Greetings! Conlang-ing is the art of creating languages by hand. "Conlang" is a compound noun, short for "Constructed language". Some you might recognize are Esperanto, Lojban, Loglan, Klingon, Vulcan, Dothraki, and a myriad of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. This class is for those who a desire to learn more about linguistics (the study of languages) and create their own languages. This has been run before as a quick crash-course in previous ESP Splash! events, but this will be a more thorough course that will take the time to go step by step through language creation. Over the 6 weeks of the course, we'll learn and practice the four major components of conlang-ing... - Phonetics (sounds) - Graphics (visuals, writing systems) - Semantics (word structure and functionality) - Syntactics (grammar and cohesive meaning) ...and put them into practice in two ways: - as a class (contributing to an ESP conlang collaboratively) - in groups/individually (on whatever your heart desires personally) We'll take a look at famous and impactful conlangs, learn to understand the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), and make a lot of weird sounds as we struggle to pronounce unusual consonants :P Looking forward to seeing you in class! Violet Z. Cato (:

Greetings! This is a class for anyone from a total beginner to someone with a little bit of programming experience to learn good fundamentals and get a strong intro to programming. We'll talk through all the core concepts you need to know, and do lots of practice problems both individually and as a class to get firsthand experience applying them. We'll be looking at both procedural programming (via Python) and object-oriented programming (via Java). Is it important that you bring a device that is internet capable if at all possible (there will be some laptops as well), as we'll accessing our practice problems via browser. Looking forward to seeing you in class! Violet Z. Cato (:

This is a walk in activity where students with extra time can come to play the board games Stratego and Battleship (:

Bring your projects to the next level! This class will teach you how to digitally design parts in 3D. We will give a brief overview of 3D printing, laser cutting, and machining, and learn how each process is different for a designer. By the end, students will be understand how to design basic parts for their own projects. We will be using the online CAD program OnShape

Learn about natural and artificial sources of radiation, and how they appear in your everyday life. This class covers the uses, dangers, and scientific interest of radiation and radioactive material.

How to write a novel? You don't - you rewrite one. He are a short points to "kill your babies" - because the first to realize is the a novel is that is not for you, but your audience. This is how to reach them.

Have you ever wanted to invent your very own language? With the power of science (linguistics), we are going to make that happen! This class will be a combination of lecturing and hands-on activities. You'll get the opportunity to work alone or with a small group to create a simple conlang (constructed language) and practice speaking it. We will study: - Phonetics - The IPA - Writing systems - Grammar - Languages from around the world We will take a look at many languages, both natural and constructed, and learn to choose sounds, create a writing system, build a grammatical system, and speak our invented languages!

Do you want to write code? Getting into programming can be very intimidating. Whether you're totally new or somewhat experienced, we start from the ground up and look at everything you'll need. We'll discuss: - types and advantages of different languages - logic gates - syntax - errors & debugging - good code: elegance & polymrophism ...and plenty more. In this class you'll get the opportunity to learn everything you need to start writing code, and get to try it out yourself, writing simple programs in Java and/or Python. (=

Have you always had a knack for building redstone contraptions? Has this part of Minecraft always eluded you? Whichever camp you fall into, there's room for some fun engineering for you in this class. We'll be exploring redstone engineering in Minecraft as a way to understand concepts of electrical engineering and programming, like logic gates. We'll also be learning to make way cooler stuff in Minecraft, just for the sake of Minecraft.

Inspired by the beloved "5 minute lectures on whatever you want", this class aims to be a casual and fun way to explore science topics in a tangential and meandering way. We'll follow whatever line of questioning strikes our collective fancy and have a great time learning some new things. For example, we might start at "Why are plants green?" and visit optical visits, talk about additive and subtractive color systems, discuss the mechanisms of photosynthesis, and so on. We'll take questions from the audience and keep it light. If you want to learn some new things and move fast through a bunch of topics in a lighter setting, sign up! ((:

Every want to play tri-dimensional chess, from Star Trek? Ever take an interest in '5 dimensional chess with mutliverse time travel?' We won't be doing any time travel during this class (probably), but we will be using chess and board games to explore the math of higher dimensional geometry. We'll also just be playing chess in 3, 4, and 5 dimensions because it's very fun and cool. <3

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.

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

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.

In this class we'll be learning and practicing the craft of "conlang"-ing. Con-langs are 'constructed languages', that rather than evolve naturally, are carefully designed by people. Klingon, Esperanto, Lojban, and Toki Pona are all examples worth googling. In this class you'll learn how to create your very own completely functional language, and get the opportunity to create one. We'll talk about: - The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) - Worldbuilding and how it relates to languages - Klingon - Esperanto - Loglan / Lojban - Toki Pona - Phonemes - Graphemes - Vowels - Manner of articulation - Place of articulation and more! Looking forward to conlang-ing with you! :D

Writing a story is something they really do not teach you because the writing of a short story is creative. That being said there are tools of the trade. And that's this class: openings, Chekhov's Gun, plot, Drawing Characters. Story writing takes time. Continue here.

The goal of this course is to play some Dungeons & Dragons, and learn while doing it! We'll be playing D&D 5E (Fifth Edition), and talking about literature and math. More specifically, Game Theory - the study of playing games and making smart decisions, and World-building, the art of inventing compelling fictional worlds.

What is role-playing? It is a group activity we you and your friend take on roles of characters to advance a plot. But there are things that you learn in class such as worldbuilding, statistics, and game theory. This is a chance to have fun and learn things as well. This session will be for Dungeons and Dragons 5e and a world called "Archipelago."

What is role-playing? It is a group activity we you and your friend take on roles of characters to advance a plot. But there are things that you learn in class such as worldbuilding, statistics, and game theory. This is a chance to have fun and learn things as well. This session will run Classic Traveller during the Third Imperium ca. 1105.