High School In-Person Courses   

(Bio)engineering the Future:  Our genome is the code within each of our cells that make us who we are by coding for traits such as height and eye color. Are you aware that the technology is available to edit the genome of living organisms? The CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionized the way researchers study life and is allowing us to create new solutions to genetic disease or even manipulate bacteria to create useful chemicals. In this course, student will experience the power of CRISPR-Cas9 firsthand in a laboratory environment. This course will provide students with a background in genetics and molecular biology, the tools associated with the CRISPR-Cas9 toolkit, and be put to the test through designing their own application of the tool to help all of humankind. 

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Bioterrorism and biowarfare's potential impacts on human health and the environment are cause for concern. This course will provide students with an overview of bioterrorism, including its history, potential biological agents that could be used, and methods for detecting and responding to bioterrorism incidents.

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Cellular Powerhouse: It's all about ATP Energy:  Ever wonder how DNA is used to find out someone's lineage?  Does testing DNA follow your mother's or father's liniage or doe it follow both? What is the science behind it all? In this class, students will isolate their DNA, use PCR to amplify a highly conserved region of mitochondrial DNA, send it out for sequencing, and then do analysis with regards to the most likely region(s) of the world from where they came.

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Chemical Engineering: This unique course is a fun and fascinating look at the world of chemical engineering. Chemical engineering has a wide range of applications outside of conventional petroleum refining. Breakthroughs in pharmaceutical drug delivery, chemical production, water treatment, and air pollution are some of the cutting-edge applications being developed every day. Students will spend the week conducting hands-on experiments and demonstrations highlighting the field's versatility. Students will learn about materials and energy balance fundamentals, chemical reactions, and the numerous areas in which they are used. The course will also examine how these concepts apply to environmental and biochemical engineering.

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Chess Academy: Chess teaches critical thinking and problem solving, giving students the mental discipline needed to succeed in school and in life. Studies have shown that chess helps kids to improve their math and reading skills. Spend a week learning chess from instructors who know the game and are seasoned tournament competitors.

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Chess Academy: Chess teaches critical thinking and problem solving, giving students the mental discipline needed to succeed in school and in life. Studies have shown that chess helps kids to improve their math and reading skills. Spend a week learning chess from instructors who know the game and are seasoned tournament competitors.

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Code & Choreo: A Fusion of Dance, Music Composition, and Python Programming: Join us on a musical journey to learn how to dance, compose, and code. In the mornings, we will teach you how to dance salsa in pairs by showing you common dance patterns and combining them to make a choreography. In the afternoons, we will translate what you did with dance to music to compose a song in Python using pair programming. You will learn to code in Python by composing music and to be better coding partners by dancing salsa.

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THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

Data Science: A Beginner's Guide for High School Students:  Are you intrigued by the power of data and technology? Do you want to explore the world of data science and discover how it shapes our lives? If you're a high school student with a curious mind and a passion for learning, this course is perfect for you! "Data Science: A Beginner's Guide" is an exciting educational initiative created just for high school students. Data science is a dynamic field that merges computer science, mathematics, and domain expertise to unravel the mysteries hidden in data. In this project, you'll embark on a journey to unlock the secrets of data science.

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Data Visualization with Tableau: In today's digital age, data is everywhere, telling stories, uncovering truths, and driving decisions. This course is your gateway to mastering the art of transforming raw data into compelling visual stories that captivate and inform.

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Electrical Engineering: Optical Effects Around Us: Optics in engineering are used every day in grocery stores, airports, cameras, wearable tech, cars, and homes. How does light interact with matter? What is the source of color? What is the difference between coherent and incoherent light? This course will answer these questions and many more. Optical effects from the electrical engineering perspective are rooted in physics, and this class will spark your curiosity and appetite to learn more about the concepts of optics. The course will be an experiential learning platform, provide insight and offer a practical introduction of how to appreciate the numerous applications of optics around you.

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Entrepreneurship: Financial Literacy: Back by popular demand to the SEA lineup of programming is this new financial literacy class focused on personal finance and entrepreneurship. This class will examine the basics of financial literacy and each student will create their own personal budget, a critical skill for teens earning their first paychecks. They will also learn about entrepreneurship as they create and present their own business plans. Students taking this course will further their knowledge of financial literacy, explore and grow their mathematical and critical-thinking skills, while having fun. Students enrolled in this class will leave with valuable skills they'll directly be able to apply to their lives.

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THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

Ethical Hacking: Want to become an Ethical Hacker? Learn to hack like a black hat and secure like a white hat hacker. Ethical hacking is a practice of detecting vulnerabilities in an application, system, or organization's infrastructure and bypassing system security to identify potential data breaches and threats in a network. This beginner-friendly course acts as a launch pad for your cybersecurity career and aims to walk you through the basic concepts of ethical hacking. This 15hr course is specially curated for students to enhance their knowledge of real cyber threats and other vital aspects of hacking, defending themselves in today's advanced Digital World. This course comprises the latest methodologies of ethical hacking and system penetration, giving a hands-on experience to the students on the latest hacking tools, techniques, and real-time case studies, which makes the student feel like a cyber ninja.

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Ethical Hacking: Want to become an Ethical Hacker? Learn to hack like a black hat and secure like a white hat hacker. Ethical hacking is a practice of detecting vulnerabilities in an application, system, or organization's infrastructure and bypassing system security to identify potential data breaches and threats in a network. This beginner-friendly course acts as a launch pad for your cybersecurity career and aims to walk you through the basic concepts of ethical hacking. This 15hr course is specially curated for students to enhance their knowledge of real cyber threats and other vital aspects of hacking, defending themselves in today's advanced Digital World. This course comprises the latest methodologies of ethical hacking and system penetration, giving a hands-on experience to the students on the latest hacking tools, techniques, and real-time case studies, which makes the student feel like a cyber ninja.

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Ethics Bowl: What do barking dogs, biological weapons, experimental surgeries, and access ramps all have in common? They all present moral difficulties of just the sort that people have been trying to solve for thousands of years. Ethics Bowl is a type of value-driven debate that is meant to provide practice wrestling with just such questions. In this session, students will learn (1) how to think about morals in the abstract, (2) how to apply moral reasoning to particular cases, and (3) how to present conclusions effectively. 

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Exploring the Future: Robotics and AI Adventure is an educational program designed to introduce high school students to the fascinating fields of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). This course provides a comprehensive understanding of robotics and AI technologies, covering both the fundamental principles and real-world applications.

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Intro to Cybersecurity: Web Penetration Testing from First Principles: In this dynamic and engaging course designed especially for high school students, we will take students on an interactive adventure into the realm of web penetration testing, where they will learn to think and act like cybersecurity professionals. This course will open abd expand on students knowledge from Web development and Python programming courses.  Students will engage in an interactive Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge that specifically focuses on web penetration testing. This game-based approach to learning makes the process more enjoyable and engaging for students.  Using Web Emperor CTF, students will take on the role of ethical hackers tasked with securing a vulnerable web application. Students will be tasked with protecting "Kova Bank" (not a real bank) which has several vulnerabilities typical of real-world web applications.

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Lights, Camera, Action Potentials! An introduction to Brain Anatomy and Physiology: 

Have you ever wondered how the brain works? This exciting, hands-on course will take an interdisciplinary approach to teach students about brain anatomy and physiology. Students will design and carry-out experiments, learn basic programming skills, and present their results to gain confidence in science communication. The course will also examine how factors like temperature or neurodegenerative diseases impact brain function. Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to work with graduate students and faculty members that specialize in neuroscience.

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Mastering AI/ML Pipelines for Hackathons: Craft & Deploy Your AI-Powered Nutritionist: Venture into the thrilling realm of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)with a twist! In this immersive course, you won't just dabble in theoretical AI; you will embark on an end-to-end journey to build an Artificial Intelligence Pipeline that transforms your bright ideas into tangible, usable solutions. Our mission is to mold you into an AI architect equipped with the blueprint to bring AI projects to life.

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Mock Trial: Are you interested in debate, and want to experience what happens in a courtroom first hand? Do you think you have a future in law? Mock Trial is a simulation of a courtroom trial with, judge jury, prosecution and defense! This interactive course is designed to introduce high school students to the concepts of legal reasoning and argument in a fun and engaging platform

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MODEL UN: This course is an immersive experience in international diplomacy, designed to replicate the functions of the United Nations. Students will assume the roles of delegates representing different countries and engage in simulated diplomatic negotiations, debates, and discussions. The course aims to develop a deep understanding of global issues, enhance research and public speaking skills, and foster the ability to collaborate on complex international challenges.

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Vocals I: This class focuses on the fundamentals of vocal instruction and technique. Whether you are an aspiring virtuoso or a novice trying to find your singing voice, this program provides an engaging and rewarding musical experience that will expand student's horizons. Students will receive group voice work in a master repertoire class with students of similar experience and skill, individualized coaching, music theory and sight reading instruction.

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Vocals II: This class focuses on the maturing vocal students interested in the honing and strengthening of their vocal instrument through an intensive week long program of instruction. This program provides an engaging and rewarding musical experience that will push students and help them reach their full potential. Students will receive group voice work in a master repertoire class with students of similar experience and skill, individualized coaching, music theory and sight reading instruction.

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Nanomaterials: The Tiny Giants and the Future of Technology:  Picture a world where materials at the tiniest scale hold the might to revolutionize our gadgets - smartphones, supercomputers, or healthcare - cancer treatment, disease detection, and how we harness energy - solar cells, batteries. In this project, you'll step into the shoes of a future scientist or engineer to unlock the secrets of these tiny giants through captivating learning sessions, critical thinking and exhilarating demonstrations of the unique optical properties of nanomaterials. In addition students will get hands-on experience on the synthesis of several colorful nanoparticles. 

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POLITICAL DEBATE: Did you know that UMBC has one of the top 5 debate teams in the country? Learn the art of persuasion and how to craft a winning argument. This session will explore debate strategies and techniques. Have a fantastic time arguing, discussing current events and engaging in spirited debates over all kinds of topics. Through preparation of arguments, learn the art of persuasion, practice research skills and develop the ability to think like a historian. Students will explore topics of debate including gun control, immigration, limits to the freedom of speech, American foreign relations, and other topics related to political current events. There will also be a student-choice debate which is a lot of fun.

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Role Player Game Exploration: From Dungeons and Dragons to a new role playing game developed at UMBC called Organic Panic!, Professor Steven McAlpine has played and developed role playing games for the past three decades. S In this summer session, students will also learn the foundations of game theory, techniques for developing RPG's and technologies and apps that have helped us to create immersive experiences for players. Students will learn about the development of our latest science-based RPG entitled 'Mission to Europa' and will compete in teams to play the Organic Panic! game on our final day of our session.

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SAT Test Prep Course: UMBC SAT Prep Class offers serious preparation for these high-stakes undergraduate admissions tests. All of our SAT Prep Class options include expert instruction, a proven format, all required course materials, access to diagnostic exams, and online support resources in one convenient, affordable package. 

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Skylab: Exploring the Physics of Light and its Interaction Through Atmospheric Phenomina:  Have you ever asked... Why is the sky blue? ...But at sunset it's red, orange and pink?  How are rainbows formed?  What about double rainbows?  Do triple rainbows exist?  Why do stars twinkle?  Why is the Moon sometimes red?  How are mirages formed?  Discover the answers in this course.

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Sports Broadcasting:  "Boo-yah!" "Let's get readyyyyyy to rumbllllllle!"  "He could go all the way!"  "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" "Juuuust a bit outside."

We have all heard these famous lines from broadcasters. One day, this could be you commenting on a sports event!Students will learn the basics of broadcasting sporting events by speaking and learning from leaders in the industry. Students will explore all the ins-and-outs of sports broadcasting and all the different equipment and positions that are used. They will learn about working in the production truck, camera operations, graphics engines and how to make highlight packages, among other tasks.

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STOCK MARKET: FINANCIAL LITERACY AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY: Students get a chance to try their own hand at what it's like investing money. Students will increase their knowledge of financial literacy by examining investment strategies and advanced stock market topics such as option trading. Students role up their sleeves and jump right in, as they take part in a stock market game competition. To make the competition even more fun, the winners of the stock market game will earn Amazon gift cards!

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Sustainable Design and Engineering: How To Build And Race A Kinetic Sculpture:  How do a group of students design, build and race a bicycle powered work of art that can float, go through sand and mud, and survive 15 miles of Baltimore roads? It all starts with the plan and a great design. This workshop will engage creative students in building the model prototype and challenge them to work as a group to propose the kinetic sculpture design for UMBC students to build during the Fall 2022 semester. The UMBC Kinetic Sculpture Team led by professor Steve McAlpine, has won a grand prize and two design awards over the past five years, participating in races in Baltimore, Maryland and Lowell, Massachusetts. Students will be invited on the final day to inspect and test drive both UMBC kinetic sculptures, as well as, to share, test and race the models they have built.

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The  Japanese Cultural Experience: What comes to your mind when you hear Japanese culture? Origami? Tea ceremony? Kendo? Anime? Manga? J-pop? Whatever came to your mind, you are in the right place! Japanese culture is mixed with long lasting traditions and new concepts. 

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THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

The Science of Forensics:  A laboratory hands-on, case scenario-based course that will help students understand the science behind forensics. In this course, students will use the scientific approach to observe and analyze forensic data derived from drugs, DNA, hair, blood, fingerprints, and forgery and apply critical thinking skills to arrive at conclusions in solving a crime. 

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Unlocking Math's Mysteries: Hands-On Experiments for Real-World Understanding: Have you ever wondered "What's the point of this Math I'm doing?" and "How is this Math relevant to my life?" Well, if so, this may just be the course for you! This interdisciplinary laboratory course will expose students to different mathematical concepts through a series of hands-on experiments. Students will master basic quantitative skills, higher-order reasoning, and practical use of measurement tools through the daily labs. Students will see in action and work with ratios, proportions, probabilities, estimation, and average/mean through experimentation and acquire and analyze experimental data to demonstrate mathematical concepts.

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WEARABLE TECH VENTURES (WTV)- GLOBAL YOUTH HACKATHON: Over the course of a week, middle and high school students will be immersed in Wearable Tech culture and encouraged to exercise their imagination to create interesting and innovative hacks and product ideas. WTV Global Youth Hackathon is not a typical hackathon: it's a registered 501c3 nonprofit providing a welcoming, engaging, and creative environment to support all students, girls, minorities and abilities alike. This annual gathering allows everyone ranging from beginners to seasoned hackers to explore technology and develop their skills as engineers, designers, and creators. Registered students will receive hands on instruction and mentoring in closed sessions from industry experts, access to complimentary workshops such as app and chat and chatbot development.

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Wearable Tech, AI, VR & Entrepreneurship: What do the human body, music, video games and artificial intelligence have in common? Wearable Technology. Students will have the opportunity to explore innovations from the realm of AI, virtual reality, med tech and haptics while developing innovative ideas of their own. The world is constantly changing and the tech innovators of the world will know how to develop AI models and use data to create products we need everyday. Students will not only redefine themselves as innovators but future entrepreneurs with a plan. Students who complete the course will earn an ethical AI product development certificate from Wearable Tech Ventures and have the opportunity to pitch future wearable products to leading tech corporations.

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