Course Offerings

This class is designed for students who want to learn the basics of 3D design and 3D printing! We'll learn the ins and outs of designing in 3D, using TinkerCAD (a free online program). This is about more than just 3D design, however; it's about designing with 3D printing in mind. We'll go through the design process, how to design things with the capabilities (and limitations) of 3D printers, the step-by-step process to transfer files to a printer via a Slicer, and how to print files! We'll also discuss advanced techniques of 3D printing. The course will be capped off with a final project that we will print. This class is the best way to jump into the fascinating technology of 3D printing. Instructor: Brian Jaffe

Players will learn how to create characters, work in groups to create settings for adventures, then take turns being the dungeon master leading parties through inspiring adventures. We'll start off in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition and use that as our foundation for understanding role-playing games; we'll use pencil/paper and student-made maps to run our adventures. We'll have guest speakers, take walking field trips around campus for inspiration, explore fantasy and sci-fi literature, creative writing, mathematical modeling, game design, ethics, mythologies, and history, to make the ultimate role-playing experiences! We'll try other role-playing games and even invent some of our own. No experience required. Just bring your imagination and a thirst for adventure! Instructors: John Benner and Michelle Herrmann.

How can we make the challenge of writing a great story less daunting? This course will answer that question by examining key storytelling elements such as voice, pacing, theme, setting, and conflict through the reading of classic short stories. Discussing what works and why will allow us to build a solid foundation of literary tools before launching into an in-depth analysis of plot structure. We will learn how the framework of a novel differs from that of a short story, and how to break this format into manageable pieces to craft compelling fiction. Instructor: Megan Holman

Spend three weeks playing some and making more tabletop and digital games. Learn a variety of design frameworks such as MDA and GNS to study and hone how we play games, as well as how to make games. Learn how to use mechanisms, design, and theme to hook players' imaginations and problem-solving skills. You'll use a variety of resources to prototype and play tabletop games, and MIT's Scratch programming platform to make and play your own video games. Instructor: Joshua Munsell

As the popularity of comics and graphic novels continues to grow, more people are picking up pencils and telling their stories visually. In this class, an experienced graphic novelist will guide you in the basics of comics creation, including character design, facial expressions, character poses, creating a sense of place, story planning, generating dialogue, page composition, inking, shading, coloring, and more, with the ultimate goal of all students contributing their finished comics to an in-class publication. Drawing ability is sometimes helpful, but not as important as a desire to communicate clearly with words and pictures. Instructor: David Lasky

Explore the world of robotics in a hands-on, minds-on program that fosters collaborative problem-solving. Build, program, and test robots. Think about (and discuss) what makes a machine a robot, what functions robots serve, what structures and components are required to accomplish those different functions, and what's next in robotics. Using VEX-IQ, students learn the fundamentals of sound building techniques and a graphical programming language while applying principles of the engineering design cycle. Instructor: Sarah Clayton

We are going to delve deep into the true origins of storytelling and discovering identity through the telling of stories by multiple perspectives. We will explore the personal "I" to tell the stories of both lived-in worlds and imagined ones. Our readings and writings will discover our own mixed identities by interacting with our communities, family histories, and ourselves. Students will build their own personal voice through research, conducting interviews with their family members, guardians, and other community members. Students will experiment with storytelling through digital and visual mediums culminating in a presentation of student work by different methods and perspectives. If you're interested in literature, storytelling, or personal narrative, this is the class for you! Instructor: Hannah Lamon

Almost everyone loves riding a roller coaster. Amusement parks are building them higher, faster, longer, and much more thrilling. The physics underlying the design and building of a roller coaster are amazingly simple. In this course, we will be learning when potential and kinetic energy trade places, how forces work to move us around and keep us in our seats, what happens when we accelerate, why we feel weightless during the dips, plus a whole lot more. Each student will design, build, and test their own model roller coaster using engineering techniques pioneered by the coaster experts. Instructors: Jeff Armentrout and Burton Barrager

Students will explore distant planets, brilliant stars, dazzling galaxies, and more! Buckle up as we tour the universe and learn about the mysteries of the cosmos. We start close to home exploring the wonders of our solar system and the history of space exploration. Next stop, we venture beyond our solar system to learn about the lives of stars and exoplanets. Finally, we will travel to far off galaxies and learn about the structure and fate of the universe. Along the way, we'll learn like real astronomers and push our creativity to the limits! Instructors: Kristie Bennett & H.B. Telling