Splash 2025
Course Catalog


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Arts Visual and Performing Arts
Languages and Literatures Computer Science
Engineering Humanities
Lunch Mathematics
Pop (and not-so-pop) Culture Science
Social Studies

Arts

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A16169: Kazoo Theory!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Colin Clark, Harry Heiberger, Henry Heiberger

Struggling to advance in music since you put down the elementary-school recorder? Underappreciated virtuoso looking for your next masterpiece? Bored? Pull up to learn the wonders of the plastic kazoo, some basic music theory, and leave with the latest in noise-making technology!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 41 (max 100)


A16104: From Design Education to Design Industry (an Ecosystem) Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Steven Faerm

A16105: Creating Creativity through Innovative Design Methods Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Steven Faerm

A16123: Music, Math and Emotion: From Pop Music to Film Scores
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Arbri Kopliku, Shashaank Venkatesh

Why does the Interstellar score give you chills? Why do people cry at Coldplay concerts? Why are some songs meant for a workout playlist and others aren't?

In this course, students will explore these questions and more through the combined lenses of math, neuroscience and music theory. We'll learn the main techniques songwriters and composers use to create tension, grief, joy and excitement in their work - and try our hand at identifying (and writing!) these techniques in widely known songs from theater, orchestras, pop stars and movies.

Whether you love music, the brain, or math - this course will open your eyes to the intricacies of the sounds many of us take for granted everyday, and hopefully make you a better listener and composer!


Class Style
Discussion
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 10:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 34 (max 50)
Section 2: 34 (max 50)


Visual and Performing Arts

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A16096: Arranging Video Game Music Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Victor Gabriel Dominguez, Alex Wardle, Justin Yu

A16148: A Capella 101: Fun Singing Exercises Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Alexandra Jacala, Isabela Naty Sanchez Taipe, Leo Trepte

A16057: Intro to Madhubani art!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Vidya Ranjan

Madhubani painting (also known as Mithila art) is one of India's great traditional art styles, with a history dating back over 2,000 years. Artists are able to create magnificent, extremely intricate works of art, and yet at its core the style boils down to only a few simple geometric patterns!

In two hours, we'll start from the complete basics and go through the history and principles behind this unique art style. By the end of the class, you'll be able to make your very own painting to take home with you!


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 10
Enrollment
Section 1: 15 (max 16)


A16141: basics of (western) music theory Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Kyle Williams, sovannjet lim
Materials for this class include: lecture notes

A16099: how producers make hiphop and rnb beats by sampling
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Kevin Mensah

come and learn how your favorite artists and producers use samples to make music. we'll look at sampling existing songs to using free sample libraries and make some beats ranging from old school boombap rap to modern sounding rnb


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 5:05pm--5:55pm
Section 2: Sun 5:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)
Section 2: Full! (max 30)


Languages and Literatures

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B16114: Languages of Middle Earth
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Ryker Reed

Love Lord of the Rings? Ever wondered where all the names in Middle Earth come from? Come find out more about the complex linguistic systems underlying Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. For instance, did you know that Tolkien was a linguist and actually invented an entire Elvish language before even writing the Lord of the Rings books? Learn about some of the real world languages that inspired and influenced Tolkien’s invented languages. And find out more about the history of Middle Earth and how its languages came to be what they are now.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
None, if you've taken this class before, it will be the same material.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 3:05pm--3:55pm
Section 2: Sat 4:05pm--4:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 50)
Section 2: 47 (max 50)


B16196: Conlang-ing - Make your own fully functional language! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Violet Cato, Sean Tynan

B16060: Japanese in 45 Minutes!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Steve Nelson

Have you ever wanted to learn a little Japanese? Here's your chance! We'll do a (very little) reading and writing of Japanese Kanji and then practice a few helpful words and phrases to help introduce you to the language and culture of Japan!


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 11:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)


Computer Science

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C16152: Why Mario is (Computationally) Hard
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Timothy Gomez, Holden Hall

Have you ever found yourself struggling in a Mario game? It turns out it was for a good reason! Come learn why some Mario games are impossible to solve. The class will introduce you to world of computational complexity (NP-hardness, RE-completeness, and more) through the medium of Mario games.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 34 (max 551)


C16079: how to make a web game with just html, css, and js Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Kevin Mensah

C16165: Web Development Crash Course
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Colin Clark, Ashar Farooq, Harry Heiberger, Henry Heiberger

There are tons of websites out there but how are they made? This class will give you a broad introduction of all things web development. Things like HTTP, HTML, Code, Design, etc. and you will build (aka code) a simple PAGE! By the end, you will know how to get started making any website you want. How cool is that now, c'mon!


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Bring a laptop if you have one!
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 52 (max 318)


C16133: CoCo: Build Multiplayer Games, Collaborative Art, Animations, Interactive Video, Physical Computing Projects, and more!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Shruti Dhariwal, Manuj Dhariwal

In this hands-on class, you will get to explore CoCo (coco.build), a new platform developed by a team of PhD researchers at MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group.

On CoCo, you can co-create, code, and collaborate with peers in real-time across a variety of languages (such as Scratch, p5.js, and others). It also has built-in live audio and video for both remote and in-person co-creation experience. We’ll explore how you can use CoCo to program multiplayer games, collaborative art, stories, animations, music, and also physical computing projects with hardware devices such as Micro:bit and Makey Makey.

Link to a short video of the platform in action: https://bit.ly/mit-coco-video

About the session leaders:
Shruti Dhariwal and Manuj Dhariwal are co-creators of CoCo and doctoral researchers at MIT Media Lab. Their work and research has been featured in MIT News and EdSurge, with young people and educators from 85+ countries signing up for CoCo. Their recent work on “Little Language Models,” an upcoming hands-on AI education microworld within CoCo, was featured by MIT Technology Review.


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
1) You need a laptop (ideally) or tablet. We recommend that you bring your own device if possible. But in case you need one, Splash can provide some extra devices for the session. 2) Some experience with Scratch is preferred, but not required.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--12:55pm
Section 2: Sat 2:05pm--4:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 58 (max 60)
Section 2: 56 (max 60)


C16194: Fundamentals of Programming
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Violet Cato, Sean Tynan

Do you have no idea what means to code? Do you have some beginner familiarity? Are you looking to refresh yourself on the basics or practice the fundamentals?

If so, this is the class for you. We'll start with a bottom-up review of programming. We'll talk about:
- hardware
- software
- convention (good code vs. bad code)
- style (the format of the code)
- "elegance"
- polymorphism
- logic gates
- arrays
- loops
- conditionals
- syntax
- unit testing
and more!

After that, we'll jump in and practice solving some problems and writing some code. We'll also use this second half to answer questions and discuss anything desired.

Looking forward to coding with you!
:D


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
We'll be using codingbat.org and repl.it, so no software installation is necessary -- but you will need to bring an internet-enabled device. A phone can absolutely work for our purposes, but it will be less comfortable to code with. No experience necessary!
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--3:55pm
Section 2: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 30)
Section 2: 29 (max 30)


C16157: Digital Signal Processing Basics
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Daniel Xue

Do you have an audio file that you would like to pitch up or down? Well, you've come to the right place!!!


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Programming in Python and also some calculus might be nice
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 10:05am--10:55am
Section 2: Sun 9:05am--9:55am

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 5 (max 12)
Section 2: Full! (max 12)


C16095: Become a Spreadsheet Wielder Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Annie Guo, Marvin Mao, Lumia Neyo

C16063: Hacking Old Video Games
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Alex Wardle, Justin Yu

If you like channels like Retro Video Game Mechanics Explained or Displaced Gamers, then this course is for you!

Have you ever been fascinated by classic video games like Super Mario Bros or Tetris? Have you ever wondered how they work? In this course, we'll take games like these and learn how to reverse engineer the details for how they work. Then, we'll learn how to modify these games to make them do anything you desire.

Note: if you plan on coming, *please bring a laptop*! I'll do my best to get devices for people but there's no guarantee I can cover everyone.


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
No strict prereqs, just remember to bring a laptop if you can!
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 1:05pm--2:55pm
Section 2: Sun 9:05am--10:55am
Section 3: Sun 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 28 (max 30)
Section 2: Full! (max 30)
Section 3: 28 (max 30)


C16075: Lambda Calculus from Scratch
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Skylar Huber, Kyle Williams

Do you love watching videos about esoteric languages and have daydreamed about writing your own? Have you given up on the status quo of programming languages and decided to fix it yourself? Are you the kind of kid who’d ask about the semantics of a new operator in math class and are wondering how it all works? This class should give you the tools to do just that! In this tutorial, we’ll implement the simply typed lambda calculus, the foundation of all programming language theory, from only a parsing library in one sitting. We’ll discuss the theory of syntax, evaluation, and type checking while staying rooted in representation and the user experience. Students will collaborate with lecturers to develop core parts of the language, and should ultimately walk away with the knowledge to hack on the language built in class or build their own.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
You should be an intermediate programmer; having taken AP Computer Science A is a good benchmark. You should be proficient in at least two general-purpose programming languages. Familiarity with JavaScript/TypeScript is preferred but not required; the lecture is not a JS/TS tutorial, though, so be prepared to learn a new programming language if need be. You should be able to parse and reason about grammar. Familiarity with set theory is preferred. We will define all notation we use. We’re teaching a lot of content in only a few hours, so we’re setting a somewhat high bar so we can focus on the content at hand.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 10:05am--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 38 (max 50)


C16082: Cicada 3301 and Beyond: How to Solve Any Cipher and Find Hidden Worlds
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Timur Rizvanov, Rinat Rizvanov

🔑 Cicada 3301 and Beyond: How to Solve Any Cipher and Find Hidden Worlds 🔑

Ever wanted to be a real-life codebreaker? Dive into the mystery of Cicada 3301, the internet’s most infamous cryptographic puzzle, and learn how to solve ciphers like a pro!

In just one class, you’ll:
🕵️‍♂️ Unravel the history of cryptography – from ancient spies to modern hackers.
🔢 Crack real ciphers like the Bacon Cipher, Euler Cipher, and frequency analysis.
🧠 Decode hidden messages and challenge yourself with mind-bending puzzles.
💡 Discover how cryptography shapes the digital world – from secret societies to cybersecurity.

No prior experience needed—just bring your curiosity and a sharp mind! Will you be the one to solve the final cipher and uncover the secret? 🕶️

🚀 Join us and test your cryptographic skills!

🔐 Can you crack this code?
Brx glg lw! Qrz brx duh d pdvwhu ri flskhuv—exw fdq brx xqudyho wkh uhvw lq wkh ohvvrq?
3


Class Style
Discussion

Prerequisites
Basic mathematics
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 10:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sun 2:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 30)
Section 2: 29 (max 30)


C16073: Introduction to Trading Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: William Gvozdjak, Michelle Kang, Catherine Li, Gordon Lichtstein, Iliyas Noman, Sharvaa Selvan, Jessica Wan, Nathan Xiong, Justin Zhang, Claire Zheng

C16103: what is 1 + 1?
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Raleigh Berman, Asa Paparo

(this class is aimed at students with programming experience)

you know what 1 + 1 is. it's 2. or 10, if you're a nerd. your computer also knows what 1 + 1 is. it's 0x00000002. you know how to make it calculate that, too -- in pretty much every programming language, it's some variation of "1 + 1". how does it do that? how do some rocks we dug out of the ground put 1 and 1 together to make 2? if you take this class, you'll understand a little bit of how we did that, and maybe the way you think about programming will be fundamentally changed forever. it changed me, at least.

this class is about putting logic gates together into an arithmetic logic unit (ALU). it's a really abstract overview of MIT's 6.191 class, as much as i can cram into 2 hours. if you've ever heard of nand2tetris, 6.191 is a similar kind of class to that.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
you should "know" a programming language well enough to implement a simple text-based calculator. i won't ask you to though, don't worry.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 45 (max 50)


C16134: Making AI unmagical—Build your own ‘Little Language Models’ and create generative stories, music, art, game level creator, and more!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Shruti Dhariwal, Manuj Dhariwal

Curious? Watch ‘Little Language Models’ in action here: https://bit.ly/little-models

Little Language Models is a hands-on AI education microworld within CoCo (coco.build)—a new co-creative platform for young people (that builds on top of Scratch). In this session, you’ll get to explore the powerful ideas of probabilistic thinking, modeling, and learning that underlie Generative AI systems and Large Language Models like ChatGPT, through building your own little models. Add your own little data like images, sounds, or text to co-create a variety of playful probabilistic projects with peers—such as generative stories, music, and art; interactive visualizations; teaching a computer how to draw; and more!

Little Language Models was recently featured by the MIT Technology Review.

About the session leaders:
Shruti Dhariwal and Manuj Dhariwal are doctoral researchers at MIT Media Lab, and co-creators of CoCo and Little Language Models. Their work and research has been featured in MIT Technology Review and EdSurge, with young people and educators from 85+ countries signing up for CoCo.


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
1) You need a laptop (ideally) or tablet. We recommend that you bring your own device if possible. But in case you need one, Splash can provide some extra devices for the session. 2) Some experience with Scratch is preferred, but not required.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 9:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sun 3:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 59 (max 60)
Section 2: Full! (max 60)


Engineering

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E16085: An Introduction to Aviation, Energy and the Environment
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Arthur Brown, Andy Eskenazi, Marlene Euchenhofer, Marcos Logrono, Shreya Sharma, Andrew White

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the broad field of aviation, energy and the environment, i.e., the air quality and climate impact induced by flying on an airliner, and the potential approaches to mitigate this impact. Teachers are current members of the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment (LAE), and will combine their expertise to not only introduce students to this field, but also share insights of their current research. The lecture will include topics related to contrails, hydrogen and biofuels, inter modality, and electrification, among others.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
None! Just willingness to learn about aviation and the environment!
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 43 (max 100)


E16132: How to Build a Solar Car Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Nicole Lin, Tessa Uviedo

E16156: Engineers Without Borders: Projects in Global Development Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Rohan Bosworth, Deeksha Kumaresh

E16191: Paper Rockets: A Lesson in Stability with First Nations Launch Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nicole McGaa, Peyton Meader, Hailey Polson

E16166: Equitable and Rapid Decarbonization with Geothermal Networks
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Rey Li, Megan Lim

In Massachusetts and in the world, ~30% of greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings.
The transition to renewable energy sources, like geothermal networks, is essential for reducing emissions and mitigating climate change. These transitions, however, are not just technological but also have significant social, political, and environmental dimensions.

In this class, you will learn about thermal energy networks and how they are one of the most efficient systems available to deliver climate-friendly heating and cooling equitably to entire neighborhoods. These technologies are not well covered in education systems nor well understood by decision makers, but through lecture, activities, and discussion, you'll get valuable insights into the current decarbonization scene. We will also discuss what roles youth can play in decarbonizing our communities. Let’s accelerate decarbonization together!


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sat 1:05pm--2:55pm
Section 3: Sun 10:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 19 (max 20)
Section 2: Full! (max 20)
Section 3: 19 (max 20)


E16129: Paper Rockets: A Lesson in Stability with First Nations Launch
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nicole McGaa, Peyton Meader, Hailey Polson

Join MIT First Nations Launch, grand prize award-winning hobby rocketry team, to learn about rocket stability! We will be going over the basics, and then building paper rockets to put those concepts into practice – with a special prize for the furthest flyer!
We will also have smaller kit rockets and our larger competition rockets for demos/explanations, for anyone who is curious. Course 16s will also be happy to talk about the MIT AeroAstro Engineering experience!


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 8
Enrollment
Section 1: 26 (max 30)


E16146: It's Not Rocket Science (Wait, Yes It Is!) Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Eddy Chen, Ethan Lai

E16138: Paper Rockets: A Lesson in Stability with First Nations Launch
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nicole McGaa, Peyton Meader, Hailey Polson

Join the grand prize award-winning team, MIT First Nations Launch, to learn about rocket stability. We will be going over the basics, and then constructing our own paper rockets – the furthest flyer will win a prize! If we have time, we will also teach you how to model your rocket with simulation software to determine its stability margin.
We will also be bringing along some kit rockets, as well as our larger competition rockets, for demos/explanations if anyone would like to learn more.


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 2:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 10
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)


E16124: Underwater Robots Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Angie Fortuno, Amy Shi, Teagan Sullivan

E16064: How Cars Work Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Christian Duessel, Henry Smith

E16101: The Holy Grail of Energy: Cheap, Clean, Reliable Power Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Elizabeth Bernhardt, Shomik Verma

E16113: AI Revolution in Public Health Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nupur Ballal, Sophia Chen, Oluwatomi Idowu, Ivyann Shen

E16092: What Is A Computer?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: John Gregg

You may know how to program, but what is a computer such that it needs programming? Everyone knows that computers "think" in 1's and 0's, but why, and what does this even mean? Poets welcome!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 3:05pm--4:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 68 (max 100)


Humanities

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H16058: Novel: things you probably don't know about what you are about to start
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Violet Cato, Stirling Newberry

There are a lot of things that you don't know about writing a novel. Unfortunately I can only give you a few:
1. Text/subtext
2. The beginning is the hardest writing you will ever have to do.
3. Novels are not written they are rewritten.
4. The opening and the closing need to be linked together.
We will look at some of the great examples in each of these. Pay attention because the teacher of the real class, history, grades really hard and with a ruthlessness that you won't believe.


Class Style
Seminar

Prerequisites
Writing would be helpful. Extra credit for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 41 (max 90)


H16091: Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness
Difficulty: **
Teachers: John Gregg

What is a mind, and why is it so special? Is it special? How could it possibly work? Won't brain science, psychology and/or cognitive science answer any questions anyway? What do we need philosophy for? Do I have to wear a toga? No to that last one, but for the rest, sign up for this class. A brief history, and a primer on the current debates in this contentious field.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 60 (max 100)


H16173: Law and Order: Massachusetts Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Pavitra Chari, Sheela Devadas, Cassandra Lee

H16172: The Lost Art of Handwriting Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Pavitra Chari, Sheela Devadas, Cassandra Lee

H16106: Introduction to Business and Finance
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Max Avery, Christine Sinn

Learn more about the Finance universe. Through real-world case studies, you will analyze businesses, conduct SWOT analyses, and gain insight into what makes companies succeed. Discover key financial concepts, including budgeting, investing, and the stock market. This hands-on course will develop critical thinking, decision-making, and financial literacy skills essential for future entrepreneurs and business leaders.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--2:55pm
Section 2: Sat 3:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 65 (max 75)
Section 2: 73 (max 75)


H16159: A Crash Course in How to Live
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Esther Jung

Curious about why the world is the way it is? Join us as we become brains in a jar to learn about the origins of the world and how to live your life using philosophy.


Class Style
Seminar
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 28 (max 30)


H16110: How to Analyze Everything Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Roy Wang, Andrew Zhou

Lunch

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L16192: 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.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 12:05pm--12:55pm
Section 2: Sat 1:05pm--1:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 289 (max 1000000)
Section 2: 311 (max 1000000)


L16193: 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.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 12:05pm--12:55pm
Section 2: Sun 1:05pm--1:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 314 (max 1000000)
Section 2: 248 (max 1000000)


Mathematics

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M16179: Mixed Signals: A Crash Course in Signal Processing
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Sophie Vulpe

How do you decode mixed signals from your crush? With signal processing, of course! Signal processing is a broad field with applications in seismology, finance, audio engineering, and more. In this course, we'll learn how to manipulate sound and images using Fourier analysis and wavelet analysis. You'll know what your crush thinks in no time <3


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Knowledge of integral calculus and complex numbers.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 12:05pm--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)


M16090: Complex Numbers: Math That Will Freak You Out (at least a little bit)
Difficulty: **
Teachers: John Gregg

I promise this math will freak you out at least a bit. We will explore the existence or non-existence of nonsensical things called complex numbers, or less scarily, imaginary numbers (aren't they all?). We will end up deep, deep inside a certain blob called the Mandelbrot set, which is made of these "imaginary" numbers.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
basic algebra/polynomials
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 51 (max 100)


M16178: Mixed Signals: A Crash Course in Signal Processing
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Sophie Vulpe

How do you decode mixed signals from your crush? With signal processing, of course! Signal processing is a broad field with applications in seismology, finance, audio engineering, and more. In this course, we'll learn how to manipulate sound and images using Fourier analysis and wavelet analysis. You'll know what your crush thinks in no time <3


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Knowledge of integral calculus and complex numbers.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 3:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 27 (max 30)


M16128: The Math and History of Cryptography (and why you should care about number theory) Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Marvin Mao

M16088: Increasing Mathematical Opportunities
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Apurva Varigonda

Math is increasingly important due to the advent of technologies. However, many students are getting left behind due to the lack of mathematical opportunities in their area. But you, as a student, can help make sure that doesn't happen.This class will help you identify community needs, look for sources of mentorship, and get started hosting your own math class, program, event, or competition!


Class Style
Discussion
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 9:05am--9:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 48 (max 50)

Materials for this class include: Slide Deck, board picture, board picture 2

M16118: Nim: The Mathematical Structure of Games
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Srinivas Arun, David Dong

Do you love games and puzzles? Nim is a simple, ancient game with a surprising mathematical twist! In this interactive class, we’ll dive into the secrets of winning Nim every time. First, we’ll learn the basic rules and play a few rounds. Then, we’ll discuss some foundational strategies -- after defining what a "strategy" even means. Finally, we'll explore a beautiful connection between Nim and algebra, which will give us tools to solve a wider variety of more complicated games.

Whether you're a math enthusiast, a strategic gamer, or just curious, this class will give you new tools to outsmart your friends and see games in a whole new light. Come play, think, and conquer Nim!


Class Style
Discussion

Prerequisites
No prerequisites—just a willingness to play games, think critically, and have fun!
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sun 9:05am--10:55am

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)
Section 2: Full! (max 30)


M16127: Proof by Storytelling: Pascal's Triangle and Combinatorial Identities
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Marvin Mao

A central idea behind the mathematical field of combinatorics is finding why seemingly unrelated mathematical expressions are equal, without needing to dive into messy algebra. One particularly elegant and intuitive way to do so is double counting: we tell a story, look at it from two different perspectives, allowing us to represent the same thing in two different ways mathematically.

We'll puzzle out how to interpret sums, products, and more as tangible stories and images: learn what taking a walk in Manhattan has to do with Pascal's Triangle and how assembling a team of cats and dogs can simplify a scary-seeming sum.

On a personal note, taking a class like this when I was in middle school helped me realize the creativity hidden in math and contributed to combinatorics being one of my favorite subjects. I hope to present a similar experience to others in an accessible manner.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
We will refer to factorials and "n choose k" (aka a "combination" or "binomial coefficient"). We will review this at the beginning of class if you are not completely sure. For example: If I have five apples, in how many ways can I pick three of them to eat, if the order doesn't matter? The answer is 5 choose 3 = 5!/(3!•2!)=10.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 11:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 33 (max 35)


M16155: Mathematics of Games
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Glenn Hurd, Lyman Hurd

A hands-on introduction to mathematical games via the games Nim and Wythoff's Nim. We willl touch upon what it means to "add" two games and what a "number" is while we learn optimal strategies for simple to define yet not trivial to analyze games.


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
Basic algebra
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 1:05pm--1:55pm
Section 2: Sun 1:05pm--1:55pm
Section 3: Sat 2:05pm--2:55pm
Section 4: Sun 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 12)
Section 2: 11 (max 12)
Section 3: 11 (max 12)
Section 4: Full! (max 12)


M16067: Beyond Numbers: The Adventure After Calculus
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Jake Chuharski, Nicholas Dow

Ever wondered why you learn math and where it all goes? Maybe you have heard of calculus or even linear algebra but what are the big ideas that mathematicians study in the modern day? In this class we present a "map" of modern mathematics and give the big ideas of what YOU might study past the high school level.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Should have taken at least algebra 2, knowledge of the existence of calculus preferred so ideally high school students
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 55 (max 318)


M16131: SAT Math Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Justin Li

M16171: An Introductory Exploration of Modular Arithmetic Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Rey Li

Pop (and not-so-pop) Culture

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P16182: The Many Wonders of Google Street View
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Matthew Ho, Quan Nguyen

Geoguessr is a game where the player sees the Google Street View and guesses where they are in the world. We will introduce you to Geoguessr through some of the most intriguing tips and tricks for the game. Then, we will apply our newfound strategies in gameplay. Feat. Lesotho mountains, Bengali script, Colombian license plates, and Albanian skies!


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
The experience will be more enjoyable on a laptop, but you can make do with a smaller screen.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 11:05am--11:55am

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)


P16185: Let's Talk About the NBA Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Paolo Adajar, Ahaan Rungta

P16158: Everything Wrong with Harry Potter Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Esther Jung

P16143: America in the Media Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Shreeya Parekh

P16076: Classlighting: 5-Minute Lectures on Anything
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Conner Shelton, Andrew Zhou

Join experts* in everything** Andrew and Conner as we teach all of you anything you want to know*** in JUST FIVE MINUTES****.

Come prepared with topics in mind, as we'll take suggestions live from students on what to teach live in class!

* Not confirmed experts.
** Everything is superlative, we cannot guarantee knowledge of every possible domain.
*** Actual truth of lessons not guaranteed.
**** Actually, no clarification. It's five minutes.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 3:05pm--3:55pm
Section 2: Sat 4:05pm--4:55pm
Section 3: Sat 5:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 53 (max 100)
Section 2: 40 (max 100)
Section 3: 97 (max 100)


P16069: K-pop and Capitalism Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Alicia Lin, Ethan Liu

P16160: Past and Future Video Games
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Esther Jung

Calling all gamers and game developers! Ever wondered where video games came from? How far they've come? What makes a good video game? Most importantly, what's next after Roblox and Fortnite? Join us to predict the future of the gaming industry. At the end of the class, students will have the opportunity to win prizes in a Kahoot-style quiz and to brainstorm the next Big Game.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Generalized knowledge of games (do you know what Nintendo is?). If applicable, gaming experiences that made a good game into a great game.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 35 (max 36)


P16144: So Bad It's Good: The Art of Fanfiction
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Tarang Lunawat, Alex Yi

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
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 1:05pm--1:55pm
Section 2: Sat 3:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 18 (max 30)
Section 2: 26 (max 30)


P16100: (watching) tennis is really fun! Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Kevin Mensah

P16097: World is Mine: A Crash Course in Vocaloid
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Roy Wang, Andrew Zhou

Who has blue hair, a blue tie, and is hiding in your WiFi? From the depths of Nico Nico Douga to the battlefields of Fortnite, Vocaloid has been a mainstay of internet culture for over two decades.

Join us as we explore the expansive world of Vocaloid and vocal synths - we'll discuss the history of electronic vocal synths, the culture behind Vocaloid, and of course, listen to LOTS of music.

(WARNING: Music video and presentation will involve some bright and rapid flashing lights.)


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 3:05pm--4:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 20 (max 90)


P16136: Intro to Puzzlehunts
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Rebecca Chang, Annie Guo, Marvin Mao, Lumia Neyo

Puzzle hunts are a fun way to solve puzzles together with friends! The goal is to solve several puzzles that culminate in a final challenge, called a 'metapuzzle'. After a presentation teaching common solving strategies, you'll have the opportunity to work on a small puzzle hunt with others. You don't need any specialized puzzle-solving knowledge to participate.


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 3:05pm--4:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 21 (max 25)


P16126: How to travel on the cheap Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Edward Wang

Science

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S16116: Radiology: Diagnosing Disease through CT Scans Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Ylliah Jin, Trisha Lopez

S16168: Forestryyyyy
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Richard Chen, Alan Wang

In this class, we talk about the giant beings that peacefully living alongside us ... trees! We will get to the roots of how trees function and their various features. A discussion about the many benefits that trees provide will transform your prior be-leafs about trees, while a discussion on best management practices and threats to the health our forests will show you the importance of good forest stewardship.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--10:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 71 (max 119)


S16072: Quantum Mechanics Without the Math Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Michael Lee, Jakob Nielsen

S16151: The History of Physics Through Nobel
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Yoshihiro Saito

Maybe you've heard of Heisenberg, Einstein, and Feynman—but what exactly did they win their Nobel Prizes for? And how do their discoveries connect to the bigger picture of physics? This class explores the history of physics by following the trail of Nobel Prizes, from the earliest awards in the early 20th century to modern breakthroughs. Along the way, we’ll see how revolutionary ideas—like quantum mechanics and relativity—reshaped our understanding of the universe. Expect stories of triumph, controversy, and even the occasional overlooked genius. By the end, you’ll see how physics has evolved, one prize at a time.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--11:55am

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 35 (max 50)


S16183: Finding Structure in Chaos: A Search for Periodic Orbits
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Leo Yao

Interested in learning more about chaos, where positions and paths appear to quickly become unpredictable? Want to learn about methods to probe the complexity, and discover some surprising structure within the apparent randomness of the double pendulum? We'll start with a review of the familiar simple pendulum, then cover phase space, fixed points, unstable oscillations, and periodic orbit families. We will have animations of physical trajectories throughout, with some unexpected examples of exactly recurring solutions at the end!


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
We will be using some introductory mechanics at times (the simple and double pendulum), but not required to enjoy the visuals!
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 11:05am--11:55am

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 42 (max 50)


S16066: Seeing is Believing? The Science of Optical and Auditory Illusions
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Jake Chuharski, Nicholas Dow

Can your eyes and ears lie to you? Have you ever argued with a friend about how something looks different to you than to them? What if you are both right! This course offers a whirlwind tour through the captivating world of visual and audio illusions, providing students with a rare opportunity to challenge their perceptions and discover the secrets behind why illusions work. Experience an array of mind-bending illusions for both your eyes and ears. Through live demonstrations, we will explore the mechanisms that allow these illusions to work, providing insights into how our brains process the world around us. If you’re interested in learning about how the brain processes reality, or if you just want to sit back and have us play tricks on your brain, this class is for you!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 201 (max 318)


S16078: Quantum Field Theory 101: From Einstein to Wilson Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Yongao Hu, Jiwoo Park

S16122: Quaternary ammonium compounds or Positive charges are hard to find in biology
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Andrew Thompson

Quaternary ammonium compounds are wonderfully stable, non-toxic and is useful as disinfectants because of one peculiar property: a stable positive charge on a nitrogen atom. Bu exploring the utility of "quats" we will find out how that positive charge explains it's antimicrobial activity as well as it's relative lack of toxicity. From the chemistry of hair, to the nature of blood clotting, and the functioning of our immune system---all of them can be explained by the management of a stable positive charge.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 42 (max 100)

Materials for this class include: Lecture slides

S16070: Berry Scientific: DNA Extraction Lab Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Sean Pascoe

S16150: What is a Particle?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Yoshihiro Saito

What is a particle? A wave? A vibration in a mysterious field? Or something stranger? In this fast-paced crash course, we’ll journey from Newton’s laws to Maxwell’s equations, through the mind-bending weirdness of quantum mechanics, and into the deep symmetries of quantum field theory trying to answer the ultimate question: what is a particle? Along the way, we’ll touch on the ideas of calculus and uncover the hidden math of group theory and see how everything—from light to matter—is shaped by fundamental principles. No prior physics experience needed—just curiosity and a willingness to challenge your intuition!


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Some basic algebra/trigonometry
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 29 (max 30)


S16098: Crash Course in Cosmology & Large Scale Structure
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Angelica Chin, Jared Machtinger, Kiran Mak

Have you ever wondered how the largest structures in the universe, clusters of clusters of galaxies, formed? Or why the universe is expanding, and exactly how fast? Or how we can look at light from 13 billion years ago to tell us about the birth of the universe? Come to find out!


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
high-school level mathematics and physics, calculus is nice but not required
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 10:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sat 1:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 39 (max 40)
Section 2: Full! (max 40)


S16052: ADME stories of p̶a̶t̶h̶o̶l̶o̶g̶y̶ pharmacology
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Andrew Thompson

absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion An introduction to pharmacokinetics. How pharmaceuticals and other xenobiotics get in, get to where they need to be, and get removed from the body. The first half will cover the basics through examining the behavior and fate of some common cold medications. The second half will reinforce the first by examining the adventures of adverse or unwanted interactions, between medications, the host, and the environment.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
An understanding of basic biology and acid base chemistry is useful.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 1:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 64 (max 75)

Materials for this class include: ADME slides

S16137: Kitchen Alchemy
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Samuel Chen, Charis Ching, Fiona Shangguan

Is it Cooking or Chemistry? Step into our classroom, where an exciting blend of culinary arts meets chemical phenomena. In the course of an hour, you'll transform fresh fruit into Tanghulu, chill out by making ice cream in a bag, and fizz up lemonade. At the same time, we’ll learn about sugar crystallization, heat transfer, acids, bases, and carbonation. And don’t forget to get creative with homemade gummy worms, as sodium alginate reacts with calcium chloride to produce edible, stretchy shapes.


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
7 - 9
Enrollment
Section 1: 14 (max 15)


S16065: A simple way to analyze physical systems: dimensional analysis Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Michael Huang, Zhi Zheng Ong

S16109: Taste Twister: How Your Brain Rewrites Flavor Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Yahia Adla, Nina Garbarino

S16167: MIT EMS Ambulance Tour Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Julianna Lian, Matias Vergara

S16161: DNA Nanotechnology: Building Big with the Smallest Blocks
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Grace Ma, Marcela Silvera Tafur

DNA is the building block of life and a powerful tool in nanotechnology. Let’s unravel the nanoscale world of DNA! We’ll explore the research and techniques used in DNA nanotechnology. Get ready to discover how scientists fold DNA like origami, revolutionize drug delivery, and unlock many more wonders of the tiniest building blocks of life


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
One science class at the high school level
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--3:55pm
Section 2: Sat 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 30)
Section 2: 29 (max 30)


S16190: Cosmology: The Universe at Large Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Angelica Chin, Jared Machtinger

S16186: AI and the Future of Theoretical Physics
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Christian Ferko

Artificial intelligence is poised to be the most transformative technology of our lifetimes. Although AI has already dramatically affected several aspects of our day-to-day experience, it may surprise you that AI also has deep connections to theoretical physics -- indeed, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics went to two researchers for their work on neural networks!

In this talk, I will discuss the interesting connections between AI and my fields of quantum field theory and string theory. I will tell you a bit about my current job as a Junior Investigator at the ``AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions,'' a collaboration between MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, and Tufts which brings together scientists interested in the intersection between AI and physics. Finally, I will describe my vision for how AI might play a key role in the future of scientific research, driving innovation in all fields of study and radically transforming the way that we do science.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 3:05pm--3:55pm
Section 2: Sat 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 84 (max 551)
Section 2: 41 (max 551)

Materials for this class include: Slides

S16086: Fundamentals of Glaciology Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Thatcher Chamberlin, Max Filter

S16056: Let's Talk about the Weather! Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Avery Nguyen, Sarah Weidman

S16087: Use a Scanning Electron Microscope!! Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Anna Beck

S16154: Poivré: Everything You Need to Know about Peppers.
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Adam Simkins, Emilia Szczepaniak

Watch two college students miserably fail a spice challenge while lecturing you on the science of spiciness. Tears are guaranteed (tears of joy from you all, tears of pain for us). If that’s not enticing enough, we’ll also teach you some French. À bientôt!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 1:05pm--1:55pm
Section 2: Sat 5:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 75)
Section 2: 74 (max 75)

Materials for this class include: Class slides

S16071: Scandalous Science Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Michael Lee, Jakob Nielsen

S16115: The basics of mechano- and electrophysiology of the cardiovascular system.
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kaloyan Staykov

The heart is an essential organ in our body. It moves the blood around, thus keeping us alive. Have you ever wondered how our blood comes back into the heart, once being pumped towards our feet? Have you ever wondered how important the heart valves are? And what happens if something goes wrong? How can certain drugs help with heart problems? Let us dive deep into the mysteries of our cardiovascular system and explore pharmacological strategies to modulate certain heart functions.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Some basic knowledge about biology, physics and chemistry.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 10:05am--11:55am

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 48 (max 318)


S16176: Digging Deeper: Uncovering Earth's History
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli, Becca Mastrola

Travel back in time and explore the incredible story of our planet! Digging Deeper takes you on a journey through Earth's history, from its fiery beginnings to the rise and fall of ancient life. Learn how rocks, fossils, and landscapes hold clues to past climates, mass extinctions, and shifting continents. Discover the forces that have shaped Earth for billions of years and see how our planet continues to change today. If you love mysteries, time travel, and hands-on science, this crash course will help you uncover the secrets beneath your feet. Let’s dig into history!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 2:05pm--4:55pm
Section 2: Sun 9:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 43 (max 50)
Section 2: Full! (max 50)


S16188: The Strongest Force in the Universe Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Angelica Chin, Jared Machtinger

S16119: Histochemistry and special stains in pathology
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Andrew Thompson

A brief tour of the various chemical dyes and stains still used in the modern day pathology lab. By perusing images of tissue sections stained by a dozen or so separate dyes (often just two), a fantastic amount of biochemical information can be gleaned. Tissue changes due to disease or death alter the staining landscape and consequently, the gallery of images obtained through histology.

This will give us an excuse to discuss the underlying chemistry of the molecules the dyes stain; proteins, carbohydrates, DNA, RNA etc.

A sneaky way of introducing the student to biochemistry though the old fashioned light microscope.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
basic understanding of biology and chemistry. acid/base
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 10:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 63 (max 100)

Materials for this class include: Special stains atlas, Aligent special stain brochure, Nuclear stains

S16080: Quantum Gravity 101: From Matrices to Gravity to Strings to Nuclei Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Yongao Hu, Jiwoo Park

S16174: Exploring the Microcosmos! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Diya Agrawal, Alice Situ

S16108: Introduction to Global Health
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nupur Ballal, Sophia Chen, Oluwatomi Idowu

How do we guarantee medical care for all? Should vaccinations be mandatory? How should we distribute resources if our medical system is under stress? Is it possible to balance protecting our economy, our environment, and our citizens? Physicians, scientists, politicians and advocates work tirelessly to promote global health equity—but how? In this class, we’ll learn about how we can work towards achieving equal, accessible, and quality care for all—and what that means globally.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 12:05pm--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 8
Enrollment
Section 1: 20 (max 30)


S16139: The Science of Chocolate
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Mouhammad Seck

Do you like chocolate? of course you do. There's science in how chocolate is made and that science is cool. you should come to our class and learn about chocolate science. from the laboratory for chocolate science.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
None.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 11:05am--11:55am
Section 2: Sun 12:05pm--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 50)
Section 2: 48 (max 50)


S16084: magnets: how do they work?
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Christopher Miller, Gustavo Velez

Can you hear a magnet? Can you see a spin? What is the field in the nucleus of an iron atom? Why do our magnets explode if we don't feed them $4000 of liquid helium every year? Answers to all these questions and more!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 11:05am--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 54 (max 100)


S16195: Beyond Chernobyl: Obscure Nuclear Disasters
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Violet Cato, Sean Tynan

The history of Nuclear Physics is full of shining accomplishments and tragic accidents. In this course, we will discuss the obscure accounts of nuclear accidents and mishaps ranging from test reactor explosions to lost sources. We will discuss the what and the why, diving into the physics of how a nuclear reactor works and what can go wrong.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Students with an understanding of calculus will get more out of this class
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 9:05am--9:55am
Section 2: Sun 1:05pm--1:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 100)
Section 2: 85 (max 100)


S16053: The Psychology of Superheroes: Understanding the Minds of Fictional Heroes and Villains Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Shabari Shankar

S16187: Visual Physics Simulations Using Python
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Angelica Chin, Jared Machtinger

A rapid introduction to simulating and animating physical systems in Python. In the first half, we'll introduce the programming and physics concepts we need. In the second half, we'll make a simulation of a bouncing ball, with time for you to play around and make things more interesting! No prior experience in programming or physics required, although the class may be challenging if you have no background in either.


Class Style
Activity

Prerequisites
A gmail account (specifically, it has to be gmail). If this poses a problem, we can work around it.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 1:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 22 (max 25)


S16170: Plant Adaptations Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Fatima Nasir Abbasi, Katie Kitzinger

S16153: A Guide for the Urban Astronomer
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Michael Huang, Zhi Zheng Ong

This class can hopefully convince you that even a bright city sky can’t dim your fascination with the stars - whether you’re in 7th grade or getting ready to graduate, you’ll learn how to use star charts, cool smartphone apps, and simple binoculars to find everything from the Moon’s craters to clusters of distant suns. Imagine stepping outside on a busy evening and confidently pointing out constellations and spotting all the different planets in our neighborhood, even with streetlights glowing all around you - think about the aura points you can gain!

With plenty of hands-on activities and applied physical intuition, you’ll quickly discover that you don’t need to live out in the countryside to fall in love with astronomy. You’ll track the Moon’s phases, explore the history and myths behind the stars, and get a glimpse into the scale of our universe and what all the astronomers are talking about. Best of all, you’ll develop valuable scientific skills and a new sense of wonder, all while looking up at a night sky that’s a little closer than you might think.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 1:05pm--2:55pm
Section 2: Sun 10:05am--11:55am
Section 3: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 45)
Section 2: 42 (max 45)
Section 3: Full! (max 50)


S16175: Shooting for the Stars: Notable Women in Physics Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Sophie Vulpe

S16081: Statistical mechanics of 2D ice: the six-vertex model.
Difficulty: ****
Teachers: Sophie Li, Dhruv Shah

Exact results are exceedingly rare in physics. An important exactly soluble model, originally designed to model 2D ice, is the six-vertex model.
For a system with macroscopically large number of degrees of freedom, getting 'exact solution' implies that we will exactly diagonalize the Hamiltonian. This will be done using a powerful technique known as the Bethe Ansatz. We then take suitable limits to extract relevant thermodynamic properties of the system.
A very unique thermodynamic property of ice is that it has nonzero entropy at absolute zero temperature. The principal result we obtain in this class will be this residual entropy of 2D ice.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
A solid understanding of Linear algebra, good understanding of Calculus; and decent understanding of probability theory is needed. Prior exposure to statistical mechanics is recommended but not necessary.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 1:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 9 (max 50)


S16140: phonetics 101: how to pronounce anything (ft. many funny noises) Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Emme Cai, sovannjet lim
Materials for this class include: lecture notes

S16083: The Atom: Theory and Experiment
Difficulty: ***
Teachers: Christopher Miller, Gustavo Velez

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics with an opportunity to get up close and personal with real experimental apparatuses. Some live data collection and analysis included.


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Familiarity with algebra II, statistics, or high school chemistry are useful but not required.
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 2:05pm--3:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 40 (max 100)


S16135: Crystals and Crystallography Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Lisa Maiocco

S16149: The vacuum: how low can you go? Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Christopher Miller, Gustavo Velez

S16054: Introduction to Perturbation Theory in Physics
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Brennen Black

Textbooks are full of easy derivations which utilize many assumptions to achieve an answer using as basic of mathematics as possible. Often times these assumptions are not realistic, and therefore these solutions aren't of practical use. What, then, are the purpose of these solutions? How, if possible, can these solutions be used to extract information from real-world systems? The answer is through perturbation theory! This theoretical framework is a mathematical tool that is highly robust and can be applied to a large variety of systems in fields like classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and astrophysics. It can be both mathematically rigorous and application-based, making it a perfect tool for those interested in theoretical and experimental fields. To any prospective physics majors, this is something that you will definitely use in your undergraduate classes, so get ahead and gain some exposure!


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
Understanding of differential and integral calculus is strongly recommended, though there will be some review at the beginning of the lecture. Exposure to Fourier series and second order ordinary differential equations will be helpful, but the concept will be covered in the lecture.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 4:05pm--5:55pm
Section 2: Sat 3:05pm--4:55pm
Section 3: Sun 1:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 26 (max 30)
Section 2: 19 (max 30)
Section 3: 5 (max 30)


S16107: Introduction to Global Health Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nupur Ballal, Oluwatomi Idowu, Ivyann Shen

S16142: what's in a name? the nature of scientific terms
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Kyle Williams, sovannjet lim

literally just me yapping about a variety of pretty distinct topics in math and linguistics (as well as touching on chemistry, food, and a few other subjects), unified by the common theme that words' popular usages often differ from their scientific definitions.

everything is a tangent in this class; for many of the examples, we will go into detail that is absolutely not necessary to understand the main point, purely because i think they're interesting and want to share them in detail.

math topics include sets and complex numbers; linguistics topics include classification of nouns and verbs.


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 5:05pm--5:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 140 (max 143)


S16120: Stupid human tricks
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Andrew Thompson

We'll cover some of the more unusual examples of how the human body can be an example of exquisite functional design or completely stupid fail. From here I hope to encourage discussion and question and answer of any bodily myth, mystery, or ailment. Topics such as: Our weak backs, a penchant for atherosclerosis, the valgus knee and why this tells you Bigfoot has to be a guy in a furry suit. etc


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 12:05pm--12:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 74 (max 75)
(Closed)
Materials for this class include: class slides, Rabbit secrets

Social Studies

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Z16117: Transit Map Tierlist Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Conner Shelton, Andrew Zhou

Z16077: Weird Elections
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Conner Shelton, Andrew Zhou

How did a bunch of teenagers run for Governor? What happens if one of the presidential candidates... dies? Is it possible to lose against nobody? What do you do if your candidate is a part of a cult? How does an election get 1000% turnout? What even *is* going on in the UK?

Come and find the answers to these questions and more, as we explore some of the weirdest elections to have ever occured in global politics.


Class Style
Seminar
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sat 12:05pm--12:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 121 (max 318)


Z16055: Europe Does Not Exist: learn the art of making conspiracy theories Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Saranesh Prembabu, Vijeta Saini

Z16089: Help Solve Climate Change!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: John Gage

We know the technical changes needed for a relatively safe climate future: reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and reduce CO2 in the air below 350 ppm by 2100. The cheapest, fairest, and most comprehensive way to address the underlying climate pollution problem is to fix the market's failure to account for the costs of the pollution in prices with a three-part solution called Carbon Fee and Dividend. The fee makes it powerful, the dividend makes it equitable, and the associated border adjustments will push it around the world. Congress can move us halfway to achieving our 1.5˚C warming limit goal and make the remaining work easier to do with this one piece of legislation.

This will fundamentally change incentives throughout the US economy, so there is strong resistance from those who profit from the status quo. Is it possible to break the logjam and save ourselves? Can any of us do anything to help address the most significant existential crisis human civilization has ever faced? Yes, we can!

Each of us can take effective action in this pivotal moment in history, just as people in past generations achieved women's suffrage, civil rights, and same-sex marriage through collective action movements. Ordinary citizens advocating together for change is our last, best hope to avoid climate catastrophe. The CFD Movement has begun. Your part in it begins now!


Class Style
Lecture
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm
Section 2: Sat 10:05am--11:55am

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 68 (max 75)
Section 2: 19 (max 75)


Z16074: Intro to Political Theory: Democracy and Capitalism
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Nathan Collett, Megan Finnigan, Hannah Rajput

This class is an introduction to the study of political theory, which asks: Are capitalism and democracy compatible? Are they in conflict? We will use his contemporary problem to understand how academics develop ideas and arguments about politics. This seminar will involve a short lecture on contributions to this problem by both classical and contemporary theorists, followed by an interactive workshop focused on constructing compelling analytical arguments via discussion and written expression.


Class Style
Seminar
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 1:05pm--2:55pm
Section 2: Sat 4:05pm--5:55pm
Section 3: Sun 9:05am--10:55am

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 8 (max 90)
Section 2: 47 (max 90)
Section 3: 34 (max 90)


Z16180: Game Theory & Real Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Ben Sena

Real Life is downright complicated! What can we learn from simple models of common interactions and conflicts? Let's observe and explore how incentives and strategies in simple games can illuminate some of the world's most entrenched challenges.


Class Style
Activity
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sat 1:05pm--1:55pm
Section 2: Sun 11:05am--11:55am
Section 3: Sun 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
10 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: Full! (max 10)
Section 2: 9 (max 10)
Section 3: Full! (max 10)


Z16111: This is Democracy Manifest
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Roy Wang, Andrew Zhou

Elections can be a complex mess - and half the time it seems like there just aren't any good options! There's got to be something better... right?

Join us as we explore all the different voting systems not only across the United States, but across the world - and see how we can make our elections more fair and more representative of the people


Class Style
Lecture

Prerequisites
This is NOT a math course (a la Demockracy) - we'll discuss some of the theorems of social choice, but will not take time to rigorously prove or apply them.
Meeting Times
Section 1: Sun 1:05pm--1:55pm
Section 2: Sun 2:05pm--2:55pm

Grades
9 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 42 (max 75)
Section 2: 58 (max 75)


Z16145: What Makes Taiwan Taiwan? A Crash Course on Taiwan's History, Culture, and People Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Vivian Hir

Z16102: Jobs of Future- a discussion while knitting scarf
Difficulty: *
Teachers: Pranjal Umesh Kalekar

Watching the rise of AI, content creation, health consciousness, and food awareness has made all of us question what kinds of jobs will arise in the future—so why not have a discussion about it together?

Come join in and put your thoughts into words about a position you might be thinking about subconsciously—gauge others' opinions on it, hone your perspective more practically, and maybe you'll end up finding a startup partner for your idea or even discovering a better idea altogether.

There will be targeted prompts to get an all-around perspective on the positions everyone has in mind so that we don’t lose out on anything.

I am teaching a class at MIT—I can knit—so why not offer something extra and make use of fidgeting while discussing? There will be printed instructions on knitting a scarf during class, along with materials. This part of the class is completely voluntary.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to take the scarf with you at the end—it’s purely for fidgeting purposes.


Class Style
Discussion

Prerequisites
english language
Meeting Time
Section 1: Sun 3:05pm--4:55pm

Grades
7 - 12
Enrollment
Section 1: 112 (max 200)


Z16181: Game Theory & Real Life Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers: Ben Sena