Self-explanatory. Actually though, the answer is a single kind of bacteria!! But that leaves some mysteries in the air :0 1) How does the squid pick only the bacteria that it wants?? Bacteria are so small and there are so many everywhere? 2) How do the bacteria glow? Like actually? 3) Why?????? 4) And my favorite: a single bacteria glowing isn't enough for anyone to see, but it would be a waste for it to use those resources all of the time. So how does it know when it has enough friends to make big lights? This is called quorum sensing, and this entire class is an excuse to talk about it. P.S. this is not about Splatoon. It's about Hawaiian bobtail squids.

Microbes, organisms that can only been seen through a microscope, are everywhere. They were the first forms of life on Earth, made and continue to make the Earth a space that we can live in, and they hold the trophy for being the most abundant and diverse organisms out there. There are microbes living 4 miles underground and at heights taller than Mount Everest, or at 130 degrees Celsius, or in 12.8 pH acids, or at pressures of 2000 atmospheres, or under extreme radiation. So microbes is thriving everywhere you look (including in your eyes!), so let’s talk about them! How do they work? How can we study them if they’re so small? What do they do that we can learn from?

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 :)

I think this world would be a better place if we all spent a bit more time creating happy little trees <3 In this walk-in, I'll show a Bob Ross painting video and we'll all follow along at home! Use a piece of paper and some markers, fancy paints and a canvas, or a basic digital drawing tool - whatever you can find! Remember, the journey is more important than the final product :) $$\textbf{This is a walk-in activity; you can drop in and out of this class at will.}$$

All of middle school algebra from the very beginning, when letters like "x" and "y" are first introduced. All the most relevant things. you need to succeed in high school math and beyond. Great for learning it for the first time, or for finally addressing things you find confusing, like fractions!

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

Ever wanted to learn how music works and how to write music that sounds good? In this class, we'll teach you music theory. We'll show you how to analyze pieces of music, and you'll also write your very own compositions!

Microbes are everywhere. They were the first forms of life on Earth, did and continue to make the Earth habitable, and they're some of the most abundant and diverse organisms out there. There are microbes 4 miles underground and at heights taller than Mount Everest. There are microbes living at 130 degrees Celsius, or in 12.8 pH acids, or at pressures of 2000 atmospheres, or under extreme radiation. So microbes are cool, but they're also invisible to the naked eye. How do we study them? One of the most used methods is through the power of DNA and computers! But how does this analysis work? Once you've pulled a mess of DNA out of a bucket of ocean water, what do you do then?

You think whether something boils is just based on how hot it is? Then why does ice at $$0^{\circ} \text{C} (32^{\circ} \text{F})$$ ​boil on Mars?? If you take this class, you will learn how you can get liquid water on your stove *above* its 'boiling point'., why it's easier to boil water on Mt. Everest than in Boston (as of this writing), and how I can get a glass of water to boil, freeze, and melt, all at the same time!

Failing sucks. It's really just a horrible feeling. It usually feels like the end of the world, or even like a sign that you never should have tried at all. One of the worst parts is that you know that you'll fail in the future. No matter how amazing someone is, they'll inevitably fail, probably thousands of times in their lifetime. But it's one thing to say that or be told that, and another when you fail yourself. Failing just sucks, and perfectionism (the desire for everything you do to be perfect) can make every little thing feel like a failure. But one reason that failure is so hard to deal with is that you've probably never practiced! Here, we'll go through some different exercises to practice messing up in front of the class. It'll be a mess of typos and bad drawings and mispronounced, stumbled sentences, and you'll walk out hopefully a little little more comfortable with mitsakes!