Splash 2021
Course Catalog
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Visual and Performing Arts
A14827: Introduction to Bhangra Workshop! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Bhangra is a folk dance style from the Punjab region of South Asia. It is a high energy dance initially performed to celebrate the harvest and has now expanded to a competitive college and independence circuit across North America. Come join us to learn the foundations and some choreography of this high energy and exciting dance style!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A14732: Folding Fanatics Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Kathy Choi,
Jakin Ng
Come for a chill hour of origami! We’ll be teaching various models, including a modular cube, butterflies, or a squirrel!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A14768: Quick Maps! Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ankit Bisain,
Gregory Pylypovych
Learn to draw some quick maps of fun parts of the world! Greece, Australia, you'd be surprised how easy it is!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
enjoy drawing/watching people draw maps
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
enjoy drawing/watching people draw maps
A14848: Calligraphy Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Shorna Alam
Learn how to do calligraphy with Crayola Markers, pencils, and watercolor! Start as an absolute beginner, and leave knowing how to make some epic notes headers!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A14741: From Swans to Spartacus: Ballet in the Soviet Union Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jessica Oehrlein
We often associate classical ballet with Imperial Russia -- long, royal-themed stories, extravagant costumes, technical choreography that is still revered today. However, ballet was also culturally important during the Soviet period, and balletic developments in the Soviet Union were really different from those elsewhere. We'll talk about the history of Soviet ballet, how it influenced and was influenced by ballet in the West, and why only a few Soviet ballets survived the fall of the Soviet Union.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
A14738: Runway or Stage?: Fashion & The Performing Arts in the 20th and 21st Centuries Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Steven Faerm
The 20th Century gave rise to new and radical multi-disciplinary crossovers between performance and fashion. In that century, the traditional, rigid boundaries between these disciplines were dismantled by emerging avant-garde choreographers, performers, and designers who challenged the ways their audiences understood—and experienced—their work.
When and how did they crossover? What were the social, artistic, and political reasons behind this “blurring" of the two creative worlds?
This lecture will explore this radicalization of each creative world and how today they are inextricably linked: the performing arts and the fashion runway. We’ll begin in the late 1860s, focus primarily on the 20th century, and conclude with today—a pivotal moment when there seems to be (at times) no division between fashion and theater. Are you watching a fashion show or a theatrical performance? Is there a difference?
This lecture is for anyone who loves learning about art history, fashion history, the theater world, dance performance, and costume design! Together, we’ll uncover it all in this creative historical overview.
The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A session, so please come with your questions! These can be about the lecture, the future of design, applying to design school, and similar design-related questions!
Class Style
Lecture
When and how did they crossover? What were the social, artistic, and political reasons behind this “blurring" of the two creative worlds?
This lecture will explore this radicalization of each creative world and how today they are inextricably linked: the performing arts and the fashion runway. We’ll begin in the late 1860s, focus primarily on the 20th century, and conclude with today—a pivotal moment when there seems to be (at times) no division between fashion and theater. Are you watching a fashion show or a theatrical performance? Is there a difference?
This lecture is for anyone who loves learning about art history, fashion history, the theater world, dance performance, and costume design! Together, we’ll uncover it all in this creative historical overview.
The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A session, so please come with your questions! These can be about the lecture, the future of design, applying to design school, and similar design-related questions!
Class Style
Lecture
A14737: Designing Design: It’s not just “stuff” Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Steven Faerm
Designing Design: It’s not just “stuff”
Have you ever wondered how artists and designers develop their innovative work? Do you want to become a better artist or designer by strengthening your creativity? What is “design process” and how can it be used to achieve maximum creativity and, in doing so, enable design to not be just “stuff” but something that contains deeper, emotional meaning?
This lecture analyzes undergraduates’ design projects that are remarkable for their incredibly inventive design processes — a critical stage that proceeds research exploration and precedes final design outcomes. This “middle-stage” is perhaps the MOST important stage. It is when your playful explorations and experimentations will produce optimal creativity and innovation. This critical stage can then spawn designs that have conceptual and intellectual depth—something that is increasingly sought by consumers today.
During this presentation, you learn how to innovate your own CREATIVITY by listening to how select design projects are “dissected” and analyzed. These inspiring methods may then be applied to your own art and design projects!
The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A session, so please come with your questions! These can be about the lecture, the future of design, applying to design school, and similar design-related questions!
Please note, this is a lecture presentation and not a workshop.
Presented by Steven Faerm, Associate Professor at Parsons School of Design.
Class Style
Lecture
Have you ever wondered how artists and designers develop their innovative work? Do you want to become a better artist or designer by strengthening your creativity? What is “design process” and how can it be used to achieve maximum creativity and, in doing so, enable design to not be just “stuff” but something that contains deeper, emotional meaning?
This lecture analyzes undergraduates’ design projects that are remarkable for their incredibly inventive design processes — a critical stage that proceeds research exploration and precedes final design outcomes. This “middle-stage” is perhaps the MOST important stage. It is when your playful explorations and experimentations will produce optimal creativity and innovation. This critical stage can then spawn designs that have conceptual and intellectual depth—something that is increasingly sought by consumers today.
During this presentation, you learn how to innovate your own CREATIVITY by listening to how select design projects are “dissected” and analyzed. These inspiring methods may then be applied to your own art and design projects!
The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A session, so please come with your questions! These can be about the lecture, the future of design, applying to design school, and similar design-related questions!
Please note, this is a lecture presentation and not a workshop.
Presented by Steven Faerm, Associate Professor at Parsons School of Design.
Class Style
Lecture
A14727: Gender? Never Heard of Her! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Hasan Khan
Gender???? Who is she! She sounds kinda fruity to be quite honest....
If you feel: tired, sick, embarrassed, fraught, dysphoric, euphoric, annoyed, artistic, hopeful, transformative, any type of queer way about gender, this class is for you :~)
If you're cisgender, you might be confused at first, but you'll get there! Everyone is welcome to try on and perform some new genders (and take some home if you'd like) :D
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
curiosity about the social performance that is """geNderrrr""", willingness to center non-binary and genderqueer voices, commitment to creating a safe space for people at all stages of their gender revolutions
If you feel: tired, sick, embarrassed, fraught, dysphoric, euphoric, annoyed, artistic, hopeful, transformative, any type of queer way about gender, this class is for you :~)
If you're cisgender, you might be confused at first, but you'll get there! Everyone is welcome to try on and perform some new genders (and take some home if you'd like) :D
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
curiosity about the social performance that is """geNderrrr""", willingness to center non-binary and genderqueer voices, commitment to creating a safe space for people at all stages of their gender revolutions
A14855: Art Across Cultures: A Crash Course in the Ancient Art Form of Mehendi (Henna) Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Disha Kohli,
Shruthi Ravichandran
Mehendi is an ancient form of body art originating in countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Known for its intricate designs and meticulous shapes, mehendi is applied as a paste that dries to leave behind an orange-reddish tint. Come join us for an hour crash course about mehendi! We'll teach you basic shapes, a little bit of the history and trivia, and let you loose on creating your own patterns!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A14839: Calligraphy for Beginners Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Joshika Chakraverty
Have you ever wanted to learn how to do calligraphy? How to make beautiful letters with just a flick of your wrist? Maybe you want to make cards for your friends or write down your favorite quotes or just want to have improve your penmanship.
Come learn how to start doing calligraphy with me!
Class Style
Activity
Come learn how to start doing calligraphy with me!
Class Style
Activity
A14852: History of Asian American Art + Artists Closed!
Difficulty: *
A brief overview into the history of Asian American art. Through a short exploration and a rich class discussion into notable artists, we hope to unpack themes of identity, belonging, and cultural rifts that characterize the Asian American experience.
No prior experience in art history needed. You do not need to be Asian American to be in the class!
Class Style
Seminar
No prior experience in art history needed. You do not need to be Asian American to be in the class!
Class Style
Seminar
A14821: Get BOPPIN': Crash Course Songwriting Full/Closed!
Difficulty: **
Have you ever wanted to serenade your cat but didn't know where to start? How about express your deepest love for boba tea in lyrical form? Come join us to learn to write your own music! We'll be covering chordal progressions, poetic lyric writing, and basic music software! You'll even get the chance to work on your own original piece. All levels of experience are welcome!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
A14837: Intro to Photography Full/Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Yeabsira Moges
In making the jump from all automatic camera usage to more manual, nuanced control, there are a lot of settings to navigate, compositional elements to understand. This class will serve as an introduction to those settings, how to photograph fast moving objects in low light, or how to do cool tricks with photography like light trails. This class will walk you through the whole process, getting to the point where you are comfortable using a DSLR camera or the pro mode on your phone.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None!
[Deprecated] Computers and Programming
C14856: Create your own create-your-own character website! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Shuli Jones
Have you ever used a character creator, online dress-up game, or picrew? Did you know it's easy to make your own? In this class, we'll learn the basics of JavaScript and reactive programming, and use what we've learned to make a character creator website. We'll start simple and get as complicated as you want to!
To get the most out of the class, you should have a very basic understanding of HTML and programming concepts (e.g. variables, functions, lists). You don’t need any experience with JavaScript or web development, but it’s fine if you have a little.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Basic HTML and programming knowledge
To get the most out of the class, you should have a very basic understanding of HTML and programming concepts (e.g. variables, functions, lists). You don’t need any experience with JavaScript or web development, but it’s fine if you have a little.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Basic HTML and programming knowledge
C14708: TikTok, self-driving cars, and Siri: what can (and can’t) AI do for you? Closed!
Difficulty: *
Have you ever wondered how TikTok knows you so well? Or how a computer can beat you in a video game and predict skin cancer? Or maybe you’re curious how cars drive themselves. In this fun course, we’ll teach you about what’s driving this technology - artificial intelligence (AI)! In this whirlwind tour of AI, you’ll learn not only about the state-of-the-art machine intelligence, but also why babies are still smarter than even the best computers. How can this be? 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
C14710: Social Media and Data Science Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Derek Lim
Billions of people worldwide use some form of social media, and each person's actions on social media provide data that may be studied. In this course, we will explore applications of data science on social media data. This field of study leverages massive datasets, powerful computers, and smart algorithms of the modern day to draw amazing insights from social media data.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
C14656: Nano Satellite Arduino Workshop Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
marcelo anjos
An interactive project to demonstrate engineering-centred space mission design on a 1U NanoSat that allows users to change satellite parameters, and observe the results on theoretical budgets and real-life Arduino communication. You don't need any programming or electronics experience to work with this project. Just change all the values and let your imagination roam free!
Learners can try to program with each parameter to see how it affects their mission constraints. The goal of the project is to produce the best design possible, which covers all engineering requirements, and comes with the lowest cost and best budget utilization.
Class Style
Seminar
Learners can try to program with each parameter to see how it affects their mission constraints. The goal of the project is to produce the best design possible, which covers all engineering requirements, and comes with the lowest cost and best budget utilization.
Class Style
Seminar
C14647: How To Quickly Prototype an AI Chip Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Thierry Tambe
The increasing computational demands of artificial intelligence (AI) workloads has spurred the rise of specialized AI chips accelerating important applications such as object detection, speech and language recognition, and recommendation systems. In this short class, we will cover the various engineering decisions to design an energy-efficient AI chip, and the commonly used logistical processes to design and prototype them quickly for deployment.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Elementary algebra and ability to think abstractly.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Elementary algebra and ability to think abstractly.
C14762: Who is Bobby Tables? Exploring Security with XKCD Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Danna Nozik,
Zachary Zagorski
What makes a "good" password? Can you *really* explain recent security vulnerabilities in comic panels? And who is Bobby Tables?
Join a software security engineer for a discussion of some computer security topics, loosely guided by Randall Munroe's XKCD comics (such as https://xkcd.com/1820/).
We'll cover SQL injection (and other code injection) attacks, passwords (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and why older bugs like Heartbleed are still relevant today, plus additional topics as time permits.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
While this class is intended to be accessible to students with little or no technical background, those with some programming or other technical experience may find they get more out of it.
Join a software security engineer for a discussion of some computer security topics, loosely guided by Randall Munroe's XKCD comics (such as https://xkcd.com/1820/).
We'll cover SQL injection (and other code injection) attacks, passwords (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and why older bugs like Heartbleed are still relevant today, plus additional topics as time permits.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
While this class is intended to be accessible to students with little or no technical background, those with some programming or other technical experience may find they get more out of it.
C14666: Introduction to Verification with the Coq Theorem Prover Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
CJ Quines
You may have heard about mathematical proofs on paper, but have you heard about interactive theorem provers? These tools allow users to *code* mathematical models and proofs about them, using powerful language constructs and proof tactics. The Coq Theorem Prover is one such tool, but there are many more! In this course, you will learn some background (what is verification?), hear about a variety of verification tools and what they can do, and practice your very own theorem proving with Coq. Hope to see you there! :)
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
basic programming experience in any language, basic understanding of recursion preferred but not required
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
basic programming experience in any language, basic understanding of recursion preferred but not required
C14717: Staying Private on the Internet Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eric Chao,
Trent Chismar
Learn how internet traffic is kept hidden, and different ways that people access the greater internet when ISPs, governments, or some other entity blocks access to websites or services.
We will start from the basics of encrypting internet traffic and build up to complex ways of avoiding censors, ranging from VPNs to Tor!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of computer networks and network protocols will be useful, but not required!
We will start from the basics of encrypting internet traffic and build up to complex ways of avoiding censors, ranging from VPNs to Tor!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of computer networks and network protocols will be useful, but not required!
C14682: Introduction to Web Development Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tae Wook Kim,
Darren Lim
Have you ever wondered how a website is created? Do you want to make your own personal website to show your friends and family? This is a perfect class for you! You will leave this class with a website fully working online!
We will learn about how the internet works, the basics of HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and a simple way to deploy your website so anyone in the world can view your amazing website.
This class is for first-time web developers. If you have built a website before, this class might not be useful for you.
Class Style
Activity
We will learn about how the internet works, the basics of HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and a simple way to deploy your website so anyone in the world can view your amazing website.
This class is for first-time web developers. If you have built a website before, this class might not be useful for you.
Class Style
Activity
C14798: Introduction to (Simple) Neural Networks Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tara Sarma
Learn about the basics of neural networks: what they are, how they are trained, and what technologies facilitate them! We will mostly be focusing on simple neural networks, but if we have time, might also look into other neural network architecture.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some experience with calculus is nice but not necessary
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some experience with calculus is nice but not necessary
Engineering
E14794: How does it work?: Physics and Engineering edition Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Keith Phuthi,
Sarah Weidman
Ever wondered how batteries work? Or microwaves or footballs or any product of engineering really? Well here's your chance to ask anything! Pick an object or process or concept in engineering or science you would like a 5 minute explanation about and maybe I can answer it otherwise we both learn something new!
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
None. Just curiosity
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
None. Just curiosity
E14825: Would you like to be an engineer? Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Lisa Maiocco
In this class, we will talk about engineering as a possible college major and as a career. We talk about the different types of engineers, and what a typical day at work may be like. Engineering classes involve challenging projects and hard work , but the resulting career possibilities can be fantastic!
If time allows, I will also talk about my specialty, which is Materials Engineering.
Class Style
Seminar
If time allows, I will also talk about my specialty, which is Materials Engineering.
Class Style
Seminar
E14675: Where does your electricity come from? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Lopreiato
Electricity just comes from the outlet on the wall, right? Sure, but there's a lot that happens before that.
This class will bring you through the basics of the primary methods of electric power generation used in the US, including both the traditional sources (fossil fuels) and some new and growing ones. We'll compare them on metrics like efficiency, capacity factor, cost, environmental impact, and more. We'll compare what the mix of sources looks like now to what it might look like in the future.
This class will introduce a bit of engineering thermodynamics, but it won't be a super math-heavy class. The main focus will be on the concepts.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of what work, energy, and conservation of energy are. Having taken a physics class before would be helpful.
This class will bring you through the basics of the primary methods of electric power generation used in the US, including both the traditional sources (fossil fuels) and some new and growing ones. We'll compare them on metrics like efficiency, capacity factor, cost, environmental impact, and more. We'll compare what the mix of sources looks like now to what it might look like in the future.
This class will introduce a bit of engineering thermodynamics, but it won't be a super math-heavy class. The main focus will be on the concepts.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of what work, energy, and conservation of energy are. Having taken a physics class before would be helpful.
E14723: Space-based Laser Communications Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
David Li,
Damian Tontici
Did you know that lasers could be used by satellites to talk to each other? We could use a laser on the ground to communicate with International Space Station (in fact, NASA is working on a program like this!). In 2016, NASA put laser communications system on a satellite orbiting the moon, and used it to talk to Earth. Both SpaceX and Amazon's satellites intend to have lasers for communications.
In this class we shall learn how space-based laser communications work, what hardware is required, what makes it difficult / better / worse than radio frequency communications.
We shall learn about technology behind current laser space missions and will talk about planned future missions.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
This is an introductory course, but basic understanding of laser physics and communications is helpful.
In this class we shall learn how space-based laser communications work, what hardware is required, what makes it difficult / better / worse than radio frequency communications.
We shall learn about technology behind current laser space missions and will talk about planned future missions.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
This is an introductory course, but basic understanding of laser physics and communications is helpful.
E14754: The Science of Cooking Closed!
Difficulty: **
Explore concepts of science that we use every day in cooking! We will talk about emulsions, heat, and polymer science and why they make your food taste delicous!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E14706: Technology and Challenges: Insights into a Major Energy Company Closed!
Difficulty: *
Ever wonder what actually goes on inside an giant energy company? Been curious about how multi-billion dollar mega-projects get executed and what challenges they face? What about real-life uses of underwater robotics? Maybe the energy transition from traditional fossil fuel to practical alternatives floats your boat? This class will answer the question: why would anyone want to work in an industry that digs up liquid dinosaurs?
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
E14693: How to Build a Solar Car Closed!
Difficulty: *
MIT’s Solar Electric Vehicle Team (SEVT) is faced with a unique challenge: design, manufacture, and construct a solar-powered vehicle from scratch to compete in a long distance endurance race. By long distance, we mean about 2,000 miles!
Come check out how we accomplish such a task and how a solar car works! We’ll cover topics from the construction of our carbon-fiber aeroshell to the arrangement of the 416 Li-ion cells in our battery to the machining of our custom steering system.
Students from across disciplines come together to create a community of teammates and friends working to solve real-world problems with significant impacts. Apart from engineering, members learn invaluable business and project-management skills by approaching this challenge from a higher level. As a student-run team, this project is our heart and soul, and we are able to learn and grow as engineers, teammates, and people as we face new challenges in the world of solar.
Class Style
Lecture
Come check out how we accomplish such a task and how a solar car works! We’ll cover topics from the construction of our carbon-fiber aeroshell to the arrangement of the 416 Li-ion cells in our battery to the machining of our custom steering system.
Students from across disciplines come together to create a community of teammates and friends working to solve real-world problems with significant impacts. Apart from engineering, members learn invaluable business and project-management skills by approaching this challenge from a higher level. As a student-run team, this project is our heart and soul, and we are able to learn and grow as engineers, teammates, and people as we face new challenges in the world of solar.
Class Style
Lecture
E14709: Spacecraft Engineering Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Rachel Morgan,
Sophia Vlahakis
Learn how spacecraft are designed and built! This course will give an overview of the key subsystems that make up a space mission and describe how to put them together to make a successful mission while balancing science goals and volume, mass, and cost constraints. Hosted by the MIT Graduate Women in Aerospace Engineering group.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E14835: The Magic of Transistors Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Matthew Cox,
Julian Espada
Have you ever heard of transistors? Do you want to learn what transistors do and how to use them in circuits?
In this class, we will go over how transistors operate and how to use them in some common analog circuits. We'll teach you all about several types of transistor-based circuits, such as single-transistor amplifiers, differential pairs, and cascodes!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A basic understanding of circuits is strongly recommended. In particular, we might assume that you are familiar with the following: * Circuit schematics * Kirchhoff’s laws * Ohm’s law * Capacitors and RC circuits * Norton & Thevenin equivalent circuits * You will get more out of this class if you have seen AC circuit analysis before (e.g. small signal analysis, intuition about frequency response of inductors and capacitors, etc.). * Calculus. In particular, familiarity with derivatives is essential.
In this class, we will go over how transistors operate and how to use them in some common analog circuits. We'll teach you all about several types of transistor-based circuits, such as single-transistor amplifiers, differential pairs, and cascodes!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
A basic understanding of circuits is strongly recommended. In particular, we might assume that you are familiar with the following: * Circuit schematics * Kirchhoff’s laws * Ohm’s law * Capacitors and RC circuits * Norton & Thevenin equivalent circuits * You will get more out of this class if you have seen AC circuit analysis before (e.g. small signal analysis, intuition about frequency response of inductors and capacitors, etc.). * Calculus. In particular, familiarity with derivatives is essential.
E14834: Clean & Easy Energy! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Max Burns,
Yeji Cho,
Katie Crowley,
Joy Domingo-Kameenui,
Tyler Ea,
Cathy Hu,
Heidi Li,
Octavio Vega
Have you ever wondered what the future holds or what the future of energy will look like? For those of us at Sustainable Energy Alliance, we see a world where clean, affordable energy lights up our homes and powers rural and urban communities equally. Are you inspired by issues of energy, environmentalism, technology, social justice, and much more? Have you ever wondered about transportation, agriculture, or buildings? Ever wonder about solar panels? (seriously, how DO they work?) Energy storage? Or what political factors have been preventing the world from “kicking coal”? Well, have we found a class for you! Join us for a crash course in modern energy technology and policies and participate in our design challenge to learn how YOU can make a difference!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
E14722: Crazy About Lasers Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Katia Shtyrkova
Lasers are everywhere! They span over 6 orders of magnitude in power, have visible and invisible wavelengths, and are used in manufacturing, science, telecommunications, and medicine.
In this class we shall learn how lasers actually work - some introductory laser physics (1st hour), what makes lasers different than LEDs etc; during the 2nd hour we shall talk about different types of lasers, and learn about how the lasers are used for various applications.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. This is Intro to lasers course with no differential equations.
In this class we shall learn how lasers actually work - some introductory laser physics (1st hour), what makes lasers different than LEDs etc; during the 2nd hour we shall talk about different types of lasers, and learn about how the lasers are used for various applications.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. This is Intro to lasers course with no differential equations.
E14771: Build A Liquid Rocket Engine With MIT Rocket Team! Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Jacob Rodriguez
You always see the phrase "it's rocket science" thrown around constantly, but when have you actually thought about what that is? In this course, you'll see the real mathematics, physics, and engineering involved with building an ACTUAL liquid propellant rocket engine! No dumbing down, no non-applicative simplifications: just hardcore rocket science taught in a way high schoolers can understand. Join us :)
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Basic physics
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Basic physics
E14800: How to Design Aircraft Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Ella Berrey,
Joules Ferguson
Are you interested in learning how planes fly? Do you want to know how people design aircraft? Join MIT's Design, Build, Fly team to learn those very things! We will be going over the science of fluid/structural dynamics applied to flight via the medium of radio controlled aircraft.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Physics 1
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Physics 1
E14683: How to Stay Healthy in Space Full/Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Michelle Lin
There have been humans living and working in space for as long as you have been alive! Going to space might sound fun, but the space environment poses significant challenges to our body. How does the space environment (microgravity, radiation, altered diet and lighting, stress) change our physiology (body)? We'll discuss what happens to our muscles, bones, cardiovascular system, and neurovestibular system. We'll also learn about current and future techniques on how to prevent these changes.
Don't know what some of these words mean? Don't worry, we'll cover that in class too! Then you'll get to talk like a real biomedical engineer!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Introductory biology
Don't know what some of these words mean? Don't worry, we'll cover that in class too! Then you'll get to talk like a real biomedical engineer!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Introductory biology
Humanities
H14868: Fans, Authors, Magic: Intro to Media Studies Through Harry Potter ⚡ Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tomás Guarna
Media studies is the discipline that asks questions about how, what, when, and why we communicate. It looks at specific mediums (like TV, videogames, or telegrams) and also explores the messages we share. In this class, we’re going to go through the fundamentals of media studies through the case study of the Harry Potter franchise. What is media? What is a franchise? What happens when a story falls into the hands of fans? Who is the author, and who cares? This class is ideal for anyone interested in media, the humanities, literature, fan culture, or the Internet.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
1) Skim the Harry Potter Wikipedia page if you’re not 100% acquainted with Harry Potter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter 2) Do at least one of the following: read a Harry Potter book, watch a Harry Potter movie, play a Harry Potter video game, watch the play, or attend a Harry Potter park. 3) Read the texts in the reading package (will be sent out in advance). These are university-level readings like the ones you'd find in an MIT humanities class and should take you approximately an hour to read, so plan ahead!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
1) Skim the Harry Potter Wikipedia page if you’re not 100% acquainted with Harry Potter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter 2) Do at least one of the following: read a Harry Potter book, watch a Harry Potter movie, play a Harry Potter video game, watch the play, or attend a Harry Potter park. 3) Read the texts in the reading package (will be sent out in advance). These are university-level readings like the ones you'd find in an MIT humanities class and should take you approximately an hour to read, so plan ahead!
H14718: What Makes a Hero? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Diego Delarue,
Zoe Garcia
Are you a fan of superheroes? Are you interested in the process behind creating nuanced and strong superhero characters to lead your stories on the page or the silver screen? Come join us as we break down the greatest heroes and villains to see what truly sets them apart! Then, have the chance to bring you own story to life!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
H14726: Queer Rebellion Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Hasan Khan
Ever thought you were just different from everyone else? Did recognizing your queerness change your life or did nothing change at all? Have you ever considered why Pride is a thing? Do you wonder why (and/or hate it when) straight people say "I don't have a problem with gay people, I just hate it when it's their entire personality"?
Queerness *literally* is rebellion--specifically to capitalist cisheteropatriarchy, which is the structural foundation of our entire world. Queer existence subverts power. Queer existence is powerful. It's not time to rebel, you always have been. Come through to learn more about your queer power.
(content warning: we will be discussing mental, physical, and sexual health problems, including suicide, drug abuse, depression, a number of phobias and sexisms, and more topical issues that plague the LGBTQIA+ community on behalf of capitalist cisheteropatriarchy)
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
-an open mind and willingness to center the experiences of queer peers -completion of a few readings/videos (released a week in advance)
Queerness *literally* is rebellion--specifically to capitalist cisheteropatriarchy, which is the structural foundation of our entire world. Queer existence subverts power. Queer existence is powerful. It's not time to rebel, you always have been. Come through to learn more about your queer power.
(content warning: we will be discussing mental, physical, and sexual health problems, including suicide, drug abuse, depression, a number of phobias and sexisms, and more topical issues that plague the LGBTQIA+ community on behalf of capitalist cisheteropatriarchy)
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
-an open mind and willingness to center the experiences of queer peers -completion of a few readings/videos (released a week in advance)
H14692: The Napoleonic Wars: How and Why? Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Lauren Futami,
Jacob Rodriguez
The Napoleonic Wars was the last time Europe would engage in continent-spanning war until world war 1, roughly a century later. In this class we'll discuss the motives and methods to these series of conflicts, taking into account tactics, events, art, uniforms, and narratives in a more casual setup than a typical college class, with some time set aside for questions as well.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
none!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
none!
H14689: Philosophical Hot Takes Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ananda Santos Figueiredo,
Nate Woodward
Philosophers say some crazy stuff and in this class, that’s all we’re talking about! We will survey various topics and philosophers all through the hottest takes in philosophical history! The structure will be discussion-based and no background in philosophy is necessary. Some of the thinkers we will be covering are Camus, Nietzsche, Sartre, Simone De Beauvoir, and many more!
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
H14750: Dancing in Chains: Fixed Forms in Poetry, Part 2 Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Janice Dusseau,
Lance Ozier
What’s the difference between an Italian sonnet and an English sonnet? And why do they typically tell different kinds of stories? We’ll answer these questions and more in this course. Sonnets, limericks, and other poems are called “fixed forms” because they have to follow rules, like having a certain number of lines or a specific rhyme scheme. This has two consequences: (1) form influences content, and (2) poets use the limits of a “fixed form” to create meaning and beauty. Hence, the Chinese expression for “fixed forms” is “dancing in chains.” This class will focus entirely on the sonnet. (If you are interested in the limerick, triolet, villanelle, and sestina, see Dancing in Chains - Part 1.)
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
H14705: Help Solve Climate Change! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Gage
From climate science we know the technical changes that are needed for a relatively safe climate future: reduce man-made greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050 and drawdown CO2 in the air to 350 ppm well before 2100. From economics, we know that when pollution is free we get too much of it. Climate pollution is still free in most countries. Economists say that the cheapest and fairest way to address the problem is to put a steadily increasing price on climate pollution when it enters the economy, give the money collected to the third party being harmed (all households equally), and use border adjustments to push our price around the world.
A strong carbon price signal will incentivize efficiency, innovation, transition, and drawdown. It sounds so easy! What's preventing us from fixing this? Is it possible to break the logjam and save ourselves? Can any of us do anything to help solve this, the biggest existential crisis human civilization has ever faced? Yes, we can. Come find out how, and take effective action in a pivotal moment in the history of mankind. Ordinary citizens advocating for change is our last, best hope to avoid climate catastrophe. Let's get started right now!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Watch this 2-minute video: https://youtu.be/9oyguP4nLv0
A strong carbon price signal will incentivize efficiency, innovation, transition, and drawdown. It sounds so easy! What's preventing us from fixing this? Is it possible to break the logjam and save ourselves? Can any of us do anything to help solve this, the biggest existential crisis human civilization has ever faced? Yes, we can. Come find out how, and take effective action in a pivotal moment in the history of mankind. Ordinary citizens advocating for change is our last, best hope to avoid climate catastrophe. Let's get started right now!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Watch this 2-minute video: https://youtu.be/9oyguP4nLv0
H14730: Regime Change and Global Health: Afghan Women’s Access to Healthcare Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bhuvna Murthy,
Reed Robinson
With the growth of Taliban control and civil unrest in Afghanistan, we turn our attention to the intersection of government, feminism, and access to healthcare. In this class, we’ll define global health and women’s health, consider how the Taliban could impact women’s access to healthcare, and ways to ensure global access to medical care for all people. This class includes content that may be disturbing, please consider your sensitivity before enrolling.
MIT Global Health Alliance is an undergraduate organization dedicated to promoting global health and health equity.
Class Style
Lecture
MIT Global Health Alliance is an undergraduate organization dedicated to promoting global health and health equity.
Class Style
Lecture
H14651: Why is English spelling so weird? Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Caroline Bonnett
Learning to spell words in English is hard. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.
Topics include: an overview of writing systems around the world, the roots of English writing, misguided past attempts at English spelling reform. Also included: crunchy linguistics content, like phonology and morphology. And maybe, just maybe, some reasons why English spelling is good, actually.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
Topics include: an overview of writing systems around the world, the roots of English writing, misguided past attempts at English spelling reform. Also included: crunchy linguistics content, like phonology and morphology. And maybe, just maybe, some reasons why English spelling is good, actually.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
H14759: How to Speak Darija: A Glimpse into Moroccan Life Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Nessren Ourdyl
Love to learn languages? Interested in learning a niche-dialect spoken in the Maghreb region in Africa? Come join our class to learn basics in Moroccan Arabic, a non-written slang Arabic dialect. By the end, you'll learn to introduce yourself to any native and share some fun facts while learning a bit about Moroccan culture!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
H14704: The painting hanging in the museum, and you Closed!
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
H14729: Global Health in 2021 Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bhuvna Murthy,
Reed Robinson
Curious about vaccine development? COVID's impact on the world? Join MIT Global Health Alliance for a class focused on an introduction to global health and the pandemic's impact on it! Get ready to have discussions about why it is important to remedy healthcare disparities. Why does it matter now? Besides COVID-19, what are other questions about global health and pressing challenges we need to address?
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
H14749: Dancing in Chains: Fixed Forms in Poetry, Part 1 Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Janice Dusseau,
Lance Ozier
Why are there no sad limericks? What’s the difference between an Italian sonnet and an English sonnet? And why do they typically tell different kinds of stories? We’ll answer these questions and more in this course. Sonnets, limericks, and other poems are called “fixed forms” because they have to follow rules, like having a certain number of lines or a specific rhyme scheme. This has two consequences: (1) form influences content, and (2) poets use the limits of a “fixed form” to create meaning and beauty. Hence, the Chinese expression for “fixed forms” is “dancing in chains.” This class will cover the limerick, triolet, villanelle, and sestina. Part 2 (a separate class) will focus entirely on the sonnet.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
H14809: Public Health: Introduction to Epidemiology Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zoe Gotthold,
Bhuvna Murthy
Interested in public health? Interested in case studies? Join MIT Global Health Alliance for a lesson on epidemiology and public health.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
H14731: Random Facts about Communist Countries Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Anugrah Chemparathy,
Saranesh Prembabu
Did you know that Fidel Castro's favourite cow holds the world record in milk yield on a single day? That Burkina Faso vaccinated 2.5 million children in one week under Marxist rule? That an interview broadcast on Soviet TV revealed, with evidence, that Lenin was actually a mushroom?
Come learn about intriguing things that happened in the communist world that you'd never find in a history book!
This class does not endorse any political ideology, and won't be a comprehensive history lesson but just a bunch of miscellaneous facts. Since we're at MIT, we'll be particularly interested scientific/technical topics among others.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, but a standard knowledge of 20th century history/geography may make it more entertaining
Come learn about intriguing things that happened in the communist world that you'd never find in a history book!
This class does not endorse any political ideology, and won't be a comprehensive history lesson but just a bunch of miscellaneous facts. Since we're at MIT, we'll be particularly interested scientific/technical topics among others.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, but a standard knowledge of 20th century history/geography may make it more entertaining
H14728: James Madison on the Founding of the United States Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bil Lewis
With the assistance of students playing the roles of Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Dolly Madison, etc., he will lead investigations into events from the House of Burgesses, the Constitutional Convention, the “Dinner Party,” etc., that marked the coming of age of the United States.
More than a mere recitation of dates and facts, this will be an exploration the underlying reasons that prompted them to act as they did. Many of the issues they confronted then continue to be relevant today.
• Should we be one Country?
• What debts should be paid?
• Who gets the power of Taxation?
• Should a Private Bank issue money?
• Should we be agrarian? Or a center
of manufacturing?
• How do we limit the influence of Great Corporations on our public life?
• How can we protect the Common Man from the rapaciousness of the Rich and Powerful?
• How do we eliminate Slavery?
• How do we make real the
“Spirit of ’76?” So we can truly say that “All Men are Created Equal.”
Class Style
Activity
More than a mere recitation of dates and facts, this will be an exploration the underlying reasons that prompted them to act as they did. Many of the issues they confronted then continue to be relevant today.
• Should we be one Country?
• What debts should be paid?
• Who gets the power of Taxation?
• Should a Private Bank issue money?
• Should we be agrarian? Or a center
of manufacturing?
• How do we limit the influence of Great Corporations on our public life?
• How can we protect the Common Man from the rapaciousness of the Rich and Powerful?
• How do we eliminate Slavery?
• How do we make real the
“Spirit of ’76?” So we can truly say that “All Men are Created Equal.”
Class Style
Activity
H14668: Philosophy of Science Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Abe Levitan
What is the essential scienceness that makes science scientific? Answering this question is not straightforward. Yet our answers - individually and as a society - impact how we value scientific work and even how scientists view their own research. In this class, we will discuss two famous perspectives - from Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper - on the question, "what makes science science?". Finally, we will consider how our own answers to this question influence our views on what scientists should be doing, what they shouldn't be doing, and what they actually do.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
H14844: Modern and Post-Modern Philosophy Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Luca Musk,
William Yang
This statement is false. Figure out why here. This website elaborates more: https://www.denizcemonduygu.com/philo/browse/.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
H14688: World Between Wars: 1919-39. Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joshua Hoffman
In 1914, Six Empires dominated Europe and much of the world. By 1919, two remained weakened, two broken, and two utterly shattered. In this story-telling, lecture style course, we will learn cover the result of this cataclysm, issues ranging from nationalism, of far-left and far-right movements conquering entire countries, the great depression, and why, in hindsight, the allies ever appeased Hitler.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. This is meant to be understandable (and enjoyable) regardless of prior knowledge.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. This is meant to be understandable (and enjoyable) regardless of prior knowledge.
H14853: The Prisoners Dilemma Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Deepta Gupta,
Athena Wang
Come learn about game theory and the prisoners dilemma, and what it tells us about the concept of trust throughout history! Act out the prisoners dilemma yourself, cheat your friends or cooperate with your foes, and have fun!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
None
Lunch
L14870: 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.
L14869: 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
M14755: Art of Solving Problems Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Learn about the world of math, both for discovery and competition. Learn about new math theory, and tips/tricks to quickly solve problems. Aside from discovering new math concepts, we will also play competitive (but still fun) games, as both individuals and teams.
We will also have time to chill and learn origami.
Class Style
Activity
We will also have time to chill and learn origami.
Class Style
Activity
M14753: Really Really Big Numbers Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Renee Ge,
Darren Yao
What's the biggest number you can think of? In this class, we'll build up from ordinary-sized numbers (like a million or a googolplex) to numbers so large we can't express them in the size of the universe using conventional notation like multiplication and exponents. We'll introduce up-arrow notation and use it to define Graham's number.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Understanding of basic middle-school or early high-school level algebra.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Understanding of basic middle-school or early high-school level algebra.
M14842: Calculator Art Closed!
Difficulty: *
Want to be able to draw cool graphs? Want to be better at procrastinating in math class? Come join us to learn how to use your calculator for art while seeing some of the math behind your pretty pictures!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
M14797: Intro to Trading Closed!
Difficulty: **
Heard people discussing the stock market or cryptocurrencies and want to learn about 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! Participate in a live trading event with your classmates! Hosted by Traders@MIT.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
M14681: Fun with Polyhedra Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Yuan Yao
You might have heard that there are five Platonic solids: tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron. However, there are also many other solids (or polyhedra) with interesting symmetries that are worth studying. In this class, we will give a tour of several other types of polyhedra and understand how they relate to each other. Get ready for a wild ride!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Familiarity with three-dimensional geometry.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Familiarity with three-dimensional geometry.
M14820: (Incorrect) Proofs Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Hanna Yang
Let's prove that all obtuse angles are right, that all people are the same height, all natural numbers can be described in 14 words or less ... and more!
(ps... we will then learn why all obtuse angles are not right, that all people are not the same height, and that not all numbers can be described in 14 words...)
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Some knowledge of induction + some mathematical principles would be helpful -- that being said, if you know why the proofs I listed above are incorrect, you probably won't get too much out of this class.
(ps... we will then learn why all obtuse angles are not right, that all people are not the same height, and that not all numbers can be described in 14 words...)
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Some knowledge of induction + some mathematical principles would be helpful -- that being said, if you know why the proofs I listed above are incorrect, you probably won't get too much out of this class.
M14833: Intro to Competitive Mathematics Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Konstantina Rasvani
From Cauchy's Functional Equation and the Pigeonhole Principle to the Chicken McNugget Theorem, in this seminar you'll learn almost anything you need to prepare for math olympiads. We’ll start by introducing basic proof techniques and then dive into the main four areas of competitive mathematics: Algebra, Number Theory, Geometry and Combinatorics. We'll be talking about theorems, techniques, along with some cool tricks for solving math olympiad problems. The class will include discussion of solutions of problems in the topics covered. All in all, you’ll gain a solid understanding of olympiad mathematics and learn the key to success in math competitions.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Strong knowledge of high math and basic math olympiad knowledge
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Strong knowledge of high math and basic math olympiad knowledge
M14801: Prove It or Lose It Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kate Lu,
Li Xuan Tan
Math is beautiful, and mathematicians like it when everyone can understand it! Writing a good proof is one of the most important things to do in math, so that readers can make sense of it easily. This class aims to introduce some basics and good habits in proof writing by walking through some sample problems and proofs.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
M14830: What you can't do with math Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Nathan Sheffield
Math can do a lot of things, but there's some stuff it can't. How do we know it can't? Math! Join us as we use the math to destroy the math. Planned topics include:
- Compass/straightedge constructions
- Arrow's impossibility theorem
- Gödel's incompleteness theorems
Class Style
Lecture
- Compass/straightedge constructions
- Arrow's impossibility theorem
- Gödel's incompleteness theorems
Class Style
Lecture
M14782: Building Quantum Circuits Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Della Hendrickson,
Jordan Hines
How does a quantum computer work and what does an algorithm for one look like? In this class, we'll talk about the fundamentals of quantum computing with the help of IBM's online circuit composer, which will allow you to build your own quantum circuits and see what they do!
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Comfort with matrix operations
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Comfort with matrix operations
M14795: pRoPoSiTiOnAL LoGiC Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ian Williams,
Cindy Zhang
You are at a crossroads. One path leads to free bubble tea. One path leads to an empty room with a one-way (shatter-proof) window through which you can see people drinking free bubble tea.
Two judgmental talking trickster frogs are at the crossroads. One only tells the truth, and the other only tells lies. You can only ask one frog one question.
Goal: Get free bubble tea with your new frog friends!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
None
Two judgmental talking trickster frogs are at the crossroads. One only tells the truth, and the other only tells lies. You can only ask one frog one question.
Goal: Get free bubble tea with your new frog friends!
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
None
M14785: Elliptic curves Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Dylan Pentland,
Brandon Yue
Elliptic curves are easy to define, but lead to a vast amount of interesting math and important applications. In this class we'll talk about elliptic curves over the complex numbers and over finite fields, and in the second case we'll look into how they connect to cryptography.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Should be comfortable with proofs and familiar with complex numbers. Some knowledge of group theory or fields is helpful but not required.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Should be comfortable with proofs and familiar with complex numbers. Some knowledge of group theory or fields is helpful but not required.
M14804: Decimal Expansion of Fractions Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Chirag Falor,
Yuka Machino
Ever been intrigued by the decimal expansions of fractions? Did you know that the expansion of 1/998001 lists all numbers from 000 to 999, except 998, in order?
Or that the expansion of 1/998999 lists out the Fibonacci series?
Join us on a journey to learn more about these interesting decimal expansions!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Familiarity with fractions. Knowledge of binomial theorem recommended but not required.
Or that the expansion of 1/998999 lists out the Fibonacci series?
Join us on a journey to learn more about these interesting decimal expansions!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Familiarity with fractions. Knowledge of binomial theorem recommended but not required.
M14773: Intro to Linear Algebra, or Solve Equations* Quickly Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrii Zahorodnii
$$
\begin{align}
5x-2y-3z&=-7\\
2x-3y+z&=-16\\
3x+4y-2z&=7
\end{align}
$$
Rolled your eyes? This class is for you!
Among other things, I will teach you how to solve this with ~lightning speed~ using methods of linear algebra.
This class is about:
Vectors. Matrices. How (and why!) to multiply matrices. How (and why!) to solve systems of linear equations efficiently. And other applications of linear algebra that you didn't know you needed!
See you!
* Systems of Linear Equations
Class Style
Lecture
\begin{align}
5x-2y-3z&=-7\\
2x-3y+z&=-16\\
3x+4y-2z&=7
\end{align}
$$
Rolled your eyes? This class is for you!
Among other things, I will teach you how to solve this with ~lightning speed~ using methods of linear algebra.
This class is about:
Vectors. Matrices. How (and why!) to multiply matrices. How (and why!) to solve systems of linear equations efficiently. And other applications of linear algebra that you didn't know you needed!
See you!
* Systems of Linear Equations
Class Style
Lecture
M14807: Game Theory Applied to Cat Psychology Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Una Boyle
If you're here _just_ for the Cat Psychology*, you might leave a bit disappointed. But if you're up for some mathematical thinking, come learn about Game Theory, an area of math you'll find very applicable even to everyday situations! You'll learn about some basic types of games and how they can be framed/tackled mathematically, as well as see examples from the real world. If anything, I hope you at least walk away with an appreciation for the ability to predict your opponent's moves!
*Not intended to be a rigorous subject, just anecdotes about my two extremely lovable (but also hilariously petty) cats, Peanut and Buttercup. Lecture may be supplemented with examples from other areas like behavioral ecology.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic algebra
*Not intended to be a rigorous subject, just anecdotes about my two extremely lovable (but also hilariously petty) cats, Peanut and Buttercup. Lecture may be supplemented with examples from other areas like behavioral ecology.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic algebra
M14812: Math in Logic Puzzles Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Della Hendrickson,
Andy Tockman
You've probably solved pencil-and-paper logic puzzles like Sudoku, Slitherlink, Yajilin, and many others. But did you know there's a lot of math hiding in these?
We'll go over the rules of several puzzle types, and talk about some theorems related to them. These theorems provide tools to solve the puzzles, and let you solve puzzles which otherwise seem impossible.
We'll have a long list of puzzles for you to try, of a range of difficulty, including some to test your understanding of the theorems we discuss.
Class Style
Discussion
We'll go over the rules of several puzzle types, and talk about some theorems related to them. These theorems provide tools to solve the puzzles, and let you solve puzzles which otherwise seem impossible.
We'll have a long list of puzzles for you to try, of a range of difficulty, including some to test your understanding of the theorems we discuss.
Class Style
Discussion
M14734: Intro to Combinatorics Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eugeniya Artemova,
Heidi Durresi
We will teach you how to count! Wait, you say you already know how to count? Well, we'll teach you how to count things you didn't know how to count!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites! However, this is an introductory course, so if you already know some combinatorics, this may be too easy for you!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites! However, this is an introductory course, so if you already know some combinatorics, this may be too easy for you!
M14813: Probability, Statistics, and Understanding the World Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Keith Phuthi,
Evan Tey
Probability is the language we use to understand the world around us. It helps us conclude that gravitational waves exist or that certain drug treatments actually help cure a disease. Come learn the fundamentals fundamentals of probability and statistics from random variables to estimation. In particular, we'll talk about where these come up in the world and why it's important to understand them.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
No explicit prereqs, but the more comfortable you are with high level math the better.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
No explicit prereqs, but the more comfortable you are with high level math the better.
M14661: Straws Have Two Holes Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Leo Alcock,
Joseph Bilski
Mathematically, straws have two holes. We'll talk about the theory of holes, or "holology" and how one can count the holes of surfaces. This is an introduction to low dimensional topology. Don't listen to the one hole guy.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites. The ability to think abstractly and basic algebra is useful.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites. The ability to think abstractly and basic algebra is useful.
M14758: Proofs Using Logic Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Wayne Zhao
Using principles of logic and rules of inference to prove statements in math. Great for students who want to learn the basics of logic and mathematics proofs. Great for students interested in mathematics and/or computer science.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
M14669: The Natural Number Game Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Ritam Nag
Do you like proofs?
Do you like code?
Do you like games?
Do you want to create the natural numbers from scratch?
If your answer to any (or all) of these were yes, then this class is for you!
Join us to play a game where we write code to prove facts about natural numbers from the ground up!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
1) Familiarity with writing code (in any language). 2) Some idea of mathematical proofs.
Do you like code?
Do you like games?
Do you want to create the natural numbers from scratch?
If your answer to any (or all) of these were yes, then this class is for you!
Join us to play a game where we write code to prove facts about natural numbers from the ground up!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
1) Familiarity with writing code (in any language). 2) Some idea of mathematical proofs.
M14818: Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell Closed!
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Sanjay Raman,
Tung Tran
Picture this: You're an aspiring physicist, and you find yourself interested in attending some seminars. You start scrolling through a list of talks offered at the nearest conference, and you see something about quantum field theory. This sounds exciting to you, so you sign up. On the day of the seminar, you show up, and the speaker immediately begins by saying this:
"Of course, it is clear that a quantum field theory is a monoidal functor from a category of cobordisms to a category of Hilbert spaces."
Now, if you're anything like me, it is not at all clear that this is true; in fact, it's not at all clear what any of these words mean!
Fear not. If any of the words in the above sentence pique your interest somehow, this is the class for you! We will be diving in to a diverse array of topics in math and physics to pick apart what this sentence means. Expect to have your mind blown.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Significant interest in theoretical physics and mathematics, some familiarity with quantum mechanics, mathematical maturity
"Of course, it is clear that a quantum field theory is a monoidal functor from a category of cobordisms to a category of Hilbert spaces."
Now, if you're anything like me, it is not at all clear that this is true; in fact, it's not at all clear what any of these words mean!
Fear not. If any of the words in the above sentence pique your interest somehow, this is the class for you! We will be diving in to a diverse array of topics in math and physics to pick apart what this sentence means. Expect to have your mind blown.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Significant interest in theoretical physics and mathematics, some familiarity with quantum mechanics, mathematical maturity
M14805: Building numbers from scratch Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Della Hendrickson,
Jordan Hines
Imagine you meet aliens with a different system of math, which doesn't use numbers or arithmetic in the ways we're used to. How could you explain numbers or arithmetic to them? How would you convince them of basic properties like x+y=y+x?
In this class, we'll see one way to do this. Starting without any concept of numbers, we'll see how to successively build natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, and real numbers. For each type of number, we'll define addition and multiplication, and see how to prove some of the familiar properties they have.
Class Style
Lecture
In this class, we'll see one way to do this. Starting without any concept of numbers, we'll see how to successively build natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, and real numbers. For each type of number, we'll define addition and multiplication, and see how to prove some of the familiar properties they have.
Class Style
Lecture
M14760: -18.000 MATH WITHOUT NUMBERS Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Wenqi Ding,
Sunshine Jiang
It is an illustrated tour of the structures and patterns we call “math”. The only numbers in this course are the course numbers.
Math Without Numbers is a vivid and conversational guide to the main branches of abstract math—topology and category theory. This course upends the conventional approach to math, inviting you to think creatively about shape and dimension, the infinite and infinitesimal, symmetries, proofs, and how these concepts all fit together. What awaits you is a freewheeling tour of the inimitable joys and unsolved mysteries of this curiously powerful subject. (This course is inspired by the book MATH WITHOUT NUMBERS by Milo Beckman)
Class Style
Seminar
Math Without Numbers is a vivid and conversational guide to the main branches of abstract math—topology and category theory. This course upends the conventional approach to math, inviting you to think creatively about shape and dimension, the infinite and infinitesimal, symmetries, proofs, and how these concepts all fit together. What awaits you is a freewheeling tour of the inimitable joys and unsolved mysteries of this curiously powerful subject. (This course is inspired by the book MATH WITHOUT NUMBERS by Milo Beckman)
Class Style
Seminar
Pop (and not-so-pop) Culture
P14645: How to be a weeb 101 Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Kanchawit Pholnikorn
In this class, we will talk about a creation that will save the world, ANIME! And of course Japanese culture.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
P14652: Media Binds or Blinds? Eradicating Algorithmic Bias through Media Education Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
MELDA YILDIZ
This workshop investigates the role of Algorithmic Bias/ Injustice integrating new technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) while developing global competencies, geospatial intelligence, and computational thinking skills. It offers creative strategies and possibilities for eradicating myths and misconceptions in education. We will engage in a wide range of media literacy activities exploring geospatial and computational thinking skills. We will investigate alternative points of view on news, global issues, algorithmic bias, and social justice through media literacy education.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
N/A
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
N/A
P14806: Arctic Monkeys 101 Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Julia Chatterjee,
Nancy Vargas
This class will go over the formation and adaptation of the English rock band: Arctic Monkeys. We will look at how its sounds and lyricism has changed over time while getting to know the key members of the band and its cultural influence. Get ready to listen to some of the Monkeys' great (and less great) hits. All levels of fans are welcome!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
P14851: Genshin Impact 101 Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Qiyang Zhou
Learn(?) about the trending gacha game Genshin Impact!
My friend Anan said it is Chinese Fortnite (It is not).
All Adventure Rank players welcome.
Class Style
Activity
My friend Anan said it is Chinese Fortnite (It is not).
All Adventure Rank players welcome.
Class Style
Activity
P14763: So Bad It's Good: The Art of Fanfiction Closed!
Difficulty: *
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.
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
P14849: Sequels of the Atom: A Detailed X-ploration of the X-Men Movies Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Diana Bishop,
Annie Dong
Do you like superheroes? Are your favorite superheroes a clumsy metaphor for oppressed groups? Have you ever wondered how the X-Men movies are so bad and yet so good? This class is for you! Together, we'll be roasting everyone's favorite mutant movies, discussing what worked, what didn't, and how the comics were somehow even more convoluted than their adaptations. Bring your biggest questions and your strongest opinions and you'll leave with a jumping-off point for starting the comics and an undying love for Sir Ian McKellen's Magneto.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
should have some x-posure to the movies; no comics knowledge required
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
should have some x-posure to the movies; no comics knowledge required
[Deprecated] Science
S14648: How to Make an Airplane Fly Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Amira Malik
What are those fast loud blinky lights overhead?? Why are they fast? Do they have to be loud? How are they up so high? Come find out how airplanes fly, how to build one, and compete to win a drone!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge and comfort with Algebra II and / or geometry is useful.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge and comfort with Algebra II and / or geometry is useful.
S14799: Population Ecology
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Chirag Falor,
Mudita Goyal
Was covid-19 completely unexpected? Was it just a once in a lifetime experience? Can we predict such events?
In this class, we will explore the mechanisms used by nature to control population and maintain equilibrium and answer the above questions.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
none
In this class, we will explore the mechanisms used by nature to control population and maintain equilibrium and answer the above questions.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
none
S14676: Microbiome 101: What's in your poop? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Come learn about the microbiome and where you can find it! We will discuss current methods to study the microbiome, correlations with diseases and the environment, and how you (and your poop!) can help somebody through microbiome science. Who doesn't love talking about poop?!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14653: Introduction to Bioethics Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Talya Kramer
Bioethics is a discussion about the "right" and "wrong" of different issues in science. This class will first explain the guiding principles of bioethics before diving into an interactive discussion of ongoing debates in the field. From vaccine mandates to designer babies, we will cover new and exciting topics that could be relevant to your life.
Please note, if you took this class last fall, the content this year will be very similar.
Class Style
Discussion
Please note, if you took this class last fall, the content this year will be very similar.
Class Style
Discussion
S14783: How do scientists create medicines? An Introduction to Computational Drug Development Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Rachit Mukkamala
Have you ever wondered how scientists come up with all of the incredible medications and treatments that we have nowadays - from remdesivir for COVID-19 to blood pressure and cancer drugs? In the past, a lot of this work was based purely on trial-and-error, but nowadays computers and software can dramatically speed up the drug discovery process. In this class, we will be using the free, user-friendly MCULE online drug discovery server (https://mcule.com) to learn about the basics of computational drug screening. Towards the end of class, we will work together to come up with a new lead compound for a disease that you are interested in!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
High school level introductory biology and chemistry are highly recommended. No coding experience or software installations are needed, all activities will be done online.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
High school level introductory biology and chemistry are highly recommended. No coding experience or software installations are needed, all activities will be done online.
S14715: Human Identification through DNA Typing Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Matthew Benet,
Jessica Pan
Natural genetic variations – found in the nuclear DNA, the variable nature of the STRs and SNPs, used in human identification and genetic genealogy
Methods used in the human identification – specifically PCR and capillary electrophoresis
STR analysis – evaluate genotypes, a set of genetic markers for accuracy from the technical artifacts
Applications – identify individuals based on their STRs and to find out the biological father of the child
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
none
Methods used in the human identification – specifically PCR and capillary electrophoresis
STR analysis – evaluate genotypes, a set of genetic markers for accuracy from the technical artifacts
Applications – identify individuals based on their STRs and to find out the biological father of the child
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
none
S14685: Understanding 4.568 Billion Years in Under 2 Hours Closed!
Difficulty: **
From the tallest mountains to the deepest ocean trenches, Earth's solid exterior is made up of a huge variety of rocks. New rocks are being formed by active volcanoes spewing lava or plutons cooling magma every day. But, most of the rocks we see on Earth are old: billions of years old! And, in Earth's collection of many, many rocks, no two are the same: they each reveal a different aspect of Earth's 4.568 billion years of history! In this class, we'll explore the broader aspects of Earth, both internally and externally. Our goal is to shed light on Earth's incredible features and processes. By the time you leave, we're sure you'll see the world (and maybe even other planets) in a much gneiss-er way! We promise: our schist is pretty cool!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14701: Next-Generation Drug Design Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Anan Sadagopan,
Ron Shprints
Ever wonder how pharma companies make their drugs? It’s a lot different now than it was a few decades ago.
Modern technology and some innovative thinking are making traditional enzyme inhibitors not the only thing on the market. So come join us, and learn about molecular glues, multifunctional antibodies, and more. Discover what’s happening at the new frontier of proximity-based therapeutics. And also learn about how current strategies such as DNA-encoded libraries, molecular docking, and machine learning are being used to accelerate the development of therapeutics.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Introductory biology and chemistry are recommended, but not required.
Modern technology and some innovative thinking are making traditional enzyme inhibitors not the only thing on the market. So come join us, and learn about molecular glues, multifunctional antibodies, and more. Discover what’s happening at the new frontier of proximity-based therapeutics. And also learn about how current strategies such as DNA-encoded libraries, molecular docking, and machine learning are being used to accelerate the development of therapeutics.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Introductory biology and chemistry are recommended, but not required.
S14687: How to build microhouses and how to characterize them? Closed!
This is an introductory course in 3D printing microarchitectures and the corresponding laser techniques used to study them. The state-of-art techniques will be explained in simple sketches and cartoons. No math.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14772: Deconstructing Data Visualization Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bethaney Gulla-Devaney
Want to find out why NASA accidentally crashed a space probe into Mars because of a simple error? Have you ever been puzzled by a confusing graph and asked yourself, “Why is this x-axis not labeled?” That’s because not all data visualizations are created equal. Data visualizations are visual depictions of information in the form of charts, graphs, maps, etc. They are designed to take complex data and create a story out of it. A good visualization is quickly and easily interpreted by a broad audience.
Living in a data driven world, the presentation of data is incredibly important. Data visualizations help people decide everyday things like “Which restaurant should I order from?” to important health choices like “Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?”
In this class, we combine statistics, art, psychology, and creativity. Let’s uncover:
-How to spot a misleading data visualization
-How to use color theory effectively
-How to make interpreting dense information more accessible to the general public
-What software/programming languages can be used for generating visualizations
We’ll even critique real world examples. It’s up to us (scientists, engineers, mathematicians, educators, policy makers, graphic designers, etc.) to learn how to tell data’s story well.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
Living in a data driven world, the presentation of data is incredibly important. Data visualizations help people decide everyday things like “Which restaurant should I order from?” to important health choices like “Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?”
In this class, we combine statistics, art, psychology, and creativity. Let’s uncover:
-How to spot a misleading data visualization
-How to use color theory effectively
-How to make interpreting dense information more accessible to the general public
-What software/programming languages can be used for generating visualizations
We’ll even critique real world examples. It’s up to us (scientists, engineers, mathematicians, educators, policy makers, graphic designers, etc.) to learn how to tell data’s story well.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
S14846: Sensing temperature and pressure Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ana Florescu,
Mudita Goyal
Every wondered how we sense our external surroundings? Well, somebody did wonder! This year’s medicine prize is awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian. Their discoveries have unlocked one of the secrets of nature by explaining the molecular basis for sensing heat, cold and mechanical force, which is fundamental for our ability to feel, interpret and interact with our internal and external environment.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14742: Histology Show & Tell : microanatomy and patterns of injury Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
An informal introduction to histology
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14658: Environmental Water Science Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
H. Alex Chen
This module provides a comprehensive overview of drinking water treatment, quality, and sustainability. The module begins by an introduction to the concept of watershed and provides an overview of water treatment process from raw to distribution. The module introduces water quality measurement and monitoring through the regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Topics such as lead and copper, hardness, bacteria, PFAS, and alkalinity will be covered. In the end, students will gain an understanding of some of the changes and challenges facing water quality and quantity, including contamination, availability, and distribution.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. Basic chemistry can be helpful but not required.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None. Basic chemistry can be helpful but not required.
S14824: Mercury to Voyager: A Solar Tour Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bianca Hanly,
Calliope Martin
Starting from the hot depths of the Sun, we will tour the Solar system out to its coldest reaches touching on topics like: the rocky inner and gaseous outer planets, the origins of asteroids and comets, and the very limits of us and our Sun.
The first hour will focus on the details of the modern solar system from the planets to far out objects like the Kuiper Belt, and the remainder will dive deeper into theories of the origin of the solar system, with examples drawn from other star systems currently used as models for this process. Animations and pictures will feature a prominent role, due to the sheer beauty of the subject, and to minimize the math involved.
Class Style
Lecture
The first hour will focus on the details of the modern solar system from the planets to far out objects like the Kuiper Belt, and the remainder will dive deeper into theories of the origin of the solar system, with examples drawn from other star systems currently used as models for this process. Animations and pictures will feature a prominent role, due to the sheer beauty of the subject, and to minimize the math involved.
Class Style
Lecture
S14650: Introduction to Organic Chemistry Closed!
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Vivian Hir
Have you ever wondered how life works on the atomic scale? Then this class is for you! In this short class, students will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of organic chemistry that range from arrow pushing mechanisms to stereochemistry. The fast-paced class will expose students to various reactions of different functional groups and connect them to real life applications in health, medicine, and industry.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Students should have taken AP/IB chemistry or be currently enrolled in AP/IB chemistry.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Students should have taken AP/IB chemistry or be currently enrolled in AP/IB chemistry.
S14672: Anomaly in Physics: Cosmological Axis of Evil Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Luis Gabriel Bariuan
Our Universe is a pretty strange place! There are a lot of hidden mysteries that have been observed but unexplained. In this class, we will explore one of the unsolved anomalies in cosmological physics, the axis of evil. We will begin by looking at the timeline of our Universe and some of the models that have been developed to describe observed phenomena. Alongside the scientific background, we will also discuss the rich history rooted in the discoveries.
In the second part, we will begin with a discussion on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and what it tells us about our Universe. Finally, this will lead us to the axis of evil, where we will look at the context of the anomaly and some of the proposed explanations.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
AP Physics 1 and 2 or AP Physics C: Mechanics and EM. Equivalently, any course that covers mechanics and electromagnetism is highly recommended.
In the second part, we will begin with a discussion on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and what it tells us about our Universe. Finally, this will lead us to the axis of evil, where we will look at the context of the anomaly and some of the proposed explanations.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
AP Physics 1 and 2 or AP Physics C: Mechanics and EM. Equivalently, any course that covers mechanics and electromagnetism is highly recommended.
S14699: Intro to Game Theory and Evolutionary Biology Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Karen Lei,
Rachit Mukkamala
Have you ever wondered why animals (and humans) fight each other instead of working together? As it turns out, game theory can help us understand lots of animal behaviors and their evolutionary basis. We’ll give you a crash course in game theory concepts (Prisoner’s Dilemma, Hawk-Dove Model, etc.) and connect them to powerful examples throughout nature. May the fittest survive!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14871: Hunger or Satiety, what determines it? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Xin Gu
Why do you feel hungry when you haven't eaten anything but feel satiated right after a meal?
Why do you sometimes crave a particular type of food?
When one is sick, why does the appetite suffer too?
What determines the size of a meal and why does everyone eat different amount?
If food only represents calories, does that mean eating anything, healthy or unhealthy, contributes the same to your body?
Are you curious about these questions? If yes, don't hesitate to join me in this class! I would love to show and discuss with you what determines your appetite.
Class Style
Seminar
Why do you sometimes crave a particular type of food?
When one is sick, why does the appetite suffer too?
What determines the size of a meal and why does everyone eat different amount?
If food only represents calories, does that mean eating anything, healthy or unhealthy, contributes the same to your body?
Are you curious about these questions? If yes, don't hesitate to join me in this class! I would love to show and discuss with you what determines your appetite.
Class Style
Seminar
S14744: The blood smear: answers by looking at blood Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
An introduction to hematology through the peripheral blood smear. Spreading blood on glass slide to peek at under the microscope isn't as straight forward as it would appear. Once you understand all of the annoying problems of obtaining and storing blood outside of the body, you will start to understand how a little bit of blood can tell you an amazing amount of information
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic biology and chemistry knowledge
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic biology and chemistry knowledge
S14745: Quaternary ammonium compounds or Positive charges are hard to find in biology Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
Quaternary ammonium compounds are wonderfully stable, non-toxic and find much utility as disinfectants through one peculiar property, a stable positive charge on a nitrogen atom. We'll be exploring the utility of "quats" and find out why that positive charge explains its antimicrobial activity as well as its relative lack of toxicity. We will learn how everything 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
Prerequisites
basic biology and chemistry knowledge
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic biology and chemistry knowledge
S14746: Preventing putrifaction (and autolysis) Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
How to preserve (formerly) living tissues or their components in a state stable enough to study?
We'll examine the various physical and chemical means of preserving tissues for light and electron microscopy. By exploring the trade offs involved in each approach we'll learn about the early changes cells undergo after death and how these changes manifest themselves in our macroscopic world of groceries, people, and other parts of nature.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic biology and chemistry knowledge
We'll examine the various physical and chemical means of preserving tissues for light and electron microscopy. By exploring the trade offs involved in each approach we'll learn about the early changes cells undergo after death and how these changes manifest themselves in our macroscopic world of groceries, people, and other parts of nature.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
basic biology and chemistry knowledge
S14789: Building molecules Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Ygor Moura
The objective of the class is to show the importance of chemical reactions that form C-C bonds to build complex molecules. Many Nobels prizes were awarded to people who invented reactions that do that. In the course we will begin reviewing energy levels and orbitals to understand the carbon reactivity, how to form these bonds through polar reagents, periciclic reactions, and radicals.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
General chemistry is required, previous contact with organic chemistry is highly encouraged
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
General chemistry is required, previous contact with organic chemistry is highly encouraged
S14840: Making Custom Molecules through Evolution Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Hennes,
David Li
Learn how directed evolution has allowed scientists to reprogram proteins and create new to nature molecular machines.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14670: Molecular Biology: A revolution in the way we understand life Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Dhyey Gandhi,
Mudita Goyal
A few decades back, one scientific revolution changed the way we look at biology, turning it from a set of seemingly disconnected facts to a discipline governed by a few central principles underpinning all of life. This was the molecular biology revolution, which transformed modern biology and modern medicine forever. Join me as we take a whirlwind tour through this exciting journey, where I will discuss the historical as well as scientific aspects of the Molecular Biology revolution.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
An interest in biology or life sciences, and a very basic understanding of building blocks of biology, such as DNA, proteins, and genes.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
An interest in biology or life sciences, and a very basic understanding of building blocks of biology, such as DNA, proteins, and genes.
S14865: Exoplanets 101 Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Panupong Phoompuang
There are zillion stars in our universe. Are we really sitting here lonely on the Earth? Let's find out what are the techniques astronomers use to detect livable planets outside of the solar system.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic Algebra
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic Algebra
S14810: Space Medicine: How to Become an Astronaut Doctor Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ekaterina Kostioukhina
Astronauts have to be in perfect health, but who takes care of them? It is a team effort! One of the specialties in medicine is Space Medicine. This course explores the journey and current training opportunities of becoming an astronaut doctor.
With the accelerated advances in space tourism, we need more specialists in caring for "out-of-this-world" patients.
Class Style
Lecture
With the accelerated advances in space tourism, we need more specialists in caring for "out-of-this-world" patients.
Class Style
Lecture
S14702: The History of the Universe through the Human Lens Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
April Cheng,
Albert Qin
What are the things we see in the sky—the sun, the stars, and the weird stars that “wander” about? Where are we in the universe? How big is the universe? What IS the universe? Human beings have been answering these questions for thousands of years with increasing precision, and now we (think that we) have a pretty good picture of what our universe looks like. In this class, we’ll learn about what we know, and moreover, how we know what we know. From ancient Greek astronomy to modern cosmology, we’ll put ourselves in the shoes of Eratosthenes, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Hubble, and other great thinkers and discuss what they did—and didn’t—see in the universe.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, but some background in physics would be helpful
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, but some background in physics would be helpful
S14748: Chemistry behind clean energy Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jiayue Wang,
Yirui Zhang
Curious about how to create oxygen on Mars? Interested in converting CO2 and water into useful fuels? Want to know how advanced battery technology works in your cell phone? Come to learn about these chemistries behind clean energy at the atomic and molecular scale!
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
S14743: Histology Show & Tell: special stains and antibodies Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Thompson
Exploring tissue microanatomy and disease further with specialized stains for collagen, carbohydrate, amyloid, myelin, etc, and a little bit about immunohistochemistry,
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic biology and chemistry knowledge
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Basic biology and chemistry knowledge
S14860: How does the nervous system work? What we learned from poisons and psychoactive drugs Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kate Lu,
Wayne Zhao
What processes in nervous system are targeted by sarin, curare, strychnine, botulinum toxin and other poisons? Why can some allergy medicines make us sleepy? How does caffeine work or why can the principle "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" can applied to molecular biology? What does drug addiction reveal about our brain reward system? How can shellfish poisoning cause irreversible loss of memory formation ability? What can hallucinations tell us about our visual cortex structure and connections in our brain?
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14829: From Nano to Light-years: Using Hydrogen to Study Galaxies Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ygor Moura,
David Turturean
Does the vastness of the Universe intrigue you? Find out how to measure it - using light - in this class!
We will be learning how to use hydrogen-specific emission wavelengths alongside concepts of relativity and cosmology in order to measure intergalactic distances.
We know these big words sound scary, but we guarantee that by the end of the class you'll have a better understanding of them! uwu
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Physics I Chemistry I
We will be learning how to use hydrogen-specific emission wavelengths alongside concepts of relativity and cosmology in order to measure intergalactic distances.
We know these big words sound scary, but we guarantee that by the end of the class you'll have a better understanding of them! uwu
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Physics I Chemistry I
S14826: The World of Proteins and Enzymes Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Vivian Hir
Have you ever thought about how your body works on the molecular scale? Then this class will be a good fit for you! In two hours, the course will provide a brief introduction to protein structure, enzyme kinetics, and applications like the PDB/Jmol to understand protein models.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
AP Chemistry and/or AP Biology is highly recommended. IB equivalent is accepted.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
AP Chemistry and/or AP Biology is highly recommended. IB equivalent is accepted.
S14815: Science and Economics of Climate Change Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lily Zhang
Climate change is always in the news, but what is the science behind how carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other human activities impact our climate? What are the economic drivers behind pollution and how successful has environmental policy been in addressing climate issues?
This class will give you a unique understanding of the climate change issue from a scientific and economic perspective. We’ll explore the acid rain problem and discuss what the success of the Acid Rain Program in the late 1900s century says about how different policy instruments can address environmental issues.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some Chemistry helpful, but not necessary.
This class will give you a unique understanding of the climate change issue from a scientific and economic perspective. We’ll explore the acid rain problem and discuss what the success of the Acid Rain Program in the late 1900s century says about how different policy instruments can address environmental issues.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some Chemistry helpful, but not necessary.
S14854: Astronomy and Astrophotography for Broke People Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Cruz Soto
Ever seen crazy pictures of galaxies and nebulae? What about videos of the complicated setups and thousand dollar cameras and telescopes people use to capture these objects? Did you know you can take these pictures without owning either? Well with some handy tricks and some good old MIT craftsmanship we can teach you how! Whether you’re an Astro Olympiad champ or just like pretty pictures, there’s something in the stars for everyone!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14808: The Nuclear Fusion Future - A Discussion Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Amelia Cavallaro
Infinite clean energy? Nuclear hellfire? 30 years away forever? Come ask an MIT fusion scientist questions about the state of the field, as well as the future it will enable. If you don't have questions, come sit in on a nerd's ramblings about what she thinks about while working! It'll be fun :)
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
None, electricity and magnetism would make things slightly less confusing
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
None, electricity and magnetism would make things slightly less confusing
S14724: Let's Talk about the Weather! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Keith Phuthi,
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
Seminar
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
Seminar
S14814: Treeeeeeeees!! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Richard Chen
Come to this class to learn more about the fascinating world of trees! You might think that trees are just sitting there doing nothing, but in fact, there is plenty that you can observe about trees, even in the winter when all of their leaves drop.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14793: Interesting Results from Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Keith Phuthi,
Evan Tey
What is Einstein's theory of General Relativity? Unfortunately that's too difficult a question to answer in one year let alone a class! But we can discuss what the theory has told us about Black Holes, gravitational waves and why the lead acid batteries in cars work!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, this is not a math class but some basic physics will help.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None, this is not a math class but some basic physics will help.
S14691: Dirty Business: Root-Ball Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eldar Urkumbayev
Welcome to Rhizosphere*! The place where the saga of sophisticated supply chains unfolds amidst warfare and natural disasters.
*Root-Ball in Ancient Greek
A short dive into the world of plant roots and living soil around them: a tale of arms race and peaceful coexistence millimeters away from each other.
Join this class to explore the wonders right under your shoes!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge of what cells, pH, ions are, and of differences between eukaryotes and prokaryotes; understanding of how charges work;
*Root-Ball in Ancient Greek
A short dive into the world of plant roots and living soil around them: a tale of arms race and peaceful coexistence millimeters away from each other.
Join this class to explore the wonders right under your shoes!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Knowledge of what cells, pH, ions are, and of differences between eukaryotes and prokaryotes; understanding of how charges work;
S14838: The Mystery of the Hippocampus Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Emma Qin,
Christina Wang
Hippocampus is a curious structure in the brain that has fascinated neuroscientists for ages. It is intimately involved in memory and spatial navigation, relating to the fundamental concepts of time and space. Learn about the cool properties of this awesome part of the brain (and the mind!) and the various mysteries that still puzzle scientists today!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14757: Hack Your Brain to Productivity: Exploiting Psychological Principles to Getting Things Done Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zoe Lee
We all *know* we shouldn't procrastinate, but why do we? In this class, we'll explore some psychological principles that may explain why we are led astray from productivity as well as how simple strategies can help us overcome our tendencies and get more done.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14703: How Do You Tell Apart Left and Right? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
CJ Quines
Let's say you're teaching an alien, over the phone, which directions are which. The first few are easy. The direction things fall in is "down", and the opposite direction is "up". The direction an object moves in is "forward", and the opposite direction is "backward". But what about "left" and "right"?
You could say "think of a clock", but they might not have seen a clock. You could say "the sun rises on the right", well, they might not have a sun. You could try "look at the Milky Way and see which direction it spins in", but they might not be looking at the Milky Way the same way.
Okay, well. We defined the other directions with physics, so why not left and right? What about "run a current through a wire forward, and see which part of the magnetic field goes down"? They'll ask you, "how do you tell the direction of the current?", you say "look at the positive charge carriers", they'll ask "which one is positive?" and you're back to square one.
It turns out that there *is* a way to do this, and again, physics gives us the answer. Come learn about a Nobel Prize winning experiment and why physics isn't entirely symmetric.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
some amount of physics (if the description made sense, you'll be fine)
You could say "think of a clock", but they might not have seen a clock. You could say "the sun rises on the right", well, they might not have a sun. You could try "look at the Milky Way and see which direction it spins in", but they might not be looking at the Milky Way the same way.
Okay, well. We defined the other directions with physics, so why not left and right? What about "run a current through a wire forward, and see which part of the magnetic field goes down"? They'll ask you, "how do you tell the direction of the current?", you say "look at the positive charge carriers", they'll ask "which one is positive?" and you're back to square one.
It turns out that there *is* a way to do this, and again, physics gives us the answer. Come learn about a Nobel Prize winning experiment and why physics isn't entirely symmetric.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
some amount of physics (if the description made sense, you'll be fine)
S14823: What in the World is Plasma? Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Raphael Dijoud,
Benjamin Martell
Lightning, a plasma ball, the northern lights, the Sun. What do these things all have in common?
They are all P L A S M A!!!!!
But what is Plasma? How does it work? How can we use plasma to our advantage?
In this interactive class we'll be answering these questions and more about the science and engineering of plasma!
Class Style
Lecture
They are all P L A S M A!!!!!
But what is Plasma? How does it work? How can we use plasma to our advantage?
In this interactive class we'll be answering these questions and more about the science and engineering of plasma!
Class Style
Lecture
S14707: Brain as a computing device Closed!
Difficulty: *
This course presents Neuroscience in a light where the Brain is perceived as a computing device. We will start with basics of neurons as computing devices, show some very cool visual and auditory illusion demos, and talk about how we learn and remember things in day to day life!
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
S14719: Ice Cream and Other Cold Things: Fun with Liquid Nitrogen Closed!
Difficulty: **
Come watch us use liquid nitrogen to shatter fruits and rubber balls, freeze bubbles, and levitate chalk!
We’ll be making liquid nitrogen ice cream (and you can follow along at home by substituting the liquid nitrogen with salt, ice, and elbow grease). Along the way, we’ll also explain the science of liquid nitrogen and show you a bunch of cool (get it?) demos!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Ability to perform slight manual labor. Lactose tolerance preferred (optional, one of the instructors isn't)! :)
We’ll be making liquid nitrogen ice cream (and you can follow along at home by substituting the liquid nitrogen with salt, ice, and elbow grease). Along the way, we’ll also explain the science of liquid nitrogen and show you a bunch of cool (get it?) demos!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Ability to perform slight manual labor. Lactose tolerance preferred (optional, one of the instructors isn't)! :)
S14784: Physics of laser Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Thalangunam Subramaniam
LASER light has three main properties that distinguishes it from normal, everyday light we meet: it is monochromatic, collimated, and coherent. Here we will learn about the property of collimation, first. Here, the light rays are parallel to one another. They do not spread out as they leave the light source. It is called as collimated rays.
Now we will learn about monochromatic light. What is colour? Color is a property defined by the wavelength of light. Different colours of light have different wavelengths. When you look at a red object, it looks red because the object is reflecting red light. When light consists of only one wavelength of light, we say it is monochromatic (from ancient Greek, mono meaning “alone” or “single”, and chromatic meaning colour.
Then we come to the definition of coherence. A beam of light consists of several rays of light. Each ray of light can be represented as a wave, like a wave in the ocean, also called a transverse wave. When all the waves of light in a beam are in step, or in phase, we say the light is coherent. If two rays of light are in step or in phase, it means their crests (and troughs) synchronize up. If not, they are termed as incoherent light waves.
Class Style
Lecture
Now we will learn about monochromatic light. What is colour? Color is a property defined by the wavelength of light. Different colours of light have different wavelengths. When you look at a red object, it looks red because the object is reflecting red light. When light consists of only one wavelength of light, we say it is monochromatic (from ancient Greek, mono meaning “alone” or “single”, and chromatic meaning colour.
Then we come to the definition of coherence. A beam of light consists of several rays of light. Each ray of light can be represented as a wave, like a wave in the ocean, also called a transverse wave. When all the waves of light in a beam are in step, or in phase, we say the light is coherent. If two rays of light are in step or in phase, it means their crests (and troughs) synchronize up. If not, they are termed as incoherent light waves.
Class Style
Lecture
S14780: All Things CRISPR! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Hennes,
David Li
Have you ever wondered exactly what CRISPR is? We'll explain it to you! This class will cover a lot: from the discovery and basic biology of CRISPR to the latest in gene editing research. We'll try to make it understandable, but also at a fairly deep level. There are a lot of subtopics we could cover, so we will send out a survey for what people want to hear about. This will primarily be a lecture-based class, but we'll leave ample time for discussion or questions.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
AP Biology or an equivalent level of understanding of biology. You should have some idea what a restriction enzyme is.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
AP Biology or an equivalent level of understanding of biology. You should have some idea what a restriction enzyme is.
S14786: 3, 2, 1, Beyblade Physics! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Do you like physics? Do you like spinning tops with cool special moves? Do you like overanalyzing children's TV shows to make sense of them in real-life contexts? Then come to this class to learn about how beyblade launchers work, factors that go into beyblade design, and whether some special moves in the show can happen in real life!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Taking AP Physics 1 might be helpful but isn't necessary
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Taking AP Physics 1 might be helpful but isn't necessary
S14665: From GPS to Black Holes: Einstein's Theory of Relativity Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lisa Drummond
You may have heard that Einstein's theory of relativity is one of the most important and profound theories of modern physics. But what exactly *is* relativity, and why is it so important? How do you use relativity every day? Why is there a "special" and "general" theory of relativity, and what is the difference? And what does relativity have to do with "gravitational waves"? If you have ever wanted to find out the answer to any these questions, this is the class for you!
Come along to learn about some of the uses for relativity in every day life as well as its many, many applications in astrophysics. Without relativity we could not even begin to understand fascinating objects like black holes and the beginnings of our Universe. This incredible theory has completely changed our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality and this class will give you a taste for why that is!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some physics/math background will be useful but not required
Come along to learn about some of the uses for relativity in every day life as well as its many, many applications in astrophysics. Without relativity we could not even begin to understand fascinating objects like black holes and the beginnings of our Universe. This incredible theory has completely changed our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality and this class will give you a taste for why that is!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Some physics/math background will be useful but not required
S14845: Competitive Tetris: How to Play and How to Cope Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Fareed Sheriff,
Daniel Vuong
For people with middling to no Tetris experience: attend to learn how Tetris works, how to play, and how to cope with other people being better than you (this part is applicable to everything in life).
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14700: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Una Schneck
ALIENS! Where should we look for alien life? What could it look like if we found it? In this class, we'll explore our attempt to answer one of the oldest questions in astronomy: are we alone in the universe?
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14686: Cool Stuff: The Hot Science of Thermal Materials Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Simo Pajovic
The process of heat transfer is extremely important and prevalent on almost every length scale. From electronics, to cooking, to climate change, the ways matter interacts with the three modes of heat transfer—conduction, convection, and radiation—shapes the world around us and the technology we use to solve our problems. This course will introduce students to various thermal properties of materials and their microscopic origins in electrons, phonons, photons, and more. Students will also learn about the cutting edge of thermal materials and how they are being used to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, such as water scarcity and climate change. Hopefully, this course will inspire students to pursue careers in the thermal sciences and engineering.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
We will start from scratch, but a basic understanding of atoms, their structure, and how they bond (ionic, covalent, metallic, and intermolecular bonding) would be helpful. Only a knowledge of basic algebra is required, but students with a more advanced knowledge of functions and calculus will enjoy some of the sidebars.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
We will start from scratch, but a basic understanding of atoms, their structure, and how they bond (ionic, covalent, metallic, and intermolecular bonding) would be helpful. Only a knowledge of basic algebra is required, but students with a more advanced knowledge of functions and calculus will enjoy some of the sidebars.
S14664: Mission: Climate Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
David Mazumder
What can we do about the climate crisis? What will it take to actually restrict global warming to reversible, sub-catastrophic levels? Come join us on an exploration of where that 1.5C marker comes from and then actions from restoring forests and wetlands to subsidizing renewable energy using a cutting-edge global climate-economic simulator!
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Concern for our planet and the future of humanity
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
Concern for our planet and the future of humanity
S14847: A Biologist's Casebook: World's Strangest Life Forms Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Shorna Alam
Have you ever wondered about how brain-eating amoebas are related to humans? Want to know about zombie cows? Do you really know what being a fungus even means? This class is a comprehensive review of the tree of life and evolutionary biology, with a focus on outlandish, remarkable, and downright monstrous organisms. You'll also get a speed review of the most unusual anatomy and genetics in existence. Join us to learn about real living things that are as cool as fantasy creatures!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14811: Molecular Biology and Genetics (with Succulent Interlude) Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ziwei (Grace) Jiang,
Kate Lu
Learn about how living things work on the micro scale! (and look at some cute succulents)
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
S14872: The Map of Physics
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Ekaterina Arutyunova
Do you think physics is boring and not interesting? Let this class prove you wrong. We will talk about different fields of physics like Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism and Photonics, Condensed Matter Physics, Nuclear Physics, Relativity, Atomic Physics, Optics and Acoustic, and others. No hard formulas at all! By the end of our class, we will learn how to navigate The Map of Physics (https://www.flickr.com/photos/95869671@N08/30976775430/in/dateposted-public/).
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
High School Physics (preferable AP or Honor Physics)
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
High School Physics (preferable AP or Honor Physics)
[Deprecated] Walk-in Activity
W14725: Sporcle! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sarah Weidman
Come hang out and do some online quizzes via sporcle.com. Some favorites include:
- Name every Harry Potter character, in order of frequency of appearance
- Name every country and capital
- Fill in the lyrics to popular Disney songs
and many more! Sporcle quizzes will be chosen by request.
Class Style
Activity
- Name every Harry Potter character, in order of frequency of appearance
- Name every country and capital
- Fill in the lyrics to popular Disney songs
and many more! Sporcle quizzes will be chosen by request.
Class Style
Activity
W14875: Food War Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kanchawit Pholnikorn
Watch me cook some Asian food and sing Anime songs. We'll also talk about our dreams and life
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
W14735: Mahjong Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lumia Neyo
Play Mahjong with each other!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W14876: "T" pool karaoke Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kanchawit Pholnikorn
In this class you will get to ask me any question, Q&A style. Meanwhile I go on the T and sing until I reached my destination of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. You can submit song requests during the meeting. Since I am an international students I will give you a unique perspective to your questions.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
W14873: Dominion! Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zawad Chowdhury,
Laura Cui
Come play Dominion with us!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W14878: Extreme sports (~of the mind~) Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Angelica Chin,
Cindy Zhang
Did you enjoy watching Queen's Gambit? Is overthinking every decision you make your definition of a good time? Come play chess with us and exercise your brain cells from the comfort of your couch! Join our tournament on lichess.org with cool commentary and prizes!!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W14678: Minesweeper Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lumia Neyo,
Frank Wang
Minesweeper is a logic/puzzle game played on a grid, where the goal is to clear out all of the safe squares without hitting a mine. Come here to learn how to play, learn a few new tricks, or just have a good time playing Minesweeper! Open to both new and experienced players.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
W14740: How to Make a Latte
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Leviticus Norman
Come learn how to make your favorite flavored coffees. Pull your own shot of espresso and foam milk hot or cold. Fall flavors include vanilla, pumpkin spice, chai tea, salted caramel, peppermint, and chocolate. Nondairy options will be available.
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
[Deprecated] Miscellaneous
X14751: How to tie a tie (and wear a suit)! Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Isabel Anderson
Do you not know how to tie a tie? Do you want to wear a suit, but don't know how everything is supposed to fit? In this class, we will go over the three main ways of tying a tie and talk about how to wear suits and similar formalwear. If there is time, we will also go over how to do some novelty tie knots.
This class is for anyone of any gender who wants to wear suits and/or ties, but it is BYOT (bring your own tie).
Class Style
Seminar
This class is for anyone of any gender who wants to wear suits and/or ties, but it is BYOT (bring your own tie).
Class Style
Seminar
X14831: Restful Alertness with Yoga Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Pallavi Bharadwaj
This class is for those who are inclined towards incorporating yoga in their lifestyle to achieve inner peace and outer dynamism. This event would be led by a 200 hour trained yoga instructor from the MIT community. Through restful alertness success can be achieved in all walks of life without stress! Come and learn tools and techniques that can make you the best version of yourself :)
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X14857: How to Run a Cooking Co-op Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Alena Culbertson
If you enjoy cooking but would rather not do it EVERY night, a cooking co-op might be a great solution: you cook every so often for a large group of people and get food when they cook for you. But even if you eat pasta every night, running a cooking co-op is a great exercise in answering the question "How do you balance lots of people's competing desires (for time commitment, cost, type of food, etc)?" (and of course, "How do you make sure people actually clean their dishes?") Come learn how some MIT groups answer these questions and get tips for cheap and easy vegetable recipes, how to adjust soup recipes to feed 30+, and more.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X14671: So, What's Next?: Existential Risk Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Kenneth Cox,
Keith Murray
One pandemic down, but how many more to go? And what other stuff should we be worrying about? In this class, we'll look at potential future pandemics, climate change, and "evil AI" to see what may end up being humanity's permanent downfall - and what we can do to stop it.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X14792: Yoga For Beginners. Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Manju Jain,
ANIL SHARMA
SUKHASANA - EASY POSE--There are some amazing benefits of Sukhasana. It spreads a sense of calm and peace through your mind and body. Your body alignment is improved. Practicing this asana helps elongate your spine.
PADMASANA- ( LOTUS POSE)--The Posture is a power packed hip and heart opener, with numerous physical and spiritual benefits. It is one of the best meditative poses.
VAJRASANA-(THUNDERBOLT OR DIAMOND POSE)-It Strengthens pelvic muscles by changing the flow of blood and nerve impulses the pelvic region. It improves the whole digestive tract, relieves
stomach disorders such as acidity and peptic ulcer.
KAPAL BHARTI-(FIRE OF BREATH) -It Helps in Weight loss,Mental Agility,Blood Circulation,Enhances beauty, Healthy body organs,Stress relief. It lights up your life.
TULASANA-(BALANCE / SCALE POSE)-Strengthens your arms, wrists, and upper body region. Makes your shoulders strong.
Relaxes muscles and calm the mind. increases the sense of balance. It includes tightening the abs and bring out a rigid stomach. The muscles of your abdomen are pulled up tight and thus lungs show sign of improvement.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Any one is eligible for taking this class. There are no prerequisites required for this class as the class is for Beginners.
PADMASANA- ( LOTUS POSE)--The Posture is a power packed hip and heart opener, with numerous physical and spiritual benefits. It is one of the best meditative poses.
VAJRASANA-(THUNDERBOLT OR DIAMOND POSE)-It Strengthens pelvic muscles by changing the flow of blood and nerve impulses the pelvic region. It improves the whole digestive tract, relieves
stomach disorders such as acidity and peptic ulcer.
KAPAL BHARTI-(FIRE OF BREATH) -It Helps in Weight loss,Mental Agility,Blood Circulation,Enhances beauty, Healthy body organs,Stress relief. It lights up your life.
TULASANA-(BALANCE / SCALE POSE)-Strengthens your arms, wrists, and upper body region. Makes your shoulders strong.
Relaxes muscles and calm the mind. increases the sense of balance. It includes tightening the abs and bring out a rigid stomach. The muscles of your abdomen are pulled up tight and thus lungs show sign of improvement.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Any one is eligible for taking this class. There are no prerequisites required for this class as the class is for Beginners.
X14850: Expression Through Appearance Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Lisa Kondrich,
Selena Liu
Come learn about how people use their appearance (such as fashion, hair, etc.) to convey information about themselves and their beliefs. Will explore punk movements and lgbt+ identifiers as examples of expression through appearance.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Interest in self-expression and how people present themselves!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Interest in self-expression and how people present themselves!
X14774: How to Sweep Mines Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Nicholas Tsao,
James Xiu
Have you ever seen that weird box looking game on Windows Vista? Have you ever tried to click the little grey boxes on your screen only to reveal a spiky black ball? Have you ever seen your friends big brain click all the squares at superhuman speed? This could be you. Join us for a fun time playing Minesweeper! We will cover the basics of the game to advanced tips and tricks. In just one hour, you can become the best sweeper of mines your friends will ever know.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None
X14752: Europe Does Not Exist: learn the art of making conspiracy theories Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sophie Fisher,
Saranesh Prembabu
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.
X14874: Locked Doors Aren't As Secure As You Think Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Grace Cai,
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 and give some practical demonstrations. 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
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 and give some practical demonstrations. 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
X14769: Creative Naming Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ankit Bisain,
Gregory Pylypovych
Have a hard time coming up with names for things sometimes? Get some practice with coming up with names for companies, countries, products, and more! (be they fictional or not)
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X14781: Ethical Chocolate Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Margaret Wang
We all love chocolate, but have you thought about where it comes from? In this class we'll go over how chocolate is made, supply chains, and what it means for a company to be fair trade.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X14756: Bad bananas 101 Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Junhee Kim,
Diego Monroy
Bananas! They’re everywhere, but how much do you know about bananas? Join us for an informal short history and fun facts about bananas ft. Banana bread !
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Eaten a banana
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Eaten a banana
X14736: Introduction to Logic Puzzles Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Have you done/do you enjoy Sudoku? Well here you can learn how to do other puzzles that use similar types of deductions, but with much different rules!
Class Style
Activity
Class Style
Activity
X14644: Marketing Simulation Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kanchawit Pholnikorn
In this class you will learn how to put your backpack into the market, the importance of features and designs and many more! Imagine your class as a marketing team!
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X14673: How to Save a Life 101 Closed!
Difficulty: **
Learn life saving skills including hands-only CPR, how to stop major bleeding, and how to identify a stroke!
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
X14747: Introduction to toki pona Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jonathan Huang
Is it possible to learn an entire language within an hour? Well, we'll certainly try our best with toki pona, a constructed language with a total of 120 (or so) words! After covering its vocabulary and grammar, we'll have some fun translating, reading, and conversing, while discussing a bit of what toki pona can teach us about languages in general.
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
X14770: Candy-Making Science Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alfonso Restrepo
You could either wait till Halloween to get your sugar fix, or you could, you know, have it any time you like, at any time of the year, without having to get out of your kitchen even once to the point where you can just live next to your stove and sleep with your candy thermometer. Candy-making sure is a dangerous power to have, and it could be yours for the low, low, low price of taking this class. Along the way you’ll learn things that are also science-y, like crystals and stuff probably.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Having a candy thermometer is optional, you can also join if you just want to vibe.
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Having a candy thermometer is optional, you can also join if you just want to vibe.
X14817: Interesting Conversations?!?! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Nika Silkin,
Meghana Vemulapalli
Do you think tech companies have an obligation to do something about fake news, and if so, how?? If you were the CEO of a dating app, what would you design for? Should younger people have their votes weighted more heavily?? What is the purpose of American education?? Come with an interesting open-ended question and we can explore together!!
Class Style
Discussion
Class Style
Discussion
X14802: Make Your Own Language!: Intro to Conlanging and Linguistics Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sophie Coppieters 't Wallant,
Chris Eschler
Conlanging is a fun way to add richness to worldbuilding projects, get practical experience with linguistic concepts, or make a secret language to talk to your friends! This course is a brief overview of the linguistics behind human languages and what steps are required to make your own. Since there is so much to cover, I aim to not only introduce concepts, but also show you where to find more information on your own.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
X14864: Coming up with Poker Plays Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Nathan Chen,
Siyong Huang
Utilize ranges, equity calculations, and other analytical tools to help you come up with winning strategies in poker!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Know how to play poker. Preferably have some experience
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Know how to play poker. Preferably have some experience
X14739: Geoguessr! Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Heidi Durresi,
Eva Goldie
Come play the online game Geoguessr with us! You'll be shown a random location on Google Street View and have to try identifying it using roadsigns, vegetation clues or just intuition. We'll be giving you tips and teaching you strategies along the way. If you're already familiar with the game, we'll be playing some fun variants too!
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Living on planet Earth
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
Living on planet Earth
X14796: How to Run a Splash Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zawad Chowdhury,
Rujul Gandhi
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
X14843: Scrabble Tactics, Strategy, and Endgame Closed!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Alex Jiang
Students will learn many tactics and strategies to become better at the game of Scrabble. We will spend time discussing setups, grooming, parallel plays, closing open lines, phonies, tile tracking, fishing, and endgames. Class will mainly focus on the NWL (American) dictionary. At the end, we will attempt to beat Zoey (the Scrabble GO Bot) on Hard difficulty.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
You need to at least the rules of the game, including challenging off phonies, playing bingos, and scoring and drawing in an endgame. Memorizing the list of two letter words in NWL and all Q without U words (including words with a U, but not after the Q) is highly recommended, but not required.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
You need to at least the rules of the game, including challenging off phonies, playing bingos, and scoring and drawing in an endgame. Memorizing the list of two letter words in NWL and all Q without U words (including words with a U, but not after the Q) is highly recommended, but not required.
X14659: Intro to Business and Finance Closed!
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
Activity
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
Activity
X14733: Puzzle Workshop Closed!
Difficulty: **
So, u think u know puzzles? think again!
we’ll be running an interactive workshop introducing you to Puzzlehunt puzzles — instruction-Less puzzles in the style of escape rooms — and common mechanics And techniques for Solving them. then, you’ll Have time to work on fun puzzles we provide (will u b able to piece together the final answer?)
Class Style
Seminar
we’ll be running an interactive workshop introducing you to Puzzlehunt puzzles — instruction-Less puzzles in the style of escape rooms — and common mechanics And techniques for Solving them. then, you’ll Have time to work on fun puzzles we provide (will u b able to piece together the final answer?)
Class Style
Seminar
X14787: The History of Soccer Tactics Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joshua Curtis Kuffour,
Diego Urena
Have you ever been curious about football formations? Or wondered why some teams play more exciting soccer and others don't? Come learn about soccer tactics since the 80s!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None required
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None required
X14832: Things You Should Know About Life Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Evan Caragay,
Mayukha Vadari
There are things you should know about life. School teaches you many things, but often misses things like how to make your friends' parents like you, taking care of yourself when you're sick, and being smart about being stupid. We'll cover all that and more! Featuring a Q&A at the end and lots of room for questions during the class.
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
None
Class Style
Seminar
Prerequisites
None
X14788: The Magic of Macaron Making Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alice Lam,
Grace Smith
Are you tired of paying too much for cookies too small? Have you tried to make macarons only to be greeted by a tray of cracked shells, soggy cookies, and sadness? Come join us for a foolproof macaron recipe (with a nut free alternative for those with allergies!) and the tricks we’ve learned over the years!
(Students must provide their own oven and supplies.)
Class Style
Activity
(Students must provide their own oven and supplies.)
Class Style
Activity
Social Studies
Z14695: Good and Evil in Superhero Comics Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Clio Macrakis
What makes someone a hero or a villain? Who gets to decide what is right or wrong? In this class, we will read excerpts of comic books. We will discuss our own ideas of equality and equity and support our opinions with real-life examples.
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge of superhero stories is necessary
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge of superhero stories is necessary
Z14657: The Judiciary Branch Through the Lens of Environmental Law Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
H. Alex Chen
The lecture portion of this course covers the fundamentals of environmental law and litigation. It introduces major legislations that shaped American environmental governance and provides a critical perspective in the role of EPA through various court cases. The discussion portion of this course focuses on environmental law cases from the Supreme Court of the United States. Students will critically engage in judiciary reasoning. Students will then independently and collectively research precedents, facts, and law reviews concerning a potential law suit regarding the Clean Water Act that may be presented to the Court.
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
None. Students should be willing to perform independent research and reading during class. Students must also be comfortable sharing their ideas either orally or in writing.
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
None. Students should be willing to perform independent research and reading during class. Students must also be comfortable sharing their ideas either orally or in writing.
Z14684: Introduction to Economics workshop Closed!
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 workshop explores 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 economists study?
*What career pathways are available in economics?
*If I’m interested in economics, what should I do next?
Class Style
Activity
This workshop explores 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 economists study?
*What career pathways are available in economics?
*If I’m interested in economics, what should I do next?
Class Style
Activity
Z14836: Tyneside Neighbourhoods: Rich vs. Poor Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Emma Qin,
Christina Wang
Do rich communities or poor communities tend to form stronger social relations? How does deprivation affect the way people interact with each other? Come hear about two neighborhoods in England and see if your intuitions match the reality!
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
Z14766: I thought geography didn't matter? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ankit Bisain,
Gregory Pylypovych
Narrow passages, wide rivers, and large mountains all share one thing in common: they change the course of history. A more three dimensional perspective on familiar maps...
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
Z14803: Star Wars and International Relations Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Katherine Irajpanah
What does the film series Star Wars teach us about international--indeed, intergalactic--relations? In this class, we will look to a galaxy far, far away for lessons on military strategy, resistance movements, and more.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
It is helpful, though not necessary or required, to have seen at least a few of the Star Wars films to follow some of the examples in the class.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
It is helpful, though not necessary or required, to have seen at least a few of the Star Wars films to follow some of the examples in the class.
Z14649: Even War Has Rules Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Elisabeth Kotsalidis,
Luciana Vosniak
Every day we hear about the consequences of war and the suffering of victims of armed conflict. To further our understanding of the rules of armed conflict and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the American Red Cross offers this "Even War has Rules" workshop.
Topics will include:
1. The history the American Red Cross and IHL
2. Four Fundamental principles of International Humanitarian Law — Military Necessity, Proportionality, Distinction, and Limiting Unnecessary Suffering
3. Who and what is protected by IHL
4. How to apply these principles to understand the rules governing conflicts around the world
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No prerequisites.
Topics will include:
1. The history the American Red Cross and IHL
2. Four Fundamental principles of International Humanitarian Law — Military Necessity, Proportionality, Distinction, and Limiting Unnecessary Suffering
3. Who and what is protected by IHL
4. How to apply these principles to understand the rules governing conflicts around the world
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
No prerequisites.
Z14861: What Stops Gentrification? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alena Culbertson
Is there any stopping gentrification? Is it possible to make a neighborhood a nicer place to live without displacing the people who live there? Learn about why this is such a hard question to answer (and why the rent is too darn high in general) and some possible solutions.
Class Style
Seminar
Class Style
Seminar
Z14690: How to Build a Nation Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eldar Urkumbayev
Today on wikiHow: Nation-building
How does one create a nation out of the diverse group of people? Which groups get their own nation and which don't? What are the foundations of modern nationhood?
Through a case study of Central Asia's century of making nations, we will answer all of these questions. On the ride from 1920 to 2020, you will see nations rise, grow, and mature - take notes to learn how you can start your own!
Class Style
Lecture
How does one create a nation out of the diverse group of people? Which groups get their own nation and which don't? What are the foundations of modern nationhood?
Through a case study of Central Asia's century of making nations, we will answer all of these questions. On the ride from 1920 to 2020, you will see nations rise, grow, and mature - take notes to learn how you can start your own!
Class Style
Lecture
Z14697: Comics as Cultural History Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Clio Macrakis
Do you like reading comics? Do you wonder whether there are more interesting ways to study history than reading texts? In this class we will use superhero comics (DC and Marvel) as primary source documents to discuss cultural United States history, including immigration, patriotism in World War II, and urban poverty.
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
No background with superheroes required.
Class Style
Discussion
Prerequisites
No background with superheroes required.
Z14696: What's the Deal with Capitalism? Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Andrew Lopreiato
Capitalism: you love it or you hate it, right? But not a lot of people can even properly define what it is. In this class, we’ll cover some history of economic thought and economic systems and define important terms and concepts along the way. We’ll talk about some of the downfalls of neoclassical economics and free markets, and why your economics teacher might not be telling you the whole story. Finally, we’ll try to imagine what the absence of capitalism even looks like.
The main goals of this class will be to provide historical and philosophical context for ideas you’ve probably heard about mainly in non-academic settings, and to encourage critical thinking about societies, institutions, dogma, and power structures.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None required! Some knowledge of economics would be helpful, but we'll go over everything you need to know.
The main goals of this class will be to provide historical and philosophical context for ideas you’ve probably heard about mainly in non-academic settings, and to encourage critical thinking about societies, institutions, dogma, and power structures.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
None required! Some knowledge of economics would be helpful, but we'll go over everything you need to know.
Z14858: A brief history of memes Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Vincent Bian,
Tung Tran
How did we go from viral videos and trollfaces of early 2000s internet to the deep-fried and abstract internet humor of today? Find out here!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Has been on one of the following: Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, 4chan, Imgur, TikTok, Youtube, iFunny, Twitter, MySpace, Google Plus, or any internet page
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Has been on one of the following: Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, 4chan, Imgur, TikTok, Youtube, iFunny, Twitter, MySpace, Google Plus, or any internet page
Z14694: Supercharging Your Learning Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
James Koppel,
Tony Wang
Want to spend less time studying while remembering more? In this class, we’ll learn about the science of learning and memory, and share some concrete things you can do to remember things you learn forever, get facts popping into your mind the moment you need them most, and make yourself understand something better than your teacher. We’ll also introduce you to real websites and apps you can use to put all this into practice as soon as class is over. Soon you’ll be able to ace classes just using the time you already spend walking or on the toilet.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
Z14660: History of the English Alphabet Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Daina Neithardt
Have you ever wanted to know why English spelling is as weird and messed up as it is? Have you ever wondered where all these different alphabets came from? This class will be an overview of how the English alphabet got to be the way it is, from the invention of writing to today! We look at the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans in depth, as well as features of English that resulted in certain spelling conventions and confusions.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
Z14841: The Economics Surrounding Intellectual Property Regimes Closed!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bryant Xia
In one hour, I will try to cover the basic questions sorrounding Intellectual Property ("IP"). What is it? How is it distinct from physical forms of property? Is there a need to protect IP; what roles do IP / IP protection play in different economies? And most importantly, how IP is currently being protected, the abuses sorrounding IP protection, and how it can be potentially improved upon.
Class Style
Lecture
Class Style
Lecture
Z14859: Avalon Closed!
Difficulty: *
Come Learn the most superior social deduction game known to all mankind- Avalon. Play either as a loyal servant of Arthur or as an evil minion of mordred. Meet new people, learn how to trick your friends, and walk away with life skillz
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
NONE
Class Style
Activity
Prerequisites
NONE
Z14663: (Virtual) Walking Tours of the Greater Boston Area Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Samantha Webster
Boston is an awesome city, and I'll take you on a (virtual) walking tour to some of my favorite buildings and sights. You'll get quirky fun facts, fascinating history, and spooky cemetery stories. Buckle up, because we can cover a lot more ground on Zoom than if we were actually walking! (For those prone to motion sickness, please rest assured there will be minimal hand-held camera work.)
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Tennis shoes and sunscreen recommended for an authentic experience.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Tennis shoes and sunscreen recommended for an authentic experience.
Z14674: China's Economic Leap: when communisim meets capitalism Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Michelle He,
Lin Hou
China has gone through a period of rapid economic development in the past 30 years, rising from a third-world country to one of the largest economic body in the world. There have been many myth, debates, and discussions regarding China's economy nowadays. In this class, we will provide an overview of the historical events that have led to the economic reforms in China as well as some of the controversial economic and political plans China's leaders have made that led the country to become what it is today.
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Just be curious and interested in economy, social study, or China!
Class Style
Lecture
Prerequisites
Just be curious and interested in economy, social study, or China!
Z14819: Effective Altruism (Doing the most good) Closed!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Guilhermo Cutrim Costa,
Benjamin Wright
Most of us want to make a difference. We see suffering, injustice and death, and are moved to do something about them. But working out what that "something" is is a difficult challenge. Effective altruism is a response to this challenge.
If you ever want to do any type of altruism in your life, this class will teach you how to do the most good with limited resources. Topics include effectiveness of charities, rationality, expected value utilitarianism, existential risk, longtermism, career planning, and more.
Class Style
Lecture
If you ever want to do any type of altruism in your life, this class will teach you how to do the most good with limited resources. Topics include effectiveness of charities, rationality, expected value utilitarianism, existential risk, longtermism, career planning, and more.
Class Style
Lecture