One Course Summer Institute Course Descriptions
Courses offered for the 2024 One Course Summer Institute. Each student enrolling for the summer institute will select one immersive course for the duration of the institute.
17 Days Later: Zombies, Brains and Basic Neurocience
Associate Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Neuroscience
Steven Neese
What makes a zombie brain tick? Why are zombies always so hungry? Can you escape this class with enough knowledge to survive a zombie apocalypse? The days are numbered …
This course will be a journey into the human brain through the exploration of the behavioral changes seen in classic zombies. By examining the pop culture that has influenced researchers to discuss brain science in the context of an “undead world,” students will be introduced to the major functions of the human brain and apply that knowledge to how they could survive a fictional “zombie world.”
Lab and classroom activities will include:
- exploration of brain structure through dissection of sheep brains
- establishing learning patterns in flatworms and measuring any saved memory in a “zombie worm”
- viewing Night of the Living Dead (1968) as a critical study of zombie behavior
- critical analysis of Hollywood zombies through a “neuroscience lens.” What do they get right? Wrong? What could they do better?
What students take away for high school and college work:
- experience conducting and documenting lab processes and procedures at a college level
- an understanding of the introductory principles of neuroscience
- practice incorporating lab work and cultural references to form critical analysis
No prerequisites
Chemistry and the Kitchen: Should We Be Wearing Goggles?
Laboratory Instructor and Lecturer in Chemistry, Andrea Pionek
Do you know that everything is a chemical? Do you know the difference between baking soda and washing soda? Do you know the difference between cream of tartar and tartaric acid? Why are certain cabbages purple not green? Why does bread rise? And what makes it smell so good?!
In this class, you will spend some time in the chemistry lab to synthesize your own alum, a common leavening agent, and design your own experiment to test its usefulness in the kitchen, or the dye pot, or in the bathroom—it's kind of a jack-of-all-trades chemical. You will also get to spend some time in a real kitchen where you will be able to eat your experiments. Why are cookies crunchy or chewy? Will baked goods rise better with ‘chemical’ or ‘biological’ leavening agents?
Lab and classroom activities will include:
- synthesizing chemicals in a laboratory setting
- designing your own experiments to test the chemical properties with wet-lab techniques
- learning how to use modern instrumental methods such as using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)—uses plasma! Hotter than the surface of the sun!
- comparing the qualities of chemical vs. biological leavening agents for optimal performance
What students take away for high school and college work:
- experience conducting and documenting lab processes and procedures at a college level
- appropriate use of significant figures—how many places after the decimal are too many or too few, units—a good practice so you don’t crash a Mars rover someday
- an understanding of laboratory safety measures and why goggles are great
- experience working with high-tech laboratory equipment to complete chemical analysis
Allergen warning: we will be using wheat flour, eggs, plant and animal fats, possibly peanuts, and milk in our shared kitchen laboratory setting. If students prefer a vegan or gluten-free recipe they are welcome to bring one and add to the experiments as long as they can be around those allergens.
No prerequisites
Experimental Drawing: Making a Mark
Lecturer in Studio Art, Sandy Dyas
What is traditionally considered to be a ‘good’ drawing is often a drawing that looks like an object. In this course, the traditional idea of ‘good’ drawing does not exist. Experimental drawing is about process and experimentation. You might think your drawings are gibberish or scribbles that make no sense–not true, this is how you will learn about art and who you are as an artist. Drawing is both a sensory and physical activity.
We will examine drawing’s expanded definition within multiple dimensions, looking at examples ranging from Cy Twombly’s lines to Joan Jonas’ drawings of her dog. We will use our bodies to make marks. Projects will focus directly on the spirit of creativity and process. We will expand our understanding of drawing beyond observational and perceptual frameworks to incorporate chance, collaboration, and time through experimental techniques and approaches using a variety of drawing media.
Studio and classroom activities will include:
- hands-on exploration of a variety of physical media to make marks without any expectation of perfection
- examination of the definition of drawing within multiple dimensions
- exploration of artists, theories, history, and practice using drawing, photography, video, installation, and performance.
What students take away for high school and college work:
- an appreciation and understanding of art, especially drawing
- methods to explore your creativity and expression of ideas through non-verbal communication
- experience pushing boundaries, opening yourself up to process and experimentation in art
- increased self-confidence through focus, problem-solving, and discipline.
No prerequisites
Explorations in Engineering
Assistant Professor of Engineering, Danielle Grimes
Learn how to think like an engineer through a variety of hands-on projects that solve real-world problems with your own innovative solutions. We will use Newtonian physics, thermodynamics, and the engineering design process to explore projectile motion and harness solar energy. Your explorations will help you understand the basics of how to engineer a solution, then you’ll work with other students to build your own devices and test whether they work.
Lab and classroom activities will include:
- exploration of engineering design processes
- working in collaborative teams to solve problems
- introduction to CAD design software
- building and printing 3D models
What students take away for high school and college work:
- an understanding of basic physics concepts
- an understanding of basic thermodynamics concepts
- practical application of quantitative reasoning skills
- experience in an engineering lab environment
No prerequisites
Explore engineering at Cornell.
Life Inspires Art: Writer’s Workshop
Distinguished Visiting Writer, Linda Oatman High
Using music, poetry, video clips, and digital and printed texts as inspiration and jumping-off points, you will practice freeing your imagination and be encouraged to write from the heart, using memories, interests, passions, fears, and real-life experiences practicing several different writing styles, presentations, and critiques in a small group setting. This course is positive and uplifting, with respect for each member of the class and their work.
In this course, you will experiment with a variety of methods of writing and expressing yourself— from poetry to critical essays and oral presentations—in a supportive, small-group setting. You will be encouraged to practice empathy and understanding as well as technical workshopping skills as you read and critique your fellow students’ writings from the heart. This course is positive and uplifting, with respect for each member of the class and their work.
Classroom activities will include:
- creation of at least 15 pages of original fiction
- writing poetry and verse
- reading from diverse cultural demographics
- writing a short paper analyzing symbols of hope in fiction
- workshopping fellow students writing in class
- presentation of a three-minute oral discussion of a favorite book
What students take away for high school and college work:
- an appreciation for varied forms of literature and performance poetry
- the necessary skills for presenting verbally
- an openness for understanding cultures different from one's own
- the ability to critique and workshop other students' writings in a group setting
- introductory experience writing critical essays
- the ability to multitask throughout a course, engaging in hands-on reading and writing, all while juggling both creative and critical thinking
No prerequisites
Explore creative writing at Cornell
Humans & Nature, A Love Story
Lecturer in French, Hélène Sicard-Cowen
Are you passionate about other-than-human nature and ecology? Do you love to read literary works and watch movies? Would you be happy to immerse yourself in foreign cultures? Are you longing to deepen your bond with nature? Explore cultural practices that teach us how we, as humans, can re-engage with the natural world to improve both human to human relations and our relationship with nature.
Our current era has been coined the “Anthropocene” by scientists as a way to highlight humanity’s primordial role in the destructive changes currently affecting our climate, our environment and the inhabitants of our planet—ourselves included. It’s clear that we need to rethink our relationships with nature and, ultimately, ourselves. In this course, we will precisely explore cultural practices which imagine or create conditions that are favorable to unfold more harmonious relations between humans, as well as between humans and the rest of the natural world. We will examine literature, film, and the United Nations 2015 Sustainability Goals Report and generate a presentation of what you take away from the course.
Classroom and outdoor activities will include:
- close readings and viewings to explore how formal choices create or help to convey meaning
- conversations about the transformative power that words, images, and personal experience can yield in a safe, encouraging, and judgment-free space
- exploration of non-verbal nature and animal communication
- introduction to the concept of nature constellations, using a method derived in part from Native American ceremony
What students take away for high school and college work:
- invaluable cultural and experiential knowledge
- an expanded mind and worldview, which you can use to help solve problems and challenges
- empowerment as readers, spectators, writers, listeners, problem-solvers, and agents of positive change in both human-nature relations and human-to-human ones
- a positive outlook of trust in the future and an abundance mindset
No prerequisites. Students of French will have the option to read select texts in French, but a background in French is not required.
Programming Apps in Python
How many apps do you use in a day? Who builds them and how do they do it? Python is one of the most popular programming languages for new coders and is a tool you can use to build apps for mobile devices and websites, data management, and even machine logic automation. Python is also being used in scientific computing and AI development–learning this language can help with your future college projects and allow you to pair logic and creativity into one tool by developing simple and useful apps such as a calculator or tic-tac-toe game.
Lab and classroom activities will include:
- an overview of the Python programming language
- exercises in programming logic and planning application behaviors
- code development to build an app from scratch
- review of UI/UX concepts to make apps appealing and useful
What students take away for high school and college work:
- a base of understanding for how to use a programming language to automate actions and review data.
- knowledge of machine logic and how that influences emerging AI behaviors and how we will use it in the future
- experience with programming to inform whether it’s a skill you’d like to pursue further
Prerequisites: none
Explore computer science at Cornell
If you're ready to learn One Course At A Time we look forward to welcoming you to the Hilltop this summer.