Droplet Fall 2022
Course Catalog

Is your favorite Marvel character Thor? Do you like stories about medieval times? Are you a general mythology buff? Well if any of those sound like you, and even if they don't, join this class to take a dive through some of the greatest hits of Norse Mythology. We'll talk about wars, magic, and even the Apocalypse. We'll even see how Norse myth has impacted our world.

Have you ever wondered what makes the notes on a piano sound different from those on a violin or tuba? The answer is : harmonics! Harmonics form a basis for describing music just like letters form the basis for spelling words. In this class we will explore the world of harmonics and learn to see and hear them all over the place!


Prerequisites
Basic understanding of sine and cosine functions

Membrane proteins play fundamental roles in the functioning of all of our organs, including the heart and brain. In this class, I will first introduce the concept of a membrane protein, then we'll learn about the different types of membrane proteins and take a look at their structures!

Join us on a brief dive into the world of neuroscience! Our course consists of two 30-minute sections: The Neuroscience of Movement and Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Neuroscience of Movement: Have you ever been hungry in the middle of the night and found yourself moving almost unconsciously from your homework to the fridge? But, have you ever consciously thought about which muscles to tense and which to relax so that you don’t fall down on your way to your snack? This course will cover the neuroscience of body movements, walking you through how our nervous system choreographs the complex and highly coordinated movements necessary for voluntary movement.

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI): Picture a prosthetic arm that can wave and pick up objects, controlled simply by your thoughts. Or, imagine thinking “left” and seeing a video game character move towards the left side of your screen. These are examples of emerging brain-computer interfaces, many of which are currently being developed or have already been built! This course covers the fundamentals of brain-computer interfaces and discusses their exciting new applications.

Have you ever wondered why certain animals have such weird abilities and appendages? Or how we know what sorts of bizarre features extinct animals had? Ever stopped to think about how weird characteristics come about? We will explore these questions and more as we dive into animal adaptations. You'll learn about weird animal biology, fossils, evolution, and how to think like a scientist.

This class will be an intro to cancer fundamentals, covering concepts such as
1. What is cancer?
2. What factors drive conversion from healthy cells to cancerous cells?
3. What are some common mutations in cancer?
4. What environmental factors can cause cancer?


Prerequisites
General or cell biology recommended but not required

When you see a cow, how do you know it’s a cow? How do you know it’s a cow, and not a horse? How do our brains represent and process information? In this interactive class, we will discuss how neuroscientists study they ways in which the brain learns to classify objects, and how AI can help us to better understand this process. Students will have the chance to form their own hypotheses and test them on real neuronal data.