Come learn how to sing in an a cappella group! "A Cappella" is music without instruments- only voices. This class will be led by members of an a cappella group at MIT called the Cross Products.

Learn about the technology, history, music, and lore of accordions, and get a chance to play one yourself!

In this class we will introduce specialized computing tools that show you what can be done with computers with a little patience, and an idea of where to look for the tools.

We'll talk about the using the command line, configuring your computer, observing processes, and basic networking.

Learn about flight mechanics, instruments and infrastructure. Also, build your own foam plate glider!

We'll take a look at some of the world's interesting writing systems, and learn how to write in them. Then, we as a class will develop our own writing system!

Why are all the languages in the world so different? Why do languages change? Why does this matter?

This class features a macroscopic look at the development and deviation of language and the forces that mold the tongues of today's world.

Hey, look at this pencil. You probably believe that it is a pencil. Because of the definition of the word "pencil"? Because you see it and touch it and compare it to other things you believe to be pencils? Because people around you call it a pencil? Because it would be just too weird if it wasn't really a pencil? Because it makes you happy, or is best for everyone, to believe it really is a pencil? Because whether or not it is a pencil, you're going to act like it's a pencil? Hey, look at this fact. What makes us believe that it is a fact?

This class is not about what things are good, but about why things are good. (What makes them good?) Cookies are good because they are tasty! Kittens are good because they are cute! Going to school is good because...? Having money is good because...? Helping people is good because...? Being happy is good because...? Making yourself smarter and better is good because...? Human life is good because...?

Whenever it is raining, the ground is wet. Today, the ground is wet. Therefore it must be raining? Clark Kent is Superman. Superman is Clark Kent. Superman is strong. Superman is good. Therefore, strong is good? There are no circles in this picture. Are three-quarters of the circles in this picture red? This class will teach you about logic. The teacher thinks logic is very important and useful. Therefore you should take this class?

Ever wanted to learn how to ask for a pretzel or a bratwurst auf Deutsch? Curious about what a Biergarten *actually* is? This is a crash course in German - you'll learn the very basics of grammar, some vocabulary, plus a handful of useful/entertaining phrases that may or may not help you get communicate in German!

Think math is fun? Wonderful! We'll play silly math games (basically, games with numbers) and then analyze them. Get ready to count on your fingers, factor large numbers, and play with math!

- Goedel's Incompleteness Theorem has many implications, one of which is that "no consistent system of axioms whose theorems can be listed by an "effective procedure" (e.g., a computer program, but it could be any sort of algorithm) is capable of proving all truths about the relations of the natural numbers" (Wikipedia).
-This is cool. It basically asserts that, differently from most jobs, Mathematicians won't be substituted by robots!
-In this lecture you'll learn about Goedel's Incompleteness Theorem and a recent (from 1989), and awesome, proof of it (which is based on a paradox!). We'll also chat about some of its implications.
-Due to the varying backgrounds of attendees, this exposure wouldn't be as formal as possible, but you'll all hopefully leave with a solid idea of how it works and great intuition about the theorem.

Ever wanted to know how many tons of salt are in the ocean or how many piano tuners are in Boston? These are both examples of Fermi problems. Fermi problems are questions that involve computing tricky quantities to reasonable accuracies without any information aside from common sense.

I give you (medical) cases, you try to guess the diagnoses

Cancer afflicts more and more people in our lives. It can be hard to find someone close to you who doesn't have at least one cancer patient in their family. As cancer becomes more common, researchers are gearing up to find ways to combat tumor growth. One such method is finding drugs to stop their growth by studying various enzymes that affect tumor cells in different ways from normal cells. In this class, I will give a simplified overview of how to find and study such enzymes and what it takes to actually find a medicine that works.

Have you ever wanted to know how the 1918 flu spread so quickly, why some viruses make you sick immediately while others surface only after weeks or months, and why the creation of a mutant virus that can spread from ferret to ferret has public health and national security officials worried?

We'll discuss these topics and more while showing you how to make your own take-home virus plushie toy.

This class will teach students how to run DNA gel electrophoresis using simple and cheap ingredients that can be bought from local stores. Normally, gel electrophoresis requires expensive and delicate equipment that are difficult for many students to access. The purpose of the DIY Biology movement is to make biology more accessible to the general public.
In class, we will not only run the gel, but during the downtime, such as when the gel is cooling or running, I will explain how electrophoresis works and how the technique can be used for other macromolecules, such as proteins.

What are bugs? What makes them bugs? What makes them so diverse and numerous? Why do we bother studying about bugs? How do we study them? These are some of the questions we will tackle in this class. We will study about arthropods, the true rulers of this planet. I will demonstrate various methods of capturing and studying insects.

Malaria is a sneaky parasite that makes millions of people sick every year. Learn all about the biology of how the disease works, how it spreads, and what we can do to fight it.

Can we develop our communities in a way that is environmentally sustainable? Can we preserve global biodiversity and still consider the needs of communities living in poverty?

This workshop will explore the dynamic nexus of environment, development, technology, and social innovation. We'll consider a range of efforts and brainstorm new opportunities to generate income and promote ecological conservation:
-sustainable agricultural practices
-fuel-efficient cookstoves
-ecosystem-based waste and resource management
-livelihood alternatives to habitat-reducing activities like poaching, monoculture, overfishing, and deforestation
-and more!

Together, let's come up with ideas to improve the quality of life for all organisms, not just human communities; let's find ways to protect our favorite creatures without forgetting about the people living nearby.

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

We’ll cover, very briefly, the basics of all the major concepts of web design, including HTML, CSS, databases, client-side and server-side scripting, servers, version controlling, and caching. All examples will be taken from the ESP website. We'll also talk about some of the spectacular ways in which the ESP website has broken, and what caused these errors. And if time allows, we’ll take a look at some of the administrative portions of the website - the pages that help the HSSP directors administer the program.

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

Splash and HSSP don't just run themselves! Directors put in a lot of hard work to make these programs run. Want to learn what goes on behind the scenes? Come find out!

Presented by one of the directors of Spark 2012, and one of the directors of Summer HSSP 2011.

Do you like regular crosswords and want to try something new and more challenging? Or maybe you like word games, like Scrabble or Anagrams? Cryptic crosswords combine the best parts of regular crossword puzzles and other word games.

We'll teach you how clues like "Change of heart for our planet" can solve to "EARTH" and some of the rules for how cryptic crosswords work, and then you can try solving some on your own!

Islam is a religion which profoundly influences politics as well as the lives of its believers. At the same time, trying to learn about it can be hard – religion only plays a minor role in schools and who is there to ask? Wouldn’t asking something be awkward or offending? And why do you get different answers all the time? This class is your chance to learn in an open-minded environment about the Islamic concept of God and Afterlife, the forms of worship, the relationship between Islam and other religions and where different understandings of Islam come from.
This class is aimed towards non-Muslims, but Muslims are also welcome.