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 Dunn
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
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
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.