Splash Fall 17
Course Catalog

This could be filed under engineering since it's mostly tension and material science, but it's also an art, so art it is since we aren't doing math on a Saturday morning.
Learn to quickly bind a book. It will be thin, but the skills you learn will help you stitch more complicated books. Full disclosure so that you can learn the skill here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue52htX3j0k


Prerequisites
Finger dexterity, Some background in crafting,

Buildings come in all shapes and sizes. From the tallest tower on earth to your very own home, each is a complicated work of both art and engineering that takes an enormous team of specialists to design, construct, and operate. If you've ever wondered how skyscrapers can be so tall, how a building can possibly use ZERO energy, or how to even design your dream home, this is the class for you. Topics will include the basic principles of architecture, structure, construction, sustainability, and more, all leading up to a collaborative design challenge in the second half of class.


Prerequisites
Students must be comfortable with algebra and symbolic math.

Introduction to Concrete. How is concrete made? What is cement? Where is concrete used? How do you identify concrete? What is reinforced concrete?
Basics to construction and engineering with regard to use of concrete.


Prerequisites
If the lab visit is made possible: everyone should wear closed toes shoes, full length pants and a full sleeved shirt

Introduction to Fluids and the well known Bernoulli's energy equation and some of its applications in real world systems. What are some things that could go wrong in such systems and how can we better design systems to deal with these problems?


Prerequisites
Physics and Chemistry Introductory courses

From Google searches to smartphone games, linear algebra makes everyday life tick. Come learn the fundamentals of linear algebra, including vector and matrix manipulation, through intuitive examples.


Prerequisites
Solid grasp of algebra.

Whether your introduction was Percy Jackson or Mark Griffith, your interest in Greek Myths has made you pause a second to read this description.

This course covers the Greek creation myths and the genealogy of the Pantheon.

This class with discuss topics that may be triggering. Feel free to reach out to the facilitator. We believe that only through an inclusive space can we have a well rounded discussion.

Pattern popularity! Catalan numbers! Bijections! The Left-Subtree-Switching Lemma! Come on a whirlwind tour of combinatorics and learn all about the concepts in this paper:
http://www.combinatorics.org/ojs/index.php/eljc/article/view/v20i1p8


Prerequisites
You've heard of a factorial

How can you encrypt a message so that only the intended recipient can read it? Starting from the secret codes we all used to send each other in elementary school, we'll build up to the foundations of modern cryptography, and learn the math behind how it's possible to keep secrets over the internet.

In this course, we will enter into the world of higher mathematics. In much of the pre-high school and high school experience of math, there is an emphasis on calculation. Instead, this course will attempt to understand the (2x2x2) Rubik's cube as a mathematical object. To do so, we will need to cover the rudiments of set theory and group theory. Examples will be plentiful and clarifying. All along, I hope to give a flavor of what it is like to study "pure" math.


Prerequisites
Geometry

Intro to Game Creation using Python.

We will dive into the logic and code required to create a game.

Students should bring a laptop.


Prerequisites
No programming background is necessary for this course. It is recommended to bring a laptop.

Regular elections are prone to vote splitting - a candidate that most people hate could win with just 10% of the vote as long as 10 other candidates split the remaining 90%. If voters supply a ranking of all the candidates instead of just their top choice, a whole world of better voting systems become possible. In this class we will come up with those systems and discuss their pros and cons.


Prerequisites
None. This class may have little to offer if you are already familiar with the common systems and criteria in this table: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_system#Compliance_of_selected_systems_.28table.29

For too long have we submitted to the tyranny of unifying themes. How many bears can you run away from forever? How can electrons prove inequalities for us? Why is traffic so bad on your favorite roads? How can physics prove the Pythagorean Theorem? And most importantly, how many of these kinds of things can we answer in under an hour?

Some problems aren't just difficult for computers, they're impossible! Starting only with simple assumptions about what computer programs can do, we'll show that you can't reliably detect when a program has an infinite loop. Using that we'll prove Rice's Theorem, a shockingly powerful statement about the impossibility of many problems we might like to solve.

Learn to solve (and maybe write) puzzles like these: primepuzzles.wordpress.com

Possibly the largest engineering project ever created: the Internet puts millions of smartphones and computers all milliseconds away from each other, and it's hard to imagine life without it.

This fully distributed system works because of a few protocols that all Internet devices follow.

In this class, we'll explore the physical and logical foundations of the Internet, and get hands-on with the four fundamental protocols most commonly used: Ethernet, IP, TCP, and HTTP.

Bring a laptop (optional, but encouraged) to follow along with our exploration!

Learn to program in two easy hours! Students should bring a laptop.

In this course, we'll solve puzzles using code and in the process you'll learn the basics of JavaScript, one of the world's most used programming languages.

Time permitting, we may also make animations using p5.js, an easy-to-learn framework for drawing and animating.

How many ways are there to triangulate a polygon? How many binary trees can you make with $$n$$ vertices? How many different "mountain ranges" (i.e. /\/\) can you make using the characters / and \?

The answer lies in the Catalan numbers, a sequence that pops up in several surprising settings. We'll introduce the Catalan numbers and also investigate a few different objects they describe.


Prerequisites
Some familiarity with combinatorics (permutations, combinations).

What is a website? How do you make your own website? How can you get other people on the internet to view your website? We will explore these questions and students will have an opportunity to create their own website in this class.

Previous programming experience is not required.

Topics include: HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Wordpress, Hosting, Domain, SSL, SEO.

Class website: https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~nathanwong/splashwebdev/

How does an electrical machine add numbers? We will spend the whole class trying to answer this one question.

This is an activity-based puzzle-solving course with no prerequisites. We will learn how to use a breadboard to build circuits representing digital logic gates. Along the way, we may learn a bit about transistors and how to count in binary. And if we’re really lucky, we’ll even learn how a computer adds 1+1 = 2.

Have you ever wondered why people speak differently? Why we say that some people ‘have an accent’ and some people don’t? What it means to speak ‘correctly’ and ‘incorrectly’?

In this crash course on sociolinguistics we will be discussing the connection between the way you speak and how you view yourself and those around you.

This will be a fun-filled course designed to equip students with beginner's knowledge and skills in community-organizing. Students will gain an understanding of the Norm Life Cycle of social change. They will also be taught basic community-organizing strategies which they will then apply to an existing social justice issue.

Through simulations and activities, students will learn about current issues in education research, teaching, policy, and reform. Students will also learn about cutting-edge research on adaptive equity-oriented practices conducted by the Design for Equity Lab. We will discuss how to address achievement gaps, opportunity gaps, access, and equity. By exposing students to multiple perspectives surrounding these issues, we hope students learn more about the root causes, institutions, and policies that perpetuate the current problems. We will further introduce and ask students to analyze various policies, teaching practices, organizations, and current ‘solutions’ through different viewpoints. Students will then work with the class to build upon the strengths and limitations of these approaches to reimagine public policy and improve the prospects for social change.

How does a black hole form? What is an event horizon? We will discuss these questions and then dive into the discovery of gravitational waves, one of the coolest discoveries of modern astronomy and winner of the most recent Nobel Prize in Physics.


Prerequisites
Algebra would be very useful. Basic physics knowledge would also be helpful.

To date, life has only been discovered on our home planet, Earth. But given the size of the universe and the short timespan in which life evolved on Earth, life in some recognizable form probably exists elsewhere - perhaps within our galaxy and maybe even within our own solar system. In this course, we will discuss what criteria make for a habitable system and what candidates in our solar system may host life.


Prerequisites
Basic cell biology

If you take any every day object like a pencil and zoom in and zoom in eventually you will be see some of the smallest objects in our universe: atoms and electrons! These little particles behave in ways which are radically different than anything we are used to; they are in the quantum world! One of the strangest behaviors is that in the quantum world a single object can be in two places at once! In this course I will give examples of quantum mechanical phenomena and try to give intuition about how to think about quantum mechanics so that students are no longer strangers to the quantum world!

Students with all math/science backgrounds are welcome!

Have you ever wondered what chemical reactions are going on in your body at the rate of trillions of trillions of times each second? Almost all of the chemical reactions that drive life are organic in nature, yet we take for granted that these reactions simply happen.

This organic chemistry class will go over a crash course in what you might learn in undergraduate freshman year organic chemistry course. The idea is to introduce organic chemistry not as reaction memorization (as most people see it), but rather as visual pattern recognition using chemical principles as a guide.

Ideally, students will have taken AP chemistry and can name organic functional groups. This will allow us to move beyond just rote memorization and into the fun part of puzzle solving that is organic synthesis!


Prerequisites
AP Chemistry, basic knowledge of organic functional groups (ex. alkenes, carboxylic acids, amines).

In a world where younger students are getting more and more involved with professional work and development, many students begin exploring the world of finance, medicine, and technology at an earlier age then ever before. Students in middle school are learning the basics of chemistry and biology, while those in high school are starting investment clubs. This class will introduce and demonstrate to you some introductory tools, practices, and vocabulary of the biotech industry to enhance your academic exploration and prepare you for a future in whatever field you wish to pursue, technical or not. Topics covered like medicines or financial topics might seem advanced, but can be fully understood with the right guidance. An individual with absolutely no experience/knowledge of this field may attend, but googling "biotech","pharmaceuticals", or "finance" and reading about the fields on Wikipedia wouldn't hurt at all and will allow you to understand more of the content discussed. :)

As you read this, over a thousand nuclear weapons sit atop intercontinental ballistic missiles pointed at the US. Ten or so are targeted at the Bay Area. Should they be launched, a large fraction of the population would die instantly.

Come learn about nuclear weapons history, design and the potential for a thermonuclear apocalypse.

Note: Some lecture content may be disturbing.


Prerequisites
A fear of the nuclear apocalypse

What is sound? How do our ears hear the information in sound and send it to our brain to be processed into language? And how might we teach a computer to do the same thing?

We'll investigate all of this by diving into phonology and phonetics, the study of the audible components of language.

We'll explore what sound is, and look at some ways it can be visualized. We'll talk about all of the different sounds that human languages can use, in English and beyond.
Finally, we'll look at patterns in sounds by converting them into pictures called spectrograms. With this tool at our disposal, we can investigate how both computer systems and human brains might tackle the problem of speech recognition.

Come learn what you never knew you never knew about sounds!

Is that an orchid, or a mantis? What's the difference between a bug and a beetle? Why does EVERYTHING seem to want to pretend to be an ant? Why do bees cooperate with each other like that?

Come learn about insects, the fascinating animals with more than a million species on Earth and a majority of ALL the species we know about!

This class will present a whirlwind tour of insects of all sorts. You'll learn how each group is related and how to recognize each group's unique features, as well as some random cool examples of camouflage, symbiosis, and parasitism among insects.

As we go, you'll apply your newly-learned identification skills to identify insects yourself!

The coolest matter in the universe isn't on the dark side of the moon (a tepid 116K or -250F) or hidden in the deepest depths of space (a brisk 2.6K or -455F), but rather is right here on Earth.


Prerequisites
Interest in science and willing to ask questions.

Can objects exist in multiple places at once? How do we perform spooky actions at a distance--apparent faster-than-lightspeed travel?
Quantum Mechanics seems weird on the surface, but a closer look reveals the real weirdness may not be where you expected.


Prerequisites
Willingness to interrupt me to ask for clarification or questions.

Time Crystals are real. Humans have made them. Find out what superpowers they grant us!

Have you ever held a real human brain? Well here’s your chance! We’ll first arm ourselves with the fundamentals of neuroanatomy and then tackle some concepts of neuroscience and clinical practice.

Different plants have different soil, temperature, water, and light requirements. Come get some exposure to some awesome plants you can find around the Bay Area and how to keep them happy. Learn the basics for how to choose the right plants, keep them alive, and even propagate them to expand your collection!

Astronomers all over the world are on a quest to find Earth 2.0. Using various observation methods, we can find planets that are orbiting distant stars and determine how similar they are to Earth. In this course we will discuss these methods along with the implications of discovering a habitable exoplanet.


Prerequisites
Basic physics and astronomy knowledge would be very useful.

Our bodies are constantly encountering microscopic organisms - from viruses to bacteria to parasites to fungi. Most of these cause no harm to humans, but a small percentage have the capability of infecting people and making them sick.

This class will provide a basic overview of infectious diseases and how they have impacted society since humans came to exist. Come learn about all of the "killer germs" out there, from malaria to Ebola to tuberculosis!


Prerequisites
A basic understanding of biology and a willingness to listen, learn and ask questions!

Time Travel, material for Star Trek and Dr. Who right? Through activities, videos, discussion and lecture, we'll learn that we can prove the possibility of time travel! A riveting, mind-blowing lesson about the cutting edge of quantum physics and science.


Prerequisites
N/A

Danger! Peril! Doom! It lurks around every corner. Earthquakes. Heart Attacks. Snakes. Car Accidents. You're in a plummeting elevator with seconds to act. What do you do? This class is here to help: jam-packed with step-by-step instructions and guides, we're here to show you what to do when life takes a sudden turn for the worse. An essential class for a perilous age because you never know...


Prerequisites
Just come and be prepared.... ;)

Yoga and meditation intro (basics) focusing on our 7 chakras.
*Will include some interesting info about our chakras and spirituality too!


Prerequisites
none

yoga for body, mind, and sprit includes laughter yoga and eyes movements


Prerequisites
none

Come join us to learn some new, exciting and silly card games that are extremely popular in India

Enter a world where a puzzle can be a list of pictures, a gibberish sound file, or just six words. What are the rules? Figure them out!


Prerequisites
None. This class is not meant for anyone who has participated in a puzzle hunt already (e.g. DASH, Shinteki Decathlon, Berkeley Mystery Hunt).

Since George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" premiered in theaters in 1968, zombies have been part of the cultural fabric of society. In recent years, TV shows like "The Walking Dead" and video games like "The Last of Us" have kept the spirit of zombie fiction alive and well.

But did you know that zombies represent a fascinating "case study" for public health preparedness, response, and recovery? This class will wade into how zombies can be used to illustrate the importance of public health, especially how it relates to infectious disease outbreaks.


Prerequisites
An interest in zombies, public health, and/or infectious diseases.

Ever wonder what the true cost of your doctor's appointment is... which doctor you're actually able to get care from... or what goes on behind the scenes after you leave your appointment? Getting treatment or care is not as simple as you think it may be. This course will highlight a patient's case and serve as a brief introduction to the complexities of the U.S. healthcare system.

Want to learn to defend yourself? Want to feel empowered? Come learn how even the smallest, weakest person can defend themselves against larger opponents with simple, practical techniques! Disclaimer: taking this class does not mean that you will be able to fend off every single attacker like you're the Black Widow or something. The goal of this class is to give you a better understanding of what your body can do to ensure your safety if attacked.

Come check out all the super rad ways you can make your life more efficient with technology! Our two student teachers currently co-faciitate a course about technology at UC Berkeley and want to share their favorite tech life hacks with high school students. They will introduce a variety of tools, apps, resources, and more that involve tech and can improve your day-to-day lives and increase productivity. (Fruit snacks may or may not be thrown at students).


Prerequisites
N/A