The immune system plays many different roles in the body, from wound healing, to cancer prevention, to fighting off infectious organisms — but how does it learn how to do all these things? In this class we’ll discuss initial formation of the immune system and immune cells during fetal development and early childhood, as well as changes during adulthood and aging, including genetic and environmental contributors to all of the above. Throughout, we’ll try to incorporate discussion of how knowledge was discovered, not just the conclusions, and touch on some of the interesting open questions today.

Let's design a DIY biology project together! You'll learn some of the basic steps in choosing a goal or question, planning/designing experiments, analyzing the results, and tools and resources to help you out along the way. As a group, we'll decide on a topic to focus on (ex: making a genetically engineered organism, analyzing the microbiome, creating a new and brighter fluorescent protein). Depending on the project, we can analyze real data and help build the skills to start you on your way towards actually carrying it out in a real lab!

Would you like to know more about the ways in which we care for the sick and try to keep healthy? This course will provide a survey of how the practice of medicine has changed over time. We'll also cover both scientific and societal aspects of medicine in the present day, including healthcare economics, the Affordable Care Act, preventive medicine, molecular diagnostics, and the UN Millennium Development goals. Throughout the course, we'll consider what aspects of healthcare continue to remain challenging and discuss new difficulties which have arisen over time as well as the many great improvements. Brief readings will be assigned. Recommended grade level is 10-12, but motivated 7-9 are welcome to join!

Have you ever wanted to know how the 1918 flu spread so quickly, why some viruses make you sick immediately while others surface only after weeks or months, and why the creation of a mutant virus that can spread from ferret to ferret has public health and national security officials worried? We'll discuss these topics and more while showing you how to make your own take-home virus plushie toy.

Have you ever wanted to know how the 1918 flu spread so quickly, why some viruses make you sick immediately while others surface only after weeks or months, and why the creation of a mutant virus that can spread from ferret to ferret has public health and national security officials worried? Learn all of this and more - (non disease causing) treats provided! Taught by MIT Team HBV.

Have you ever wanted to know how the 1918 flu spread so quickly, why some viruses make you sick immediately while others surface only after weeks or months, and why the creation of a mutant virus that can spread from ferret to ferret has public health and national security officials worried? Learn all of this and more - (non disease causing) treats provided! Taught by MIT Team HBV.