
hands (2)
X15758: Scrabble: Tactics, Strategy, and Endgames
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Alex Jiang
Learn how to play Scrabble past a beginner level! We'll learn how to make parallel/perpendicular plays, spot bingos, maintain good leaves, and calculate endgames. In the end, we'll analyze a game between two top players and play a game of our own against a computer at https://playscrabble.com/.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Class geared towards people who know the rules but haven't learned strategy for play. Scrabble rules can be found here: https://www.officialgamerules.org/scrabble
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Class geared towards people who know the rules but haven't learned strategy for play. Scrabble rules can be found here: https://www.officialgamerules.org/scrabble
X15707: Introduction to Trading
Difficulty: **
Heard people discussing the stock market or bitcoin and want to learn how the trading process works? Interested in exploring the type of work traders do? Come to our class for an introduction on exchanges, orderbooks, and the basics of trading! There will be a fun, engaging activity at the end where you will have the chance to participate in live trading with your classmates! Hosted by Traders@MIT.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
X15714: How to Run a Splash
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Li Xuan Tan,
Cindy Zhang
Splash is run by undergraduate and graduate students at MIT. And beyond MIT, there are Splashes and other similar educational programs at universities and high schools nationwide. How does it all happen, and what are some of the things behind the scenes that you don't usually get to see? Come learn about all of the intricacies that go into running a massive program like Splash and find out how you can do it too! We'll cover what goes into organizing Splash at MIT, as well as resources and next steps if you want to run something like Splash at your own school. Presented by former Splash directors :)
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X15775: Classlighting: 5-Minute Lectures on Anything
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Conner Shelton,
Andrew Zhou
Join experts* in everything** Andrew and Conner as we teach all of you anything you want to know*** in JUST FIVE MINUTES****.
Come prepared with topics in mind, as we'll take suggestions live from students on what to teach live in class!
* Not confirmed experts.
** Everything is superlative, we cannot guarantee knowledge of every possible domain.
*** Actual truth of lessons not guaranteed.
**** Actually, no clarification. It's five minutes.
Class Style
Lecture
Come prepared with topics in mind, as we'll take suggestions live from students on what to teach live in class!
* Not confirmed experts.
** Everything is superlative, we cannot guarantee knowledge of every possible domain.
*** Actual truth of lessons not guaranteed.
**** Actually, no clarification. It's five minutes.
Class Style
Lecture
X15755: Being a Proud Tribesman Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
James Koppel
Give an American soldier a heavy pack, and moving becomes harder. Give it to an African villager, and moving becomes easier. Turns out they're just better at walking than us. And standing and sitting. Come learn why everything you know about posture is wrong.
Superpowers to be had from this class include the ability to see things directly behind you and being able to sleep on a wooden log. Some increase in height may be expected. Warning: Upon completion of this class, your life may feel like an endless massage. You may also experience a sudden urge to replace all your furniture.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Bring a jacket, or something else soft and moldable. We will be using it to modify the shape of chairs.
Superpowers to be had from this class include the ability to see things directly behind you and being able to sleep on a wooden log. Some increase in height may be expected. Warning: Upon completion of this class, your life may feel like an endless massage. You may also experience a sudden urge to replace all your furniture.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Bring a jacket, or something else soft and moldable. We will be using it to modify the shape of chairs.
Social Studies
Z15681: What Makes Taiwan Taiwan? A Crash Course on Taiwan's History, Culture, and People
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vivian Hir,
Anna Liu
Curious about what makes some aspects of Taiwan different from China even though this island is roughly 100 miles away? In this class, I will first go over Taiwan's history from its early days to the KMT to its current political situation. Then, I will discuss interesting aspects of Taiwanese culture from food to people to language (slang, accent, dialect) that are unique to this place and not found in Mainland China. Be prepared to be bombarded by lots of random fun facts!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
Z15673: Crash Course of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Hope Dargan,
Lizzy Salata
What is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict about? How did it start? What's going on in the Gaza strip and the West Bank? What is the U.S.’s role in the conflict? What are potential paths forward to peace?
This class will answer these questions through discussing the differing historical perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as those of other participants in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.
Class Style
Lecture
This class will answer these questions through discussing the differing historical perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as those of other participants in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.
Class Style
Lecture
Z15705: Weird Elections
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Conner Shelton,
Andrew Zhou
How did a bunch of teenagers run for Governor? What happens if one of the presidential candidates... dies? Is it possible to lose against nobody? What do you do if your candidate is a part of a cult? How does an election get 1000% turnout? What even *is* going on in the UK?
Come and find the answers to these questions and more, as we explore some of the weirdest elections to have ever occured in global politics.
Class Style
Seminar
Come and find the answers to these questions and more, as we explore some of the weirdest elections to have ever occured in global politics.
Class Style
Seminar