New Courses   

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A VIRTUAL COURSE!

"Parallel Programming: Making Larger Computations Even Faster": Parallel computing has become ubiquitous, with smart phones and laptops containing 6-core processors nowadays. The basic purpose of using several cores is to speed up the computations, and the purpose of connecting several processors is to solve larger problems by pooling their memory. This course will demonstrate the parallel programming using MPI (Message Passing Interface), the most common library of parallel communication commands for distributed-memory clusters. Registered students will gain access to a cluster in the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (hpcf.umbc.edu) consisting of more than 50 compute nodes with two 18-core processors each.

Technology Requirment: Students are required to have access to a laptop or desktop computer with a camera and microphone.

*A quiet environment is most suitable to complete this course, since it will be conducted online by video conferencing.*

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"ICN2U": Exploring The Career of Sonography: Most people are intrigued that an ultrasound can visualize a baby before birth. Are you aware that Sonography – or ultrasound – is used to image a multitude of organs from head to toe? If you have a passion for precision and excellence, a desire to help people, and a hope for a creative and responsible medical profession, consider a career in Sonography! This course will introduce you to Sonography: the most operator-dependent of all imaging modalities. As a sonographer, your knowledge and skill matters. 

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"AI Innovations in Sales and Marketing: An Introduction To AI-Powered Business Strategies": In this hands-on, 5 day course, students will get an interactive introduction to AI’s role in modern business—learning key skills to analyze data, create targeted marketing plans, and understand customer behavior. Led by experienced instructors, they’ll engage with AI techniques that bring customer data to life. By the end of the week, students will work together to create a marketing campaign for a fictional product using AI insights—an exciting capstone project to apply everything they’ve learned.

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*THIS COURSE IS BEING HELD AT THE SHADY GROVE CAMPUS (ROCKVILLE, MD)!*

Arduino Robotics Bootcamp: In this hands-on course, your child will be introduced to the Arduino robotics platform and gain practical experience assembling the key components needed to build a basic robot. They will get first-hand experience working with wiring, motors, servos, LEDs, and programming. The class will be highly interactive, with participants working in groups and lab settings to physically construct the robotics platform and bring it to life through coding.

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Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and the Power of Storytelling: How can Artificial Intelligence transform healthcare, and how do we simplify the complex data to make it understandable and impactful? This course offers high school students an exciting opportunity to explore cutting-edge AI applications in medicine- from diagnosing diseases to personalizing treatments while developing crucial skills in data analysis and storytelling. In this course, you'll dive into the exciting intersection of artificial intelligence, healthcare, and data communication. Learn how AI is revolutionizing medical diagnostics, treatment planning, and patient care. Develop the skills to analyze complex healthcare data and transform it into impactful stories that drive change.

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Build A VEX Robot: Students will compete in a challenge where they will learn how to design, build and program a VEX Robot. The competition will be centered on the Engineering Grand Challenges which aim to solve some of the world’s biggest issues. This program is designed for all levels of experience; ranging from beginner to expert programmer.

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CodeLab: Build, Learn, Create Ever wondered how your favorite apps and websites come to life? Or how you could turn your own ideas into real, working programs? "Codelab" is your chance to dive into the exciting world of programming, where creativity meets technology. This course is designed especially for middle school students who love solving puzzles, experimenting with ideas, and making things that work. Starting from the basics, you’ll learn how to use code to build projects you can actually use, making technology feel approachable and exciting. Imagine showing off your own mini-programs to friends and family, knowing you created them from scratch!

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"Cosmic Distances: Measuring the Universe":  Ever wondered how we measure the vast distances to stars, galaxies, and beyond? In this exciting one-week course, you'll uncover the secrets of cosmic distances using astrophysical theories and essential math concepts. Learn how scientists estimate the size and scale of our universe, and get hands-on experience with real astronomical data collected at the UMBC Observatory. You'll even tour the observatory and see how professional-grade telescopes and tools are used to explore the cosmos. Join us for an unforgettable journey through space and science!

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Creative Coding for Data Visualizations: In this 5 day course, students will explore how to use Python to analyze and visualize data, creating interactive and visually engaging digital projects. The course introduces essential coding skills, focusing on practical applications of data analysis and visualization. Students will work with Python libraries like Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Numpy to manipulate and present data in meaningful ways. By the end of the course, students will have completed their own data-driven visualization projects.

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"Cyber Crash Course: Unleash Your Tech Skills": Ever wondered how the Internet works? How are files of all types transferred from one device to another? It all starts with connecting devices to each other—better known as “Networking.” In this course, students will explore the fundamentals of networking and delve into cybersecurity essentials: learning to intercept and secure devices through Offensive Security and Defensive Security techniques. Students will also be introduced to Cyber Operations, where they’ll discover how to plan for unlikely incidents, back up data, and recover from attacks.

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Digital Music Production Techniques and Songwriting: For students looking to expand their musical skills, learn how to write songs and create beats using software, this course offers an introduction to creating music digitally. Using Ableton live and chrome music lab, students will create beats and instrumental music, explore audio engineering, recording and songwriting in a collaborative setting. Students will learn how to create, release, perform and present their original music.

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Earth Science with Satellite Imagery: Satellite images of the Earth from space are some of our best tools to study our weather, oceans, pollution, and changes to our cities, rainforests, and polar caps over time. In this class, you will learn why scientists care so much about measuring the entire Earth from space daily. We’ll also talk about the different kinds of signals we measure from space – specifically, how to identify liquid water from ice clouds, algae blooms from sediment in the ocean, desert dust from wildfire smoke – and all from satellite imagery. You’ll also get hands-on experience with satellite data from an exciting new NASA climate mission called PACE (which stands for Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, ocean Ecosystem). Image credit: Joseph Knuble/NASA GSFC

Image Caption:  True color imagery from the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) on the NASA Plankton Aerosol Cloud ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft. OCI observed the smoke plume from the January 2025 Palisade wildfire in Southern California (left), low clouds over snow and ice in Northern Canada (center), and a great phytoplankton bloom around the Falkland Islands in the southern Atlantic (right).

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Explorations In Extraordinary Geometry: The exploration of topics ranging from topology to solid and differential geometry through a variety of hands-on projects. Using materials such as paper, fabric, and yarn you will bring to life spiky "stellated" polyhedra, surfaces from the 4th dimension, the opposite of a sphere, and much more! 

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*THIS COURSE IS BEING HELD AT THE SHADY GROVE CAMPUS (ROCKVILLE, MD)*

Food Deserts vs. Food Swamps: Tackling America's Hidden Crisis! Did you know that nearly 2.3 million people in the U.S. live in places where healthy food is hard to find? These areas are called food deserts and food swamps—and they’re not just about food, they’re about race, class, and health. In this class, you’ll dive into some of the toughest issues facing our communities today: Why do food deserts and food swamps exist? How do they contribute to health problems? And what can we do about it?

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"Graphic Minds: Using Comics to Unpack Philosophical Ideas": In ancient times, stories of gods and heroes helped people understand the world around them. While modern society may no longer believe in these myths, we still crave stories that make sense of our lives. Today, those stories are told through superheroes in capes and masks. This course is a deep dive into philosophy, using comic books as a powerful lens to explore timeless questions.

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GUITAR FUNDAMENTALS: A HANDS-ON WORKSHOP FOR ASPIRING PLAYERS- Unleash your child’s musical potential with this engaged, hands-on workshop tailored for aspiring guitarists! Perfect for beginners and those building their skills, this course blends active learning with a collaborative approach to help students develop essential techniques and confidence. From rock classics to fingerstyle and blues, students will explore diverse genres and practice playing in groups under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Upon completion, participants will have made meaningful strides toward mastery and will perform a song they’ve learned during a special presentation for family and friends on the final day.

Students must bring their own acoustic or electric guitar to participate in this course.

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Hero to Superhero:  Design the Ultimate Level-Up Device: Have you ever thought, "If my hero had the perfect device, they could’ve escaped that sticky situation!"? In this exciting class, students will dive into the world of user experience design by creating and prototyping their hero’s ultimate device. Using principles of human-computer interaction, students will learn how to design technology that fits their hero’s unique needs and abilities.

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Gain hands-on experience in data analysis and quick decision-making as you navigate drone obstacle courses using the Python 3 programming language. Participants will delve into the mechanics of drones, applying coding principles to maneuver through courses, complete missions, and perform aerial maneuvers. This interactive experience highlights the connection between software and hardware, as you code solutions to overcome environmental and toolset limitations. With a strong foundation in Python 3, you'll learn to plot courses and take flight.

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Web development, also known as website development, refers to the tasks associated with creating, building, and maintaining websites and web applications. During this modules students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of web development associated with HTML and CSS.

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"Laboratory Optics: The Science of Light": Dive into the fascinating world of light in this hands-on, one-week course where you'll explore the branch of physics that illuminates both the everyday and the extraordinary. Discover how light behaves as both a wave and a particle, and learn why it’s a key tool for understanding everything from distant galaxies to tiny microbes. You’ll experiment with lasers and investigate phenomena like diffraction, interference, refraction, and polarization. Plus, explore cutting-edge applications of optics in modern fiber communication and quantum technologies. If you’re curious about how light shapes our world—and our future—this course is for you!

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LIFE SKILLS FOR SUCCESS: This interactive course helps youth develop essential life skills for success in personal, academic, and professional settings. Participants will improve in decision-making, financial literacy, time management, emotional intelligence, resilience, and relationship-building through activities and exercises. By course end, they will gain the confidence and skills to navigate challenges, build strong relationships, and set a foundation for future growth and success.

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LIFE SKILLS FOR SUCCESS: This interactive course helps youth develop essential life skills for success in personal, academic, and professional settings. Participants will improve in decision-making, financial literacy, time management, emotional intelligence, resilience, and relationship-building through activities and exercises. By course end, they will gain the confidence and skills to navigate challenges, build strong relationships, and set a foundation for future growth and success.

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Map Madness: Intro to Geospatial Software and Human Geography- Have you ever wondered how your phone knows exactly where you are? How do we represent space and place? How do we collect and represent data in unique and accessible ways? These are all questions that environmental scientists and geographers think about! In this summer course, students will learn to effectively use geospatial mapping software such as ArcGIS and ArcGIS online. Many environmental scientists and geographers utilize these programs for physical geography and human geography applications. Students will work in groups to gather information about environmental concerns around the UMBC campus, transforming their collected data into their own visual representations or maps. Students will learn the importance of spatial data and how it is used to make inferences and projections about a range of things, from wildlife distribution in local forests and inclement weather to population density trends and where you are right now!

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"Physics of the Atmosphere: Wonders of the Sky": Discover the science behind the breathtaking phenomena of our atmosphere. Explore how clouds form, why rainbows appear, and what makes sunsets so colorful. Learn about the physics of light, weather, and optical illusions in the sky through engaging activities and demonstrations. This course offers a captivating look at the forces and principles shaping the skies above us, perfect for curious high school students eager to understand the world around them.

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Pigments of Life - from photosynthesis to cancer therapy: The course will introduce the principles of light-matter interactions, role of pigments in biological processes fundamental for life (such as respiration and photosynthesis), and will demonstrate how photosynthesis inspires numerous applications of natural and synthetic pigments in areas such diverse as solar energy conversion, cancer treatment, and medicinal diagnosis.

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Prepared & Protected: CPR, First Aid, and Disaster Readiness: This session is designed exclusively for high school students eager to develop life-saving skills and learn how to respond effectively in emergencies. Participants will complete the American Heart Association (AHA) Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Certification, receive Stop the Bleed training, and explore the fundamentals of disaster preparedness. Through hands-on activities and expert instruction, students will gain the confidence to act in critical situations and make a positive impact in their communities. Students will also get a glimpse of the opportunities available through UMBC’s Emergency and Disaster Health Systems (EDHS) department, which offers pathways to expand this foundational knowledge into advanced studies and career preparation.

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PYTHON POWER: CODING FOR YOUNG INNOVATORS- Are you ready to unlock the potential of coding and enhance your problem-solving skills? This hands-on, beginner-friendly course introduces middle school students to the world of Python programming through interactive learning and real-world problem-solving activities. Designed to captivate curious young minds, Python Programming for Young Innovators encourages students to explore how coding can empower them to solve exciting challenges. 

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Quantum Bridge: Guess what? The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technoloy! What's a more perfect time to partiticpate in this course than now?

Quantum materials are the key to making innovations like these possible. In this course, you will discover through engaging lessons, hands-on experiments, and demonstrations how these materials are paving the way for the next generation of technological breakthroughs. You will learn how to synthesize these materials - gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and perovskites and how they can be applied in different areas. By exploring this field, you can become part of a new generation of innovators who will shape the future of medicine, energy, and technology.

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The Era of Quantum Science and Technology at UMBC!: Guess what? The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technoloy! What's a more perfect time to partiticpate in this course than now? Quantum science is reshaping our world, from groundbreaking materials to revolutionary technologies like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Join our summer program to explore the fundamental physics behind these advancements and discover the fascinating world of quantum mechanics.

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THE ETHICAL HACKER'S QUEST: BUILDING CYBER SKILLS STEP-BY-STEP: Ever wondered how hackers find and exploit vulnerabilities in digital systems? This interactive, beginner friendly hands-on course will take high school students on an exciting trip to discover the complexities of ethical hacking and cybersecurity. This course, geared towards those new to the subject or wishing to expand on their core knowledge, will educate students on how ethical hackers find and fix system flaws and safeguard them against malicious attacks.

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The Microbial Frontier: Exploring Tiny Life with Big Impacts

This course takes a dive into the world of tiny organisms that live in, on, and around us. Microbiology is the study of these organisms (called microbes) that can't be seen with the naked eye. Many people associate microbes with disease; however, these little critters benefit human health and have a wide range of industrial applications!

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