One Course Summer Institute Courses

One Course Summer Institute student in an electronics lab hands-on learning

The following courses were offered at the 2023 One Course Summer Institute. Courses for the 2024 institute will be announced in early winter.

18 Days Later: Zombies, Brains, and Basic Neuroscience

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

Explore psychology at Cornell

Biodiversity and the Tree of Life

Professor of Biology, Isaac Winkler

Explore life in Iowa—from bacteria to plants and bugs to birds—and learn about the evolutionary relationships between all living organisms. During six field trips, we will visit local prairies, woodlands, ponds, and streams. After each field trip, the exploration will continue under the microscope and in the lab, where we will use DNA barcoding to help identify species and place them on the tree of life. Along the way, we will learn about how biologists classify life and research evolutionary relationships.

Labs and classroom activities will include:

field trips to become familiar with local habitats and their flora and fauna
photographing and collecting organisms
use of laboratory microscopes to study and identify organisms
using the iNaturalist app to document and identify organisms and collaborate with naturalists worldwide

What students take away for high school and college work:

an introduction to basic lab techniques and genetic data analysis
understanding of the major groups of organisms and how they evolved
experience with how biologists classify life and find out evolutionary relationships
knowledge of how to extract and sequence DNA

No prerequisites

Explore ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell

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

Explore studio art 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

Solving Big Problems with Data Systems

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Ajit Chavan

Do you know how Google answers 8.5 billion searches every day? How does Amazon process 1.8 million sales, or Instagram store 95 million new images daily? It is possible by thousands of computers working together as a single, massive supercomputer. Learn how programmers create the special kind of software needed to run on these gigantic server farms and then apply that knowledge to write your own programs to run on such systems.

In the morning sessions, we will look at different distributed systems such as Apache Hadoop, Apache Spark, and multithreading. In the afternoon sessions, we will write programs using Python programming language to solve simple problems such as calculating the sum of first n (for example, first 100) integers or finding the number of occurrences of a word in a book (how many times does Daenerys appear in the first Game of Thrones book?).

We will then see how such simple problems become too complex as the quantity of data being used grows (for example, sum of first one billion numbers or the number of times Daenerys occurs in all the books). To solve this problem, we will explore how to design a solution that is distributed across multiple data storage devices and see how big data and distributed systems work together to put answers at researchers’ fingertips and how algorithms—like YouTube’s recommended next video we use every day—work.

Lab and classroom activities will include:

coding computer logic problems in Python
learning the concept of distributed systems and how they solve problems in a fraction of a second
looking at different patterns (also known as design patterns) we find in the real-world problems which can be solved using distributed systems
collaborating with classmates to evaluate multiple solutions and improve systems as a team

What students take away for high school and college work:

experience coding computer logic problems and identifying how they can be used to parse big data
an understanding of the introductory principles of computer science
practice incorporating computer coding into critical analysis

Prerequisites: some experience coding with if/then logic and mathematical functions in any code base

Explore computer science at Cornell

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

Explore chemistry at Cornell

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: