Crops that Changed the World (open to students currently in 7th or 8th grade)
By the time your dinner reaches your plate, it has probably been on a journey of hundreds, or even thousands of miles. Along the way, your food has a profound effect on the people, cultures, and economies it encounters. This interdisciplinary course examines the social, biological, and economic links between crops, cultures, and food production technologies. Topics will range from plant domestication and the "agricultural revolution" to the lost crops of the Incas, and from the globalization of industrial agriculture to "energy crops" and sustainable agriculture. Come hungry to learn about sociology, anthropology, economics, biology, and more.
~ James Lang
James Lang grew up in Buffalo, New York, where he received his B.A. from Canisius College in 1966. As a college student, Lang spent his summers as a steel worker at the Bethlehem rolling mill in Lackawanna, New York. After joining Vanderbilt in 1974, Lang has held positions in Sociology and Latin American Studies, and has been awarded the Chancellor's Cup for service to Vanderbilt students. Lang is fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, and is past director of Vanderbilt's residential language program. His published work has focused on comparative history and development. His books include Conquest and Commerce: Spain and England in the Americas and Notes of a Potato Watcher which describes Andean agriculture, explains how potatoes became a staple crop throughout the world, and analyzes potato production projects in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
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The Ocean and the Global Environment (open to students currently in 7th or 8th grade)
Ocean covers approximately three-fourths of the earth's surface, yet it is arguably the least understood of our natural resources. The ocean impacts our food supply, our weather patterns, and, indeed, our very ability to inhabit the Earth. This course will introduce you to the vital role it plays in our lives--even here in Nashville, hundreds of miles from the coast. This is an exciting time for ocean science, as new technologies are providing ever more information about the vast and largely unexplored ocean environment. Questions we will examine during the weekend include: How does the ocean make Earth habitable? How is the ocean a major influence on climate? What sorts of strange and bizarre animals and plants live in the ocean--and why? Join us for an adventure 20,000 leagues under the sea; no submarine required. ~ Jeff Johnston
Currently an Assistant Director in the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching and Lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Jeff Johnston is also a former scuba diving instructor and atmospheric chemist with a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. Johnston has a deep fascination and appreciation for the ocean and loves sharing this with others.
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Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World (open to students currently in 9th or 10th grade)
Blockbuster films, sporting events with tens of thousands of spectators, sports and media stars with fan clubs and ardent admirers, and riots begun by enraged fans -- it may sound like the modern world, but all of these phenomena have their origins in Greek and Roman antiquity. This seminar traces the forms of ancient spectacle in theater and sport and viewer reactions to them. You will gain a deeper understanding of both the ancient and modern culture of spectacle through reading selections from ancient tragedies and comedies, examining the archaeological records of ancient theaters and race tracks, and investigating the links between ancient sports such as chariot races and modern sports like NASCAR. ~ Barbara Tsakirgis
Barbara Tsakirgis, an expert in Classical art and archaeology and she is an Associate Professor of Classics and History of Art at Vanderbilt University, where she is currently the chair of the Department of Classical Studies. She earned her B.A. from Yale University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University, and has studied at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the American Numismatic Society. Tsakirgis has excavated at Morgantina, La Befa, and Corinth and is currently conducting reseach at the Athenian Agora, the town square of ancient Athens. Her publications include a book and articles on the domestic architecture and mosaic pavement at Morgantina and the houses in ancient Athens and around the ancient Greek world. Tsakirgis has served on the boards of the American Institute of Architects and the Nashville Parthenon and has led study tours to Greece, Sicily, Malta, Rome, Turkey, and Egypt.
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Hands-on Robotics (open to students currently in 9th or 10th grade)
 From Star Trek's Commander Data to Futurama's Bender, robots have shaped our conception of technology in the future. But what is the state of robotic technology today? In this course you will learn about robotics and its component fields of mechanical and electrical engineering by designing and building your own robots. We will also touch on computer programming as we examine the conception of the behavior-based robot. Hands-on experiments with our robotic creations will round out our understanding of robotic technology. ~ Mitch Wilkes
D. Mitchell Wilkes, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, also serves as an assistant director of the Center for Intelligent Systems and the assistant director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory. Wilkes is widely published in his field, and among his many accolades is an award from NASA- which Wilkes and two Vanderbilt colleagues received in recognition of their robot control architecture research. His research interests include intelligent robotics control, signal processing, and image processing. He is a member of the IEEE, the premier association for the advancement of technology.
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