Enjoy a break for lunch with your friends! Please register for at least one lunch period on each day of the program.

Learn how to design and create mobile applications for the android platform.


Prerequisites
Experience with some form of "smart" device is preferred, but not necessary.

This course goes over how to create a basic Android App starting from scratch by going through the actual code involved.


Prerequisites
Programming experience (Java preferred).

Computational Thinking and Problem Solving using Python.

All though this course is based around the programming language Python, it is not a programming course. Instead, this course will focus on using Python to explore an idea called computational thinking, a problem solving method that uses computer science techniques. While other programming classes will be about learning programming to build applications, mine will focus on problem solving for the sake of solving problems. If you're the type of person who enjoys puzzles or can't stop thinking about a problem until you have a solution, this will be your type of class.

The first part of the class will be focusing on learning Python syntax, so you have all the tools for problem solving. The next part will be focused on functional programming, focusing on creating functions to serve specific needs. There will also be some discussion on recursion, because recursion is awesome (though not in practice).

After all that formality is out of the way, I'll give tips on computational problem solving, and after that students are free to go off finding problems they find interesting to solve while I go around to help with any questions. If there is time left over, I can go over more interesting things one can do with python, including Visual Python (graphics library for Python) or SAGE (Computer Algebra System programmable in Python).

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If you would like to get ahead, download the appropriate version of Python on your computer from this link: http://www.python.org/getit/releases/3.3.2/

(NOTE: We are using Python 3, because it is better than Python 2. That is definitely not an opinion.)

In addition, you could read this simple tutorial I wrote a while ago. I will go over all of this in class, but it's always helpful to read something before you get lectured on it (at least that's what I've found). Sorry for the crudity of it, you can look up other tutorials too: http://people.brandeis.edu/~aboudaie/python.html

Or you just wait until class starts, see you then! If you have any questions or just want to say hi, email me at aboudaie@brandeis.edu.


Prerequisites
Algebra 1 strongly recommended but not required. Laptops also strongly suggested, if you do not bring one I cannot guarantee that you will have a place to practice.

I will talk about how to deal with lost data, slow computers, viruses, replacing broken hardware, water spills and more.


Prerequisites
None. Basic knowledge of Windows and/or MACs is helpful.

Suppose I have a hotel with infinitely many rooms all in a row, all of which are full. If another person shows up, can I find away to rearrange people so that the newcomer has a room? What if I have infinitely many new people who need rooms?

Are there more integers or natural numbers? More real numbers or natural numbers? Are there multiple sizes of infinity, or just one?

Interested in infinity? Ever wondered about questions like these? Want to spend an hour learning cool stuff to stretch your mind? Then come take this class!

(We'll cover definitions and some proofs, but the focus will be on gaining a more intuitive understanding of mind-blowing math versus mathematical rigor.)

Suppose I have a hotel with infinitely many rooms all in a row, all of which are full. If another person shows up, can I find away to rearrange people so that the newcomer has a room? What if I have infinitely many new people who need rooms?

Are there more integers or natural numbers? More real numbers or natural numbers? Are there multiple sizes of infinity, or just one?

Interested in infinity? Ever wondered about questions like these? Want to spend an hour learning cool stuff to stretch your mind? Then come take this class!

(We'll cover definitions and some proofs, but the focus will be on gaining a more intuitive understanding of mind-blowing math versus mathematical rigor.)

A course on Limits, derivatives, and Integrals giving you vital knowledge to understand the world around you.


Prerequisites
Pre-calc. Though we may go over a bit of pre-calc beforehand.

Join us on a journey to uncover the secrets of our nervous system - everything from neurons and glia to the organization of the brain and how that affects you as a person!

We rely on our eyes every day to make sense of our world, but did you know our eyes send our brains upside-down images of what we "see." Come join us as we explore our visual system and uncover tricks behind mind-bending optical illusions!

In 1948, smog descended on Donora, Pennsylvania. In less than three days, twenty people died and over a third of the town was sick; mortality rates were significantly higher than surrounding towns for many years. Smogs like this (usually) don't happen in the US anymore, because back when Congress was functional it passed this wonderful thing called the Clean Air Act.

The CAA regulates airborne pollutants from asthma-causing O$_3$ and PM to acid-rain-forming SO$_2$. This class will focus on the atmospheric science of air pollution, framed by the legal and regulatory structures set up to deal with it.

Students will learn about the importance of DNA and its general structure. We also will be extracting DNA from bananas!


Prerequisites
Recommended for students who have not taken high school biology or any higher level biology classes.

Biology is all around us, but do we truly understand what it is? In this course, we will discuss the basics of Biology and how it may relate to modern medicine, animal behaviors, and the genetic code. Last part of class will involve mapping out career paths in science.

No previous knowledge required. Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes while your doctor decides on a diagnosis from your X-ray? This class explores the use of X-rays in the medical field and is applicable to anyone with an interest in science, medicine, or just a general desire to learn something new! Students will leave this class with a general knowledge of how X-ray machines work and what types of materials (tissue, fluid, bone, metal) they see when they view X-rays at their doctor’s office. We will be going through real-life examples of X-rays taken of wildlife patients at the New England Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. By the end of this class, students will be prepared to read X-rays and postulate about the health status of the patient.

This writing seminar focuses on the narrative process behind creative non-fiction and is geared for students who have had experiences working in a health-care setting. The course calls into question the goals of volunteerism and touches on the broader social, economic, and cultural implications of “doing good” locally and abroad. After exploring the complexity of the experience, writing techniques to enrich narration will be explored. This class will be especially useful for those interested in applying for summer programs and eventually college applications.

We carry our brain, our minds into different mediums and situations. We often forget that we do not bring our minds there but rather that our mind brings us there. Learn how the state of mind separates us from doing the things we do or do not do: motivation, optimism, ambition, law of attraction, nurture vs. nature, risk-taking and how societies and companies search for people on the same wavelength to build a mastermind.

The United States' focus on negative reproductive rights controversies has greatly limited the positive reproductive rights discourse in America simply by use of language. This course focuses expanding what “reproductive rights” mean by exploring reproductive rights in a global context. This course touches on women’s economic rights, as well as the status of positive reproductive health rights in America: primarily the lack of access to public assistive reproduction technologies and parental leave. We will consider limitations to policy improvement and we will consider why women’s reproduction is socially considered an impediment in her economic and work-related successes. International policy comparisons will provide for an informative discussion on whether the “reproductive rights” narrative in America limits women’s options and limits strategies for expanding upon a more parent-friendly work environment for both sexes. Statistics and discipline specific vocabulary will be addressed for audience’s participation.

Over the course of an hour, students will learn the basics of essay writing through in class discussion, a powerpoint, games, and individual work. It will be fun and enjoyable!

In an hour, we will dive into the world of metaphors, similes, imagery, and personification, defining these word puzzles and learning how to identify and use them.

Curious about one of the most complicated langage - Chinese? This is the right place for you. This course will provide some basic expression of Chinese on both speaking and writing.

The Wire by David Simon was one the most well-researched and well-developed series of all time. The series allowed for an in-depth look at Baltimore's inner city turmoil through the eyes of the vindicator James McNulty, who sought to achieve justice by any means necessary. On the other side, stands the notorious Avon Barksdale, whose drug empire envelops the entirety Western Baltimore, yet passionately cares for his family. This course seeks analyze these characters in-depth, and will be mostly discussion oriented.

Want to be a doctor? Are you or have you ever been a patient? How does the healthcare system even work in this country?

The United States has one of the most complex and expensive healthcare systems in the world. What is the Affordable Care Act and how does it affect both you and your family? This course will give you a general understanding of the American healthcare system.

Introduces an online team-based game called League of Legends. Players are placed into a 5-man team and pitted against another 5-man team in the race to destroy their opponent's Nexus. Each player can choose from a variety of different characters, called champions, and play different roles in their team. To win a match, each team MUST WORK TOGETHER through a series of Turrets placed along a path to each base, referred to as a lane, and destroy the nexus. Strategies, teamwork, and personal skills all play a role in winning a match. We will also look at the roles champions play that constitute a standard team. This course intends to teach about the League of Legends gaming phenomenon and the significance of teamwork.


Prerequisites
Have an interest in League of Legends and value for teamwork.

We would like to facilitate an exploration into the idea of "cultural acupuncture," taking where people have passions and energy and making that community service, outreach, and activism. We want to begin our hour with a TedX talk by Andrew Slack that describes how people who were moved by a story and used that story to get people excited about the world's need for improvement. We want to facilitate a discussion among our participants that focuses on how they can get other people enthusiastic about and involved in fighting for causes they care about. We want to end with a writing activity in which these participants can write their own story that engages an audience in such a way that convinces them of the need to fight for that cause in a way that this audience will get excited about their cause.


Prerequisites
none!

This course will include the basic Economic concepts, such as market system, scarcity and mechanisms for determining prices and allocating resources.

Morality is one of the most defining characteristic of human species that separates us from other mammals. But do we even understand what it is? Philosophers have tried and failed to define Morality for thousands of years. In this class, we shall dive into a discussion about basic moral theories.


Prerequisites
An Open Mind

We use our eyes to orient ourselves in the world constantly. Yet we rarely take the time to look deeper and we end up missing out on a lot of wonderful and useful things.

Join us for a session of taking a close look at some art using a method called Visual Thinking Strategies, in which everyone is an active participant. Discussion about how practicing VTS can benefit everyone - from the scientist to the artist and from the experienced to the beginner - will follow.


Prerequisites
None.

This class explores the purpose of meditation and the practice of mindfulness meditation. Basic elements of mindfulness include quieting the mind with a concentrative focus on the breath (or other "anchor") and awakening a mindful and compassionate awareness of all dimensions of our experience.

Please wear comfortable clothes.
Optional: bring a pillow or cushion.


Prerequisites
None.

Have any questions about the college admissions process? College life in general? Please join us for an informal Q&A session! Refreshments will be provided. :)