Session 2: In Person from 9:00-10:30am
What chemical reactions can make pigments for painting? Why is it evolutionary advantageous for flowers to be beautiful? What kind of intricate patterns can we observe through a microscope? Scientists of all kinds are inspired by the beauty and order of the world around us, and artists have always used technology and scientific processes as part of their creative endeavors. In this interdisciplinary class, we will become both scientists and artists as we learn scientific concepts through hands-on art projects, and artistic concepts (like balance, harmony, and pattern) through observing the natural world. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Session 2: In Person from 9:00-10:30am
Enter the world of sleeping giants, river raft adventures and brave young hearts! Through music, literature and art, there is no nodding off in this creative writing class inspired by the curriculum, Leave Your Sleep for Education. Students will explore a short literary work through its musical interpretation, then apply newly acquired skills, perspectives, and problem-solving strategies to their own written work. This Writers Workshop-style class will encourage students to experiment with word choice, syntax, rhythm and rhyme to bring fresh possibilities to character development, setting and plot. Mastery will be demonstrated by the creation of a short written piece in the students’ genre of choice which illustrates independent thinking and progress in reading, writing, and verbal expression. LYSFE is an initiative created by Gifted Support Center, Inc. that provides arts and music curriculum for elementary school children and serves as a supplement to the Leave Your Sleep publication by Natalie Merchant and the children’s author Barbara McClintock.

Session 2: In Person from 9:00am-10:30pm
Students in this class will be presented with advanced robot challenges through research, testing and building designs using multi-port Hub motors and actuators. Skills will be higher ordered thinking, group cooperation, and problem solving. Mastery will be demonstrated by the application of the engineering and coding methods in field challenges, and the construction of creative projects. Note: This course requires the purchase of a mBot Robot Kit. Price varies depending on seller. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $85 materials fee is required for the purchase of a Makeblock mBot Smart STEM.

Session 2: In Person from 11:00am-12:30pm
Pop it up, fling it far, light it up, and make it climb. Use circuits, stored energy, friction, and mechanical motion and make your creations MOVE! Each session will introduce students to a simple mechanism that will allow their creations to come to life. Throughout the course, students will be given challenges with specific criteria and constraints. We will work through the design process (Explore –>Plan –>Create –>Test –>Refine) to solve these challenges. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Session 2: In Person from 11:00am-12:30pm
CoderZ is an engineer’s dream, an online platform where students will build and program virtual robots. Through engaging activities, students will explore the world of engineering and coding language (block coding based on MIT’s Scratch), as they animate their programmable robots. We will research and test designs and develop our bots to overcome field challenges with obstacles and turns such as “Adventure Peak”. Each class will provide students with the tools to define a problem, create a solution and share their results. Mastery will be demonstrated by the application of the engineering and coding methods in field challenges, and the construction of creative solutions. MATERIALS NEEDED: A $40 materials fee is required for the purchase of a CoderZ license.

Session 2: In Person from 11:00am-12:30pm
Orbitals, isomers, chirality, valence bonds, benzene rings…organic chemistry is a language all its own! Students will increase their O-Chem fluency by delving into the structure, properties, reactions, and mechanisms of organic (or carbon-containing) compounds. This class will expand upon any previous chemistry knowledge of functional groups and Lewis structures to molecular geometry, valence bond theory, and hybridization. By the end of the course, students should be able to predict how various carbon-containing compounds will react or restructure themselves based on the chemicals and conditions present. Mastery will be demonstrated by students’ ability to identify, differentiate and utilize organic compounds to generate chemical reactions through calculations and laboratory exercises. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $35 materials fee is required.

Session 2: In Person from 1:00-2:30pm
Students in this class will go beyond grade level science standards by diving into challenging concepts that integrate mathematical applications across scientific fields. Through hands-on, inquiry-based activities, students will learn to convert miles to light years as astronomers, balance equations as chemists, calculate ratio and proportions as medical doctors, learn coding as computer scientists, and more! Mastery will be demonstrated by the ability to problem-solve across scientific disciplines using math, and the creation of a final project illustrating concepts covered. MATERIALS REQUIRED: This course has a $25 materials fee.

Session 2: In Person from 1:00-2:30pm
Do you want to be a rocket scientist? Students will create and test 3D printed models of classic wings and analyze them. Then they will start from this base and create and test their own wings for different applications. Next, we will leave the atmosphere to develop models of orbits, gravity wells and gravitational waves, and understand how some simple rules determine how planets and spacecraft fly around our solar system. Finally, we will move out into the galaxy a little farther and find out how scientists know that there are planets around other stars. Students will demonstrate mastery by creating and being able to explain various kinds of physical and software models. A little coding experience is helpful but not essential. MATERIALS REQUIRED: This course has a $25 materials fee.

Session 2: In Person from 1:00-2:30pm
Escape the room by thinking your way out! Students in this class will work through puzzles, determine how to make them harder or easier to solve, then learn how to layer a series of clues to create a multidimensional brain teaser for the design of their own puzzle room based on a theme of their choosing. Will your friends be able to piece together your clues and crack your codes? Find out in this class that will have everyone doing mental gymnastics. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $40 materials fee is required for the purchase of a custom-built, take-home lockbox with limitless puzzling potential.

Session 2: In Person from 3:00-4:30pm
Have you ever wondered why Earth is so different today than it was millions of years ago? Students in this class will explore Earth as a dynamic and living planet as they conduct lab experiments and fun activities that investigate questions spanning geologic time, from the emergence of life on the earliest Earth, to its occurrence in weird, wonderful, and extreme environments today. From geology and biology to the in-between of geobiology, students will discover how natural forces and humans impact the Earth’s landscape and livability, including some of the greatest examples, right here in California! MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Session 2: In Person from 3:00-4:30pm
Geometry and trigonometry have very practical roots in making things. We will use a mix of 3D prints, paper, and some common household items to build intuition and estimation skills. We start with the basics (rectangular solids, circles) and go on to conic sections, astronomy and architecture applications, and more. We will demonstrate with models created in OpenSCAD (http://www.openscad.org/) which is an open-source, free CAD program that allows students to learn geometrical concepts like translation, rotation and scaling by manipulating virtual geometrical figures. Students will use open-source 3D printable models developed by the instructors for their book Make: Geometry (and the upcoming Make: Trigonometry). Selected models will be 3D printed at IEA. Mastery will be demonstrated by the student’s ability to go beyond basic understanding by modifying and enhancing these models. Some coding experience will be helpful but is not absolutely needed. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $25 materials fee is required.

Session 2: In Person from 3:00-4:30pm
In the design of space, light can build spatial shape, redirect sight, and even heighten our experience of time. Equally important are the effects of shadow, which can intensify and change the observer’s experience. In this class, students will study the power of light and shadow in architectural design, then sketch, model, and create their own unique Solar Pavilion – a space meant to reconnect people to the environment. MATERIALS REQUIRED: A $20 materials fee is required.

Session 2: Online from 10:45-11:45am PT
Your team of investigators has been hired to solve a mystery at the strange and remote Shady Hollow Mansion. Together you will gather information and clues to solve puzzles, reveal passwords, and decipher codes. Clues and hints could be anywhere; solving one puzzle may provide the clue to unlock another! The mystery will be impossible to solve without the help of your investigative team, so collaborating, communicating, and sharing with your teammates will be an important part of successfully advancing through the case; however, you must also keep your discoveries safe from prying eyes! In order to ensure only your team will be able to access important information, you will need to create your own codes and puzzles for your teammates to solve before they can safely unlock the information you want to share. Can your team solve the mystery in time? This escape-room inspired course will encourage students to observe, gather and evaluate evidence, think critically (and laterally!), communicate findings, and problem solve in a collaborative setting. Mastery will be demonstrated through group problem solving and creation of original puzzles. Course requirements: Students must be comfortable with communicating and collaborating as part of team.

Session 2: Online from 9:30-10:30am PT
Your team of investigators has been hired to solve a mystery at the strange and remote Shady Hollow Mansion. Together you will gather information and clues to solve puzzles, reveal passwords, and decipher codes. Clues and hints could be anywhere; solving one puzzle may provide the clue to unlock another! The mystery will be impossible to solve without the help of your investigative team, so collaborating, communicating, and sharing with your teammates will be an important part of successfully advancing through the case; however, you must also keep your discoveries safe from prying eyes! In order to ensure only your team will be able to access important information, you will need to create your own codes and puzzles for your teammates to solve before they can safely unlock the information you want to share. Can your team solve the mystery in time? This escape-room inspired course will encourage students to observe, gather and evaluate evidence, think critically (and laterally!), communicate findings, and problem solve in a collaborative setting. Mastery will be demonstrated through group problem solving and creation of original puzzles. Course requirements: Students must be comfortable with communicating and collaborating as part of team.

Session 2: Online from 1:00-2:00pm PT
Life began in the oceans millions of years ago, and to this day, the sea still holds uncountable mysteries. We will be taking an in-depth (pun intended!) look at the amazing and diverse animal species that inhabit the ocean. Over the course of this class, you get the chance to examine and handle real animal artifacts and fossils and learn amazing facts about animal morphology, anatomy, evolution, behavior, ecology, and more. Each lesson will focus on a different group of marine organisms and our curriculum will cover the following subjects: sharks and rays, bony fish, marine mammals, sea birds, marine reptiles, invertebrates, and even sea monsters. We will also take a look at the impact humans have had on the marine environment. Grab your scuba mask, hold your breath, and get ready to take the plunge into marine biodiversity!

Session 2: Online from 2:15-3:15pm PT
This class will provide students with knowledge of genetics through an overview of the history of the study of inheritance, a discussion of the origins of genetic variation and diversity, DNA replication mechanisms, and real-life applications. Students will also learn about the mutations in the human genome that cause genetic disorders, and discuss the development of genetic techniques, such as sequencing and genetic engineering, and its role scientific research and modern medicine. Mastery will be demonstrated by accurate predictions and conclusions based on genetic data, fluency in genetic terminology and pathologies, and an understanding of both the positive implications and potential problems associated with genetic engineering techniques. Pre-requisites: Students must be comfortable with higher levels of probability math problems and general knowledge of DNA as the mechanism for inheritance.

Do you ever gaze into the starry night and wonder, “Is there intelligent life outside our own galaxy?” Do you want to know more about UFOs and how sightings described as green fireballs, ghost rockets and ships in the sky can be explained? Are you fascinated by the wonders of space and technological advancements in space travel? In this class, students will explore what is fact, what is fiction, and what remains a mystery through inquiry-based discussion, creative problem-solving and hands-on projects to get closer to the age-old question of “what is out there?”