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Session 1

Session 1

Sunday, July 7 - Friday, July 12

Beginning Design: Architecture and Interior Design

Instructor: John Blake

This summer, discover your inner Frank Lloyd Wright, your budding Frank Gehry, or your emerging I.M. Pei. The Beginning Design: Architecture + Interior Design course is a unique opportunity to peek into the lives of architects and designers. You will work in the design studios, be taught by Miami professors, and build from your own imagination. With a curriculum geared toward improving designs for creating competitive architecture and interior design portfolios, you will identify and examine several design topics. In multiple phases through a series of rigorous investigations and discoveries, you will practice fundamental design principles. The overriding emphasis will be placed on the "process" of design. Where might it start? How does it evolve? Learn to develop your own ideas and use them to drive the creation of space and form. At the end of the session, you will have an exhibition of works you've created as well as documentation and analysis to enhance your college admission application.

Brain Mythbusters: Unraveling SCIENCE in Neuroscience

Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Quinn

How much of our brains do we really use? Are we really “right-brained” or “left-brained”?

Misconceptions about the structure and function of the human brain are all too common. Once these myths are widely disseminated, it is often difficult to separate scientific fact from fiction. This module will examine some of these myths, and provide you with the science and investigative tools to effectively debunk them. You will have the opportunity to examine real brains, observe direct brain manipulation techniques, and interact with researchers in their laboratories. As part of a team, you will select a cluster of related myths to evaluate, present the scientific evidence to dispel them, and create games to educate others about these misconceptions.

Engineering: Design and Build an Interactive Robot

Instructor: Jim Leonard

It's science. Not fiction. This summer, delve headfirst into the realms of engineering and computing by designing and building a computer-controlled robot. First, you'll learn how they communicate. Through the wires and steel runs a rich programming language that reads light sensors and controls drive motors. Next, you and your team will apply those concepts to the design of your own robotic vehicle. Your team will assemble it, program it, and test it. Then, your robot will face off in performing its task against the other teams' creations. The winner will be crowned. The universe might be saved by building a computer-controlled robot.

Entrepreneurial Experience: Building Your Dreams and Passions into Fun and Profitable Ventures

Instructor: Dr. Jim Friedman

The secret to success in life and business can be found in the entrepreneurial mindset. The entrepreneurship track of the Summer Scholars Program exposes students to the fun and excitement of bringing ideas to life. You will participate in interactive, hands-on projects where you will be exposed to what it takes to build companies, teams, and insight. Whatever your interests — building a small start-up company, creating a major corporation, driving meaningful social change, or working in creative fields — we will build ideas, form teams, and create the structure that builds success.

Exploring the Helping Professions

Instructor: Dr. Amy Roberts

Students will engage in activities to explore how they can make a difference in the world through various helping professions (e.g., social work, family life education, marriage and family therapy, child life specialists, and other closely related fields). Students can look forward to learning about on-campus programs to support student wellness, hearing from guest speakers working in each profession/area, role-plays, demonstrations, and creating a vision board to illustrate future goals. This session will also include the opportunity for students to earn a Certificate in Mental Health First Aid for the purpose of increasing knowledge and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. At the completion of the module, students will identify which helping professions are of interest and set goals for their individual pathways to the professions.

Exploring Transformational Education

Instructor: Prince Edward Johnson, II

Learn about transformative education, its potential for social renewal and capacity building, and its relationship to Miami University’s rich history related to Freedom Summer. This program will include dialogue and discussion about various issues about education that students, schools, and communities are facing in our society. There will be experiential activities that center youth voices and arts integration about educational deliberation including opportunities connected to theater of the oppressed and youth participatory action research. Students will learn foundational skills related to democratic thinking, teaching, and learning. This module is intended for students in Cincinnati Public Schools who are interested in or already a part of the TEACh Cincinnati program.

Fashion Design and Merchandising

Instructor: Gylaine Gilmore

Are you interested in a career in fashion? Do you dream of owning your own fashion business, or working for a large fashion brand? Did you know that one in every six people worldwide is employed in the global fashion and textile industry? Begin your fashion future with this focused one-week program!

This module is for students who are interested in fashion design, fashion entrepreneurship, and/or fashion corporate business, but do not necessarily have experience in business, sewing, or patternmaking. It will be an introduction to fashion employers, fashion forecasting, fashion/design language, silk dyeing, garment analysis, and technical illustration.

Health and How to Change the World

Instructor: Dr. Cameron Hay-Rollins

With a disease of your "own," you will get to explore how global health and medical anthropology intersect in ways that have promise for making the world a healthier place. Global health is a practical field that seeks to understand the complexities of health and disease in order to innovate creative solutions. Medical anthropological perspectives offer a lens for understanding the complex interactions of biological, cultural and economic processes at both local and global levels. Together they are a powerful combination. In this class you will be introduced to both fields, explore how they intersect, and use your new understandings to practice creative problem solving to improve health.

Making Media: Video Production

Instructor: Daniel Behnke

What does it take to make visual storytelling in the fast-paced, multimedia news industry today? Find out from those working in film and commercial production in southwest Ohio and around the country, as you create your own fictional and documentary films.

Quality Assurance Analytical Chemistry Using Instrumental Analysis

Instructor: Dr. Neil Danielson

The determination of the chemical components of interest in real life samples for quality assurance involves analytical chemistry. One such subdiscipline is spectroscopy which uses light as the signal of interest for sample analysis. We will focus on the hands-on analysis of food and supplements in the lab using a variety of spectroscopic instruments. Experiments involving techniques such as colorimetry to follow the degradation of aspirin, fluorescence for detection of riboflavin in gummies, flame emission for sodium and potassium in energy drinks, atomic absorption for calcium in milk or zinc in supplements, and digital microscopy of metal precipitates are planned to be done.

Quantum Computers: The Future of Computing

Instructor: Dr. Imran Mirza

Just imagine a day of your life without computers and cell phones. Do you know this computer technology revolution began almost 70 years ago? During the last 70 years, we have been trying very hard to make computers faster and smaller. However, it is believed by 2040 we will be hitting the smallest size limits (no further miniaturization of computer chips will be possible). So what is the future of computers? It's Quantum Computing! Come and join a team of scientists this summer in the physics department at Miami to learn how future computers will be transferring, storing, and manipulating information using the tiniest particles of light and matter. This module will allow the summer scholars to learn the ABCs of quantum circuits and sharpen their quantitative analysis skills and experience to program a baby quantum computer. The future of computers is in our hands and it is fascinating!

Studio Art: Portfolios that Punch

Instructor: Joel Armor

Are you thinking of studying design or art in college but you are nervous about your portfolio? Let us help! Studio Art - Portfolios that Punch is a college preparatory studio workshop that will allow you to improve your creative skills and construct a competitive art portfolio for college admission. Outcomes focus on drawing and a variety of 3D studio-production approaches while emphasizing evaluative portfolio criteria including design/composition, technical proficiency, color, presentation, and photographic representation.

Studio sessions consist of artist lectures, studio demonstrations, hands-on activities, outdoor drawing excursions, and critical analysis of work created as well as learning more about the work of professional artists via campus galleries and museums

The Role of Data Science in the Modern World

Instructor: David Scoville

Did you know "data scientist" is considered one of the top jobs of the 21st century? Do you know what it means to be a data scientist? In this session we will journey through the lifecycle of a data science project by exploring the many hats that a data scientist wears. Understanding what problem you are trying to solve and the data you need to solve it is the first step in any analytics project. Then, through hands-on exercises, students will see how data science is used in real life: How do social media companies detect propaganda? How does Netflix generate a relevant list of shows you might be interested in? How do we generate insight from large datasets to make the best decisions? How do you find data to analyze? How does a team manager use data to improve performance of their players and the overall team? And so much more! Learn how to analyze and tell a story with data during this summer session. Join us as we learn more about one of today's most lucrative careers.

Unpacking Your Business Briefcase: Integrated Workplace Skills Development

Instructors: Dr. Becky Crews, Elizabeth Troy

This summer, you have the opportunity to engage with First Year Integrated Core faculty to learn about key workplace skills such as: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, and business research. As you learn these key skills, throughout the week, you will apply them to a mini business project. You will work with the faculty and in groups to experience what it’s like to weave together skills and apply them to a final project. Get ready to engage in a high-touch, experiential learning experience to start unpacking your business briefcase!