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 & Michelle Herrmann

In this class, students will embark on an exploration of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We'll read widely and deeply, practice descriptive and figurative writing strategies, and hone peer-review skills in college-style writing workshops. We'll bring in other modes of learning–from painting and dance to history and brain science–as sparks for our stories, poems, and personal narratives, culminating in a celebratory reading and a chance to contribute to a digital publication. Tied to Common Core English standards and introducing a wide variety of tools for critical close reading and imaginative response, this class welcomes curious new writers as well as seasoned storytellers and poets. Instructor: Jay Thompson

In this class, students will learn to use digital storytelling tools and techniques to explore, understand, and tell various stories centered around a chosen theme. Over a three-week period, students will learn about the art of storytelling, the role of technology in telling stories, and the various methods, genres, and topics available today. Given a broad theme as a prompt, each student will choose their particular topic to explore through historic records such as maps, photographs, audio and visuals, letters, and other materials. For their final project, students in small groups will select from a digital storytelling medium (podcasting, GIS mapping, comic strips, timelines, etc.) to create a 5-10 minute story to share with others. Instructor: Itza Carbajal

Imagine life in a peaceful, happy society where there are enough resources for everyone. In this course we'll read and discuss dystopian fiction that asks what we'd be willing to trade for such apparent tranquility. The novels will introduce contemporary issues involving human genetics: How far should we tinker with nature? Who's fit enough (and who decides)? Can populations flourish at the expense of individuals? You'll play inheritance games, model the molecular machinery behind it all, simulate cloning, and think hard about how our society should use our scientific knowledge--then create and present a genetic policy recommendation at our final class. This course has something for everyone, from the future researcher fascinated by what's under the microscope to the visionary seeking a more just world. Instructor: Jennifer Thomas

 **Note for parents: while the readings for this course are chosen to be age-appropriate, dystopian fiction as a genre can contain upsetting themes and images. 

Spend three weeks designing, testing, and manufacturing tabletop games. Learn a variety of design frameworks, such as MDA and GNS, to learn how to create games with the mechanics you want that look and feel professional. Practice and use the skills and tools of an artisan by prototyping and crafting game components. Collaborate with other Summer Challenge courses to expand your ideas. By the end of this course, you should have a fully functional prototype game that you can hand to anyone to play. Instructor: Joshua Munsell

In this course, we will learn to read and write creatively and develop a writing community. Each week we will examine a specific genre of writing, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and graphic novels. During class we'll read and discuss sample pieces of writing and engage in creative writing exercises to better understand what stories we want to tell and how best to tell them. By course completion, each student will have developed a portfolio of their favorite pieces of writing to take home and proudly share with family and friends. Instructor: Avu Chaturvedi

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

In this class we will study a wide range of topics under the umbrella of  "discrete" mathematics, i.e., branches of mathematics that do not need the concept of continuity to be understood. These topics include, but are not limited to, logic, set theory, and graph theory. We will also explore the history of mathematics and the philosophy of proofs. Through this material I hope to give students a glimpse into what it means to be a mathematician and get them excited about a career in STEM. Instructor: Damien Beecroft 

Join Next City as we carefully and critically explore the past, present, and future of Seattle and how it has been and may be designed, built, and developed. Together we will gain an understanding of the historical development of Seattle and how the human, natural, and technological systems of today and tomorrow have been and may be created. This course employs multiple lenses, field trips, and critical explorations to learn about landscapes, urban design, societal forces, and technology that make up the city. We will take field trips in the larger Seattle area to learn about the historic and current forces shaping the city and the role ecology and the natural environment has in and on cities. Ultimately, students will become savvy urban planners. Instructors: M. Tobey & Classic Wagner

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: Burton Barrager & Jeff Armentrout

Who are you? To grapple with this question, we must also ask, where are you?

In this interdisciplinary writing course, we will begin to answer this by reading stories about the Pacific Northwest and crafting our own! With an eye to geology, history, and literature, we'll learn the intertwining narratives of local mountains, waters, trees, peoples, and much more as we write about our surroundings—and write in them. In practicing immersive nature writing, we'll also engage in field trips to stir the imagination and write meaningfully about our place in the world around us, in personal narratives, essays, and more. Instructor: Molly Porter

We are going to delve deep into the importance of storytelling and its role in exploring identity by reading stories from 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 map our own intersecting identities by interacting with our communities, family histories, and ourselves. Students will build their own personal voice through research, by conducting interviews with their family members, guardians, and other community members. Students will experiment with storytelling across genres, culminating in a presentation of student work showcasing different methods and perspectives. If you're interested in storytelling, personal narrative, and literature/poetry, then this is the class for you! Instructor: Mollie O'Leary