SCIE 6650 Try Science (3 sem. cr.)
This introductory science course helps participants see the science in common everyday events and focuses on the topic of water. The goals of the course are to extend understanding of key scientific concepts through inquiry, to learn effective strategies for planning and teaching science, and to plan and carry out inquiry-based scientific investigations with children. Overarching content themes include scientific inquiry, properties and behaviors of water, and transfer of energy.

 

SCIE 6651 Investigating Physics: Motion and Forces (3 sem. cr.)
Participants investigate motion and forces through direct observation, through analysis of video, and by the creation and interpretation of graphic representations. The works of Aristotle, Galileo, and Newton are highlighted, and the historical and cultural contexts from which key physics concepts emerged are examined. Participants apply their new understanding to everyday occurrences in the physical world.

 

SCIE 6653 Biology Explorations: Explorations in Variation, Diversity, and Adaptation (3 sem. cr.)
Students investigate various aspects of biological adaptation and apply these new understandings to the real world, both locally and globally. The course focuses on the biology of grasses, with investigations of germination and growth, adaptation, co-evolution between grasses and grazers, biogeography, the domestication of grasses, and variation and natural selection.

 

SCIE 6655 Earth Science From a New Perspective (3 sem. cr.)
A central purpose of this course is to begin seeing the world in new ways. The course focuses on the topic of one river and begins by inviting participants to “uncover” the connections between that river and the rest of the Earth systems. The course aims to assist participants in gaining new perspectives on Earth Science by using resources such as satellite images and modeling tools.

 

SCIE 6657 Ecology: Organisms, Nutrients, and the Environment (3 sem. cr.)
Students extend their understanding of ecology through a focus on one central question: How are matter and energy cycled in ecosystems? By continually returning to the central question, participants investigate various aspects of nutrient flow with hands-on investigations of decomposition. New understandings are applied to the real world.

 

SCIE 6659 Engineering: From Science to Design (3 sem. cr.)
This course introduces students to engineering by focusing on the design of houses to resist earthquakes. They explore the relationship between engineering and scientific concepts, such as forces and motion from Physics and earthquakes from Earth Science. Students carry out a design project in which they propose, develop, and evaluate an earthquake-resistant house.