Upper School Intersession 2025

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK - aka North Korea) government has made extensive investments into offensive cyber security capabilities. What separates the DPRK from other top tier countries in the cyber space is their full embrace of financially motivated crime in addition to more classic state activities like espionage and covert operations / disruption. In this session we’ll spend time talking through the various branches of DPRK cyber activities including crypto/bitcoin attacks, attacks targeting security researchers, the billion dollar raid targeting the Bangladeshi National Bank, and recent efforts to plant DPRK operatives under stolen identities in western countries as regular remote IT workers.

Suppose you need to match one million students to one thousand colleges. Students have preferences over colleges, and colleges have preferences over their applicants. Is there a "good" way to reconcile all these preferences on both sides -- and what does "good" even mean in this context? We are going to discuss the basics of matching theory, a research area at the intersection of Economics and Computer Science that develops tools for answering such questions. We will also discuss applications of this theory: matching young doctors to hospitals, students to schools, and cadets to army branches.

Matching theory is one of the key parts of the broader discipline of the design of economic mechanisms, and if time permits, we will briefly touch on some other topics in this discipline.

Explore the world of convex optimization with a specific focus on linear programs. This session will delve into the core principles of convex optimization, emphasizing the role of linear programming as a powerful tool for solving structured problems across various fields. Through practical examples and theoretical insights, attendees will learn how linear programs are formulated, solved, and applied to optimize processes in areas such as operations research, economics, and data science. Whether you’re new to optimization or looking to deepen your expertise, this seminar offers valuable knowledge to help you leverage linear programming for impactful solutions.

App and website developers must consider a number of privacy, safety and security questions, in addition to building an engaging product experience. Are there any limits to the types of data I can collect in my app, or how I can use it? When do I need to ask permission, and how can I get it without creating friction that stops people from using my innovative product? How do I protect people who use my app from bots, hackers and other common online threats? An increasing number of laws in California, the US and around the globe require privacy and security by design - the idea that evaluating privacy and security risks and requirements, and designing solutions, must be a core part of the product development process.

We will discuss the basic privacy and security requirements and considerations when designing apps and websites and look at the design choices of popular apps and platforms -- including TikTok, Zoom, and Apple. We will then review several hypothetical app experiences and discuss the best choices for user privacy, safety and product experience.

Check out how your parents played with computers from the late 1970's to the mid-'80s on original, working machines (IBM, Apple 2, Commodore 64, Osborne...), many of which were developed right here in Silicon Valley. They were heavy, noisy and clunky, but they spurred the personal computing revolution.

But not just video games - try your skills in programming, see if you can produce cool pictures using exotic pen plotters and dot matrix printers, and learn how these devices from the past worked, how to fix them, and how much people actually got done with them!

In this 5 hour intensive, you'll walk away with a solid grasp of the knowledge you need to make jewelry! You'll get lots of practice 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 shorter, less in-depth course where we'll just cover some basics? Check out the 2.5 hour Intro version of this class!

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.

Explore the world of convex optimization with a specific focus on linear programs. This session will delve into the core principles of convex optimization, emphasizing the role of linear programming as a powerful tool for solving structured problems across various fields. Through practical examples and theoretical insights, attendees will learn how linear programs are formulated, solved, and applied to optimize processes in areas such as operations research, economics, and data science. Whether you’re new to optimization or looking to deepen your expertise, this seminar offers valuable knowledge to help you leverage linear programming for impactful solutions.

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.

Check out how your parents played with computers from the late 1970's to the mid-'80s on original, working machines (IBM, Apple 2, Commodore 64, Osborne...), many of which were developed right here in Silicon Valley. They were heavy, noisy and clunky, but they spurred the personal computing revolution.

But not just video games - try your skills in programming, see if you can produce cool pictures using exotic pen plotters and dot matrix printers, and learn how these devices from the past worked, how to fix them, and how much people actually got done with them!