Upper School Intersession 2025

In this hands-on workshop, you'll step into the role of both artist and scientist. After an introduction to the field of scientific illustration, you’ll get a crash course in botanical art — working with graphite pencils to sketch a chosen plant specimen. To capture its most intricate details, you'll use a Foldscope, a paper microscope (that you can take home after the session), to explore your plant at the microscopic level. This tool will allow you to observe elements like pollen and stomata, which you can add to your botanical composition.

Scientific illustration bridges art and science, helping to communicate and document nature's beauty and complexity. From its roots in early natural history to modern uses in conservation and education, this field brings visibility to the unseen and often unnoticed details of our world.

Foldscope is the paper microscope that began as an idea to make science more accessible. Since its invention at Stanford nearly 10 years ago, Foldscopes have reached over 2 million people and found applications in a variety of settings. Foldscope’s accessible design reminds us that scientific observation isn’t limited to professionals; it’s a universal skill rooted in curiosity and the desire to understand our world.

Participants will be able to keep their Foldscope after the session. No prerequisite skills or knowledge required to participate.

In this 2.5 hour activity, you'll learn the basics of small-scale metalworking using a variety of tools! You'll get an introduction to the world of soldering, shaping, and polishing metal to create little pieces of wearable art!

No experience whatsoever is necessary, but come with some idea of what you want to make, closed-toed shoes, and no flowy sleeves! Or, if you DO have experience from a past Jewelry Intersession or a WoW Workshop, you'll have the freedom to explore techniques you already know, get instruction on anything more advanced, or ask for advice on anything you're working on!

Interested in a longer, more in-depth course where we'll get more practice and get to cover things more thoroughly? Check out the 5 hour In-depth version of this class!

How often do things or new projects work the first time we turn them on? How often do we just throw stuff out when it breaks?

This session will cover what you need to know to successfully troubleshoot and solve problems commonly found with robotics, cars, appliances, or anything else with wires and controllers! With a few tips and tricks you'll be well on your way to be a troubleshooting expert.

- An introduction to test and integration engineering - how engineers get things working and test that they will stay working
- A conversation around common methods and electrical problem-solving tools like multimeters, oscilloscopes
- Hands-on activities - be prepared to work in groups to debug and test a few different types of systems

MIG (metal inert gas) Welding: Get a hands-on crash course in what welding is, how and when to use it, and what you can do with it. Students will learn to cut, prepare, and weld metal autonomously, and will work together to create shop infrastructure to improve the space.

What do self-driving cars, Alexa, iPhone's face recognition technology, and ChatGPT have in common? They are driven by modern advances in artificial intelligence. Whether you’re interested in law, healthcare, art, or economics, AI is poised to transform every discipline and industry in the future. AI is already all around us today, and by the end of the program, students will understand the underlying concepts and motivations behind technology such as computer vision, natural language processing, and neural networks.
 
In this course, we will explore the foundations of machine learning and explore different applications of machine learning models. In the first half of the course, students learn AI’s core technologies including applications, foundational concepts, and programming tools through live lectures and coding labs. Students will not only learn about different types of machine learning models but also apply those models to real data sets. In the second half of the course, students will complete an instructor-led group project applying AI to the discipline of their choice (e.g., music, healthcare, astrophysics, finance, etc.), utilizing the programming skills they developed in the first half.

Please read more here!

Course Structure

Machine Learning Talks
Learn about machine learning algorithms and techniques in a uniquely interactive, engaging format, before you apply that knowledge in live coding labs.

Hands-On Python Coding
Develop valuable skills in Python, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in our hands-on coding labs, using cutting-edge research to solve real-world problems like breast cancer diagnosis, building self-driving cars, and more.

Project-Based Learning
In our AI for Social Good project, students will be able to apply their newly acquired talents in a collaborative, challenging environment, applying AI to a domain they’re passionate about (e.g., music, healthcare, astrophysics, finance, etc.). Students can use these projects in their résumés and college applications.

Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 5G, Radar, MRI... what do they all have in common? Radio engineering!

In this 75-minute class, you'll learn how vintage radio techniques from 1906 laid the groundwork for modern chip design. Explore the science behind classic radio communication, unraveling concepts like radio encoding, Fourier transforms, and modulation techniques. Discover how people use meteor tails to send messages over radio, and try your hand at building your own AM receiver!

What's covered: maths behind radio signals, physics E&M, soldering skills, basics of analog circuit design

Ideally, students will have prior had experience soldering.

In this class, we will seek to de-mystify what UI/UX design is, teach students how to get started in the field, and explain the merits & interests of pursuing UI/UX. We will have interactive time to work in Figma, as well as develop experience in the iterative design process. I will also talk about my background and experiences in UI/UX –– including a design internship abroad in Singapore, college coursework, online certificate program, and extracurriculars. This is a career option that would appeal to many students interested in the tech industry, creative jobs, and more, but often is not learned about until college or even later in the professional field.

Prerequisites: no experience necessary! Some interest in the world of tech or the tech industry would be beneficial but is certainly not needed.

In this 2.5 hour activity, you'll learn the basics of small-scale metalworking using a variety of tools! You'll get an introduction to the world of soldering, shaping, and polishing metal to create little pieces of wearable art!

No experience whatsoever is necessary, but come with some idea of what you want to make, closed-toed shoes, and no flowy sleeves! Or, if you DO have experience from a past Jewelry Intersession or a WoW Workshop, you'll have the freedom to explore techniques you already know, get instruction on anything more advanced, or ask for advice on anything you're working on!

Interested in a longer, more in-depth course where we'll get more practice and get to cover things more thoroughly? Check out the 5 hour In-depth version of this class!

Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 5G, Radar, MRI... what do they all have in common? Radio engineering!

In this 75-minute class, you'll learn how vintage radio techniques from 1906 laid the groundwork for modern chip design. Explore the science behind classic radio communication, unraveling concepts like radio encoding, Fourier transforms, and modulation techniques. Discover how people use meteor tails to send messages over radio, and try your hand at building your own AM receiver!

What's covered: maths behind radio signals, physics E&M, soldering skills, basics of analog circuit design

Ideally, students will have prior had experience soldering.