HPSS Courses
SCI 1110-01
GLOBAL WATER CRISIS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Cape Town, South Africa is predicted to be the first major city to run out of water. Day Zero, when the taps will run dry, is expected in Spring 2018. How did we get here, and how do we fix it? Learn the science behind the planet's water and how humanity interacts with it. We will examine the causes and results of drought, salt-water contamination of wells and streams, shrinking aquifers and more. The goals of this course are threefold:
(1) To clarify how water works in earth's systems
(2) To outline how humans interact and leave their mark on every step of these cycles
(3) To encourage students to understand these water issues as challenges in need of the intelligent and creative solutions that they are equipped to deliver.
No prior science background is required.
Elective
SCI 1249-01
INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The goal of the course is to explore how fundamental questions in philosophy, psychology, and medicine are currently being addressed by research in modern cognitive neuroscience. This course will examine the relationship between the brain and cognition by focusing on topics including perception, attention, memory, language, emotions, decision-making, mental representation, knowledge, and intelligence. Interactive participation will be encouraged as students investigate these topics by actively engaging in experimental design, debates, and demonstrations. Throughout the course, the future of cognitive neuroscience will be discussed including how developments in the field will influence society and the ethical implications of these advancements.
Open to Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.
Elective
SCI W014-101
OPTICS & HOLOGRAMS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This mostly non-mathematical presentation of optics leads us to an appreciation of the logic and beauty behind the behavior of light. Starting with the fundamental properties of light, we pass through the geometric optics of reflection and refraction, and the wave optics of interference and diffraction to the clarity of particle waves, lasers, holography, and special relativity. This Wintersession seminar on optics has a section on understanding the physics that makes laser holograms and lasers work. Ideas from familiar phenomena help us see the connections between everyday life and the abstract ideas of optics and physics.
Elective
SCI W039-101
THE SCIENCE OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on how humans use energy and how our needs can be met using green methods. We will briefly cover the energy of the past (wood, coal, water, animal etc.), alternatives to this energy (nuclear, fuel cells, biofuel etc.) as well as the renewing of some old techniques (wind, water, solar etc.) The goals of this course are threefold:
(1) To understand how and why humans currently use energy
(2) To understand how traditional energy production has been used to satisfy these needs and how alternative energy addresses the same needs
(3) To develop innovative alternatives to traditional energy production or uses.
This course will include a final project design solution to an aspect of one of the energy issues touched on in class. Two field trips will be scheduled to view alternative energy in action. No prior science background is required.
Elective
SCI W043-101
MANY WAYS TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP: SYMBIOSES IN NATURE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Deception, manipulation, reproduction. Life, death, or something in-between. What does it mean when cowbirds move into your neighborhood? Can plants cause animals to have bizarre sexual practices, for their benefit? Are most wasp species pest colonies that torment humans, or parasitoids that benefit ecosystems? This course will focus on the intimate relationships within ecology, morphology and behavior in the evolution and diversification of plants, animals, and other living things. Symbiosis (pl. symbioses) is when different species live together. Sometimes both benefit (mutualism), but often one benefits at a cost to the other (e.g., parasitism). The focus of this course will be to observe and study examples of the myriad of ecological interactions that involve symbioses. We will examine the structures and relationships that exist in a variety of ecosystems and learn to understand why things look (or act) the way they do. The basic biology of many types of organisms will also be covered. We will consult diverse scientific literature and films, and conduct (solo) forays into nature. Coursework will combine lecture, discussion and presentation; weekly readings; frequent homework assignments; final synthesis.
Elective
SCI W115-101
WINTER TREE WATCHING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
For much of the period of time we in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere call winter, the trees around us appear lifeless. But are they? Dormancy in trees is a slowing of metabolic function, brought on and maintained by a combination of temperature and day length. Each species has a different response. The shortest day of the year marks a turning point for the plant world, as from that pivotal point day length steadily increases. So what are trees doing in January and February? In this class you will make daily observations and sketches of a single tree, from root to bud. Through daily observation and documentation you will really come to understand your tree and how its various parts function in all weather. Online class lectures on biological function will inform your observations. In addition, samples of a variety of species will be brought inside to observe their responses to warmer temperatures. Each species' response will be documented through sketches and measurements of change in bud size, and emersion of leaf and/or flower. By observing the response of different species to increases in ambient temperature, we will become more informed about the implications of dramatic fluctuations in winter temperatures for trees in the future.
Elective