Archaeological Science: How We Explore Ancient Worlds
Instructor: Angelina Locker, Ph.D.
Anthropology, Chemistry, Biology

Have you ever wondered how long ago someone lived, what people ate in the past, or how ancient families were connected? Archaeologists ask these same questions as they study the clues people left behind—artifacts, buildings, landscapes, even old plant remains. In this hands-on summer course, you’ll discover how science helps us unlock the secrets of the past. Using tools and ideas from geology, chemistry, and biology, you’ll explore archaeological science to better understand ancient cultures. Throughout the week, you’ll learn how we figure out the age of ancient objects, how scientists analyze DNA from long-ago humans, how we investigate whether people migrated from place to place, and how different kinds of evidence help us explore human evolution and tell the stories of past peoples and places. If you’re curious about ancient worlds and love solving mysteries, this course is for you!

Dr. Angelina Locker is the lab manager for the Bioarcheology & Stable Isotope Research Lab at Vanderbilt University, where she helps students explore how science can answer questions about people in the past. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Locker studies how ancient communities created and remembered important places. She works closely with local and descendant communities and uses scientific tools—like stable isotope analysis and ancient DNA—to learn about people’s diets, movements, family connections, and traditions. Her research currently takes her to Belize, New Mexico, and Peru. She has worked with students of all ages and loves showing how archaeology helps us understand our world today. Dr. Locker is excited to explore the science of the past with VSA students this summer!

Beyond the X-Ray: MicroCT and the Mechanics of Bone
Instructor: Gabriel Ramirez, Ph.D. Student
Biology, Engineering, and Orthopedics

Bones may seem simple on the outside, but inside they contain an intricate world of microscopic structures that determine how strong and flexible they are. In this course, you’ll explore the hidden architecture of the skeleton and learn how scientists use micro-computed tomography (microCT) to visualize bones in three dimensions. You will investigate the differences between cortical bone—the strong outer shell—and trabecular bone—the delicate inner lattice—and analyze how their structures work together to maintain skeletal integrity. Through guided lessons and discussions, you’ll interpret authentic research figures, evaluate microCT images, and trace how specific diseases like osteoporosis change bone structure and increase fracture risk. As you think and work like a scientist, you’ll learn to connect tiny architectural details to big-picture biomechanical function, gaining insight into how bone quality is measured and why it matters. By the end of the course, you will be able to interpret key structural features of bone, analyze how researchers design and explain studies using microCT, and explain how micro-level changes affect whole-bone strength. If you’re curious about careers in biomedical engineering, orthopedics, medicine, imaging science, or biomechanics, this class offers a powerful look at how biology and technology come together to understand and protect the human body.

Gabriel Ramirez is a first-year Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University who is currently rotating to find a thesis lab. His primary research interests include geroscience, osteoporosis, and the interactions of hormones on bone health. He brings extensive instructional experience to this course, having taught in programs for high school, undergraduate, and medical students. His prior research as a two-year NIH-funded researcher at Indiana University School of Medicine directly informs this course, as his work detailed the effects of chromosomal sex on bone growth and development. He holds dual B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Appalachian State University.

Foundations of Astronomy: A Journey Through the Cosmos
Instructor: Jessica Schonhut-Stasik, Ph.D.
Astronomy, Physics, Space Science

This Astronomy 101-style course is universally designed and accessible, intended to inspire wonder and curiosity about our cosmic neighborhood and beyond. Throughout the course, you will embark on a guided journey that begins within our familiar Solar System, examining the diverse worlds that orbit our Sun—from rocky planets and icy moons to comets, asteroids, and other small bodies that reveal clues about our system’s origins. You will investigate fundamental astronomical concepts, gain insights into cutting-edge discoveries, and develop an appreciation for how modern research continues to refine our understanding of the universe. If you have a passion for space or are considering a career in the space sciences, this course is for you!

Dr. Jessica Schonhut-Stasik is a postdoctoral researcher in Astrophysics at Vanderbilt University, specializing in Galactic Archaeology — the study of stars in the Milky Way to investigate the formation and evolution of the Galaxy. She moved to Nashville from Hawai’i in June of 2025 to take up her postdoctoral work. Before this, she completed her PhD remotely from Hawai’i, where she also worked on the summit of Maunakea as a Telescope Systems Specialist for the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Dr. Schonhut-Stasik is an autistic and ADHD self-advocate and dreams of one day being the first openly autistic woman in space. She serves as Director of Communications for the Frist Center of Autism and Innovation, housed in the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She is also the CEO and President of a non-profit, The Neuroverse Initiative, which works at the intersection of Neurodiversity and Space Science. When she is not working, she loves sci-fi and cuddling with her dogs.

Introduction to Astrophysics: How the Universe Works
Instructor: Kaylah McGowan, Ph.D. Student
Physics, Astronomy, Computer Science

How do stars form? What happens when a massive star explodes? How do black holes grow, and why can they bend light itself? Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how all of it fits together? Do big cosmic mysteries spark your curiosity? In this introduction to astrophysics, you’ll explore the most exciting phenomena in the universe—from star birth inside glowing nebulae to the violent deaths of stars in supernova explosions, to the creation of black holes and the discovery of new exoplanets. Using hands-on demonstrations, real images from NASA telescopes, and beginner-friendly Python activities, you’ll investigate how galaxies evolve and what scientists look for when searching for life on other worlds. By the end of the course, you will understand how stars are formed, how they die, why black holes exist, and how the Milky Way changes over time. You’ll also learn how astronomers use data, images, and computer models to uncover the universe’s secrets. If you love space, science, or asking big questions about how everything works, this course is for you!

Kaylah McGowan is a Ph.D. student in Astrophysics at Vanderbilt University whose research focuses on gravitational-wave instrumentation and detector characterization. She works with the LIGO Livingston Observatory, where she develops software tools to identify and analyze noise sources—including ARCHGEM, a pipeline she created to study scattered-light noise in gravitational-wave data. Kaylah’s work has been featured at national and international conferences such as SPIE, APS, and the LVK Meeting. Kaylah earned her B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Arizona and her M.S. in Physics from Fisk University. She is passionate about science communication and mentoring young scientists, and she enjoys bringing astrophysics to new audiences. Outside of research, she loves motorsports, travel, and exploring the intersection of science and pop culture.

Intro to Python Coding
Instructor: Ishita Dash, Ph.D.
Coding (*No previous coding experience required)

Python is a popular language for general-purpose programming, data science, web programming, machine learning, and more. In this course, you will delve into an in-depth exploration of Python’s core elements, including syntax, various data types, control structures, and functions. Through hands-on projects and practical exercises, you will apply your knowledge and reinforce your understanding of Python programming concepts. By the end of the course, you will have a robust foundation in Python, empowering you to confidently pursue more advanced programming concepts and explore real-world applications of the language. Python is named as a tribute to the British comedy group Monty Python, so you can also expect to have a lot of fun along the way!

Ishita Dash is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Her expertise is in transportation safety with a particular focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety. Dr. Dash employs advanced machine learning algorithms, computer vision techniques, and data analytics to analyze large datasets collected from various sensors, technologies, and cameras. By identifying unsafe travel behaviors and their underlying causes, she aims to develop innovative, efficient, sustainable, and safer transportation systems. Her research also explores the environmental impacts of traffic, the stress experienced by pedestrians and cyclists, heat-induced stress on construction workers, and the stress encountered by first responders. These studies seek to improve both performance and health outcomes. The implications of her work are significant for policymakers, urban planners, and transportation engineers. Dr. Dash holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University, as well as an M.S. in Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway. She earned her B.S. in Marine Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India. In addition to her research, Dr. Dash has extensive teaching experience. She has instructed courses in Energy Systems Engineering at Vanderbilt University, successfully developed and implemented a data analytics certification and minor program, and taught Business Statistics as an Adjunct Professor at Colorado Mountain College. Furthermore, she has taught Urban Transportation and Data Analytics at the PTY Summer 2024 (VSA and Career Connections) program. She has served as a guest lecturer and teaching assistant for several courses at Vanderbilt University and has worked as a mathematics tutor for the Accelerating Scholars Program at Metro Nashville Public Schools. With over a decade of experience as a Technical Safety Engineer in the Offshore and Shipping industry, Dr. Dash brings significant practical expertise to her academic and teaching endeavors.

Introduction to Statistical Analysis
Instructor: Gabriella Noreen, Ph.D.
Statistical Inference, Exploratory Data Analysis

How do we know whether a reading intervention raised student test scores? Whether medicine improved patient outcomes? Or if there is an association between MLB payrolls and teams’ batting averages? The answers to these questions are rooted in statistical analysis. The course is designed to familiarize you with the principles of statistical inference and data analytics. Throughout the week, you will be introduced to concepts covered in AP and undergraduate/graduate-level statistics courses. You will also have the opportunity to conduct and interpret your own analysis via provided datasets and instructions on analysis and graph-making, both by hand and with software in Excel/Google Sheets. Topics include descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, significance testing, and the distinction between confirmatory and exploratory analyses. If you are interested in exploring this area of math, which is integral to research design and data-driven decisions, this is the course for you!

Gabriella Noreen is a doctoral candidate in the Quantitative Methods Program at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. She holds an M.S. in Quantitative Methods and a B.S. in Child Development (minor: Quantitative Methods) from Vanderbilt University. Gabriella has taught with PTY for several years and has also TA’d for numerous courses in the Quantitative Methods department, including Statistical Analysis, Multilevel Modeling, and Psychological Measurement. Her research interests focus on best practices in education, supporting underserved populations, and ensuring access to developmentally appropriate educational opportunities based on empirically documented practices for meeting the learning needs of all students. Gabriella is a Research Assistant at the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), where she enjoys developing longitudinal studies focused on facilitating positive development within education and beyond. Her work often takes an exploratory approach and blends both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Outside of her coursework and research, Gabriella enjoys baking, taking walks with her dogs, and spending time with her family.

Legal Studies: An Introduction to Torts and Civil Law
Instructor: Kimberly A. Goins, Esq.
Legal Studies

Have you ever seen or heard about a legal case and wondered why someone even bothered suing? Have you known someone who either had to sue someone or was sued by someone? In this course, you will learn about the civil law process in the United States, specifically through the lens of torts. A tort is a civil wrong that causes harm or loss to a person for which there is civil recourse, including money damages (compensatory or punitive). Through reading and analyzing groundbreaking cases such as Palsgraf v. Long Island and Summers v. Tice, you will develop an introductory understanding of torts and how they function. With this theoretical foundation, you will practice civil law by taking part in a mock civil trial. Working in teams who take on various roles, you will draft pre-trial motions, draft a complaint, engage in discovery (for example, depositions), and draft motions. If you are interested in learning about what lawyers do, this is the course for you!

Kimberly Goins is an alumna of The University of Alabama, from where she received the degrees of Juris Doctor, a Master of Arts degree in political science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and political science. She is also an alumna of Vanderbilt University from where she obtained a Master of Theological Studies degree. She is a licensed attorney in good standing with the prestigious New York State Bar. She has over thirteen years of legal experience in a variety of areas, including civil and criminal law. She has clerked in a district attorney’s office and for a judge, served as an Appeals Litigation Specialist for the State of Tennessee, and has practiced as an eDiscovery Attorney for over eleven years in Nashville and New York City. In addition, she has worked in the nonprofit arena as an Academic Coordinator for Tennessee Higher Education in Prison Initiative and previously taught an Introduction to Law course focusing on the civil law process for Summer Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young in 2017, a Criminal Law course for Vanderbilt Summer Academy in 2017, mini law courses for Weekend Academy at Vanderbilt University in 2016; and she has presented a Teach-In at the MLK Teach In at Vanderbilt University on the topic of “Stop and Frisk: Protect and Serve or License to Violate.” She is currently working full time as an eDiscovery Attorney focusing primarily on civil law matters.

Banners in the Mud: War, Chivalry, and Myth in the Hundred Years’ War
Instructor: Jesse McCarthy, Ph.D.
History Literature Political Science / Strategic Studies

What did it mean to fight for honor in a world mired in mud and plague, where loyalties wavered and glory was never clean? How did kings and chroniclers turn hard campaigns into shining legends of chivalry? In this interdisciplinary course, you will uncover the political intrigue, battlefield realities, and mythmaking that defined the Hundred Years’ War. Through a blend of historical inquiry, literary analysis, and strategic simulation, you will examine how medieval warfare shaped both Europe’s landscape and its imagination. Using chronicles by Jean Froissart, letters from Edward III, excerpts from Shakespeare’s Henry V, and digital recreations of battles, you will compare real medieval voices with modern portrayals in film and popular culture. In a collaborative “war council” simulation, you will assume the roles of commanders, where you will be managing alliances, supply lines, and morale as your campaigns unfold on a live Google Earth map. Along the way, myth-busting clips and tactical exercises will challenge what you think you know about knights, armor, and honor. By the end of this course, you will understand how chivalric ideals clashed with the realities of medieval warfare, how propaganda and myth shaped medieval memory, and how the Hundred Years’ War continues to influence our ideas about heroism and national identity. If you’re fascinated by the intersection of myth and strategy – or if you’ve ever wondered what really happened behind the shining armor – this course is for you!

Dr. Jesse McCarthy holds a Ph.D. in History and works at the intersection of culture, politics, and the imagination. A former Vanderbilt University lecturer and postdoctoral fellow, he is now a member of the Upper School history faculty at Harpeth Hall and teaches with Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, including advanced Research Immersion courses. Beyond the classroom, Dr. McCarthy is an active public humanities speaker who has led widely attended seminars at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. His teaching and research explore human culture and expression at the crux of myth and history: how we continually reimagine the past to understand ourselves and the worlds we inherit.

Creative Writing: Free Verse Poetry
Instructor: Jan Harris, Ph.D.
Creative Writing, Poetry

Led by a published author, this course will help you find and express your poetic voice and gain confidence and expert feedback about your work. By studying different kinds of poetry through creative and engaging writing activities, group collaboration, analysis, and peer review, you will work toward building a comprehensive collection of your own original poems. You will pay particular attention to free verse and the frontier of poetry beyond meter with a focus on finding your own voice and platform. The writing skills you gain will not only help enhance your poems but will also allow you to engage in scholarly conversations with other classmates and express your ideas in unique ways while having a lot of fun along the way.

Dr. Jan Elaine Harris (she/her) is a Professor of Writing, and serves as the Faculty Fellow for Faculty Well-Being, at Lipscomb University. She holds a Masters and Doctorate in English from the University of Alabama. Her chapbook, Isolating One’s Priorities, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2021. Recent poems have appeared in the Solar Wind art exhibit, American Writers Review, The West Trade Review, Plants and Poets Anthology, HerWords, The Portland Review, etc. Jan completed a two-year training for Spiritual Directors in 2023, and she is also a trained Ignatian Guide. She serves as one of the Catalyst Mentor Coaches for Lipscomb’s Faculty and supports the College of Health Sciences as their Wellbeing Liaison. Jan received the Bledsoe Award for Excellence in the Humanities in April 2022 and was chosen as one of three Teachers of the Year in April 2024. She lives in East Nashville with her partner and two perfect GSPs, Malloy and Astrid-June.

Designing for Every Body: An Introduction to Prosthetics and Accessible Engineering
Instructor: Marion Hagstrom, Ph.D. Student
Engineering, Design, Accessibility

How do engineers turn human needs into devices that restore mobility and independence? What makes a prosthetic knee work for different activities, like walking and biking? In this course, you will explore the field of prosthetics and assistive technology through the lens of engineering design. Together, we’ll uncover how engineers create devices that restore mobility, independence, and quality of life. Through a blend of engaging lectures, interactive demonstrations, and hands-on design challenges, you will learn the fundamentals of the engineering design process: defining problems, brainstorming solutions, prototyping, and testing. Along the way, you’ll investigate how concepts like force, motion, and material selection shape the function of prosthetic devices, and how accessibility principles guide engineers to design for real people with diverse needs. You’ll also work in small teams to develop your own prototype concept for an assistive device, putting creativity, empathy, and problem-solving into action. By the end of this course, you’ll understand how engineers design assistive technology, and you’ll walk away with hands-on experience designing and presenting your own assistive prototype! If you’re curious about how engineering can expand human potential and change lives, this course is for you!

Marion is a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University, specializing in prosthetics and assistive technology. Her work focuses on developing affordable prosthetic knees and controllers for activities like biking and backward walking. She is passionate about teaching and mentoring, with experience ranging from coding and soldering circuits to building prosthetics and adapted toys for children.

Fossil Fragments: Evolving Methods in Paleontology and the Challenge of Incomplete Data
Instructor: Samir Cancel-Matos, Ph.D. Student
Biology, Statistics, Geology

Over 540 million years ago, the Cambrian explosion sparked a dramatic rise in animal diversity—much of which we now understand through the fossil record. But fossils are rarely complete, leaving paleontologists with only fragments of ancient creatures and big questions about how they lived, moved, and evolved. In this course, you’ll take on the same challenges scientists face by learning how to estimate size, behavior, and life history from partial evidence. Through hands-on activities and guided investigations, you’ll explore why early reconstructions were sometimes wildly inaccurate and how modern paleontology has developed new tools to interpret incomplete data. As you dig deeper, you’ll study how paleontological techniques have evolved—from early comparative methods to cutting-edge computational approaches used today. You’ll practice core concepts, such as fossilization, morphology, evolution, geologic time, and phylogenetics, while also learning how scientists use statistics, modeling in R, spreadsheets, and 3D models to reconstruct ancient organisms. Working with both physical and digital fossils, you will excavate specimen models, analyze sample datasets, and apply data-imputation strategies to make informed scientific predictions. The course culminates in group presentations where you’ll explain your findings and defend your reconstruction choices using evidence and modern analytical methods. By the end of the week, you will understand how scientists turn fragmentary fossils into full scientific stories and how advances in computing have transformed what we can learn about life’s past. If you’re excited about paleontology, computer modeling, geology, biology, or data science—and you want to see how these fields intersect to solve real scientific mysteries—this course is for you.

Samir Cancel-Matos is a 3rd Year Ph.D. student in Vanderbilt’s Earth and Environmental Science Department where he studies the evolution of body size in marine tetrapods interacting with fossils of some of the largest organisms the world has ever known. In his latest project, Samir worked with different estimation methods and imputation techniques to generate improved methods for predicting length given incomplete fossils – work that he’s presented in conferences in Belgium and Atlanta. He received his B.S. in Geophysical Science from the University of Chicago in 2023, with a research focus on trilobite biostratigraphy. Samir is an active member of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative (ESI), which aims to discuss evolution in a multidisciplinary environment and often hosts events for the public right here in Nashville. Outside of his time in the lab or working on datasets on his computer, Samir enjoys bird photography in the many pleasant parks of the Nashville area or spending time at home reading with his pet Leopard Gecko.

From Symptoms to Solutions: A Disease-Focused Pharmacology Course
Instructor: Lauren Schnitkey, Ph.D. candidate
Pharmacology, Medicine, Bench-to-Bedside drug development

Why do millions of people take medication every day—and how do those drugs actually fight disease? This course invites you to explore pharmacology through three of the most common and impactful conditions in modern medicine: heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. By linking drug mechanisms directly to the diseases they treat, you will move beyond memorization and into true clinical understanding. During this course, you will uncover how these disorders develop, how they are diagnosed, and why specific therapeutic strategies work—or fail. Topics include pathophysiology, drug targets, mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, adverse effects, polypharmacy, and evidence-based clinical decision-making. You will work through real world case studies to put these topics into effect. By the end of the course, you will develop pharmacological reasoning and be able to explain the molecular and physiological basis of each disease, compare major drug classes, justify treatment choices, and predict therapeutic outcomes and side effects.

Lauren Schnitkey is a Ph.D. candidate in the Pharmacology Department at Vanderbilt University. She conducts her research in Dr. Ethan Lee’s laboratory, where she studies signal transduction, cardiovascular development, and the pharmacological mechanisms that shape these processes. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Ohio State University and subsequently completed a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Passionate about both discovery and education, Lauren aspires to become a university-based research investigator and dedicated instructor. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three cats and can often be found reading a good book with a cup of tea in hand.

Inside the Brain: A Journey Through Neuroscience
Instructor: Morgan Ottley, Ph.D. Candidate
Neuroscience, Neurobiology

Have you ever wondered how your brain helps you think, move, feel, and remember? In this course, you’ll embark on an exciting journey into the world of neuroscience, the science of how the brain and nervous system work. You will uncover how neurons communicate, how the brain processes information from the world around us, and how different brain regions work together to shape behavior and emotion. Through interactive lessons, demonstrations, and hands-on experiments, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the brain’s incredible complexity. The highlight of the week will be a guided sheep brain dissection, where you’ll identify key brain structures and see firsthand how form connects to function. By the end of the course, you’ll come away with a new understanding of how your brain makes you who you are.

Morgan Ottley is a Ph.D. candidate in Vanderbilt University’s Neuroscience graduate program. Her research focuses on understanding how the brain works and how genetic changes can affect brain function. Morgan earned her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Dance from the University of Pittsburgh and has conducted research on topics ranging from cancer pain to COVID-related olfactory dysfunction. Passionate about mentorship and inclusion in STEM, Morgan has guided students through research experiences and served in leadership roles with the Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students and the Neuroscience Student Organization. She has also served as a student facilitator for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and as a mentor for students in the IMSD Discover Biomedical Research Summer Program. Morgan is excited to share her love of neuroscience with students and inspire the next generation of scientists.

Introduction to Mosquito Immunity – Tiny Defenders with Big Impact
Instructor: Shabbir Ahmed, Ph.D. Candidate
Biology, Mosquito, Immunity

Did you know mosquitoes have their own immune systems—and that these tiny defenders can determine whether a mosquito spreads a disease or stops it? In this hands-on, discovery-based course, you will dive into the fascinating world of mosquito biology and explore how their immune systems recognize and fight germs. You will uncover how mosquito immunity connects biology, the environment, and global health, and learn how scientists use this knowledge to prevent diseases like malaria and dengue. Through interactive activities, you will build models of mosquito immune cells, simulate experiments, and work in teams to design creative solutions to real-world challenges, such as controlling disease transmission. Along the way, you will practice thinking like a scientist—asking questions, testing ideas, and interpreting data. By the end of the course, you will understand how mosquito immune systems protect against infection, how science turns discovery into innovation, and how even the smallest creatures can make a big impact on the world.

Shabbir Ahmed is a Ph.D. candidate in Vanderbilt University’s Biological Sciences graduate program. His research focuses on uncovering the physiological and immunological mechanisms that shape a mosquito’s ability to detect, respond to, and overcome infection. With a particular interest in the intersection of mosquito immunity and circulatory physiology, Shabbir investigates how immune cells and signaling pathways interact within the mosquito’s hemolymph (insect blood) to influence disease transmission dynamics. His work combines molecular biology, microscopy, and physiological assays to better understand how the mosquito immune system defends against pathogens that threaten both insect and human health. Beyond his research, Shabbir is passionate about mentoring and science communication, encouraging students to think critically about how small-scale biological processes drive global impacts. When he’s not in the lab, he loves to travel, explore new cultures, and stay active by playing cricket and soccer.

Behavioral Research and Videogame Development: Making non-videogame videogames for research purposes
Instructor: Andrew McAvan, Ph.D. student
Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science

Many modern-day cognitive psychologists rely on computer-based programs to gather data from participants, with these programs allowing researchers to create and tweak experiments down to the smallest detail in ways that couldn’t be done in the real-world. Interestingly, many methodological decisions (i.e., how researchers test participants) can be greatly informed and impacted by popular video games, which in turn can also be influenced by research conclusions. In this course, you will learn the basics of experimental design, videogame development, and how to leverage both for success. Through learning how scientists and videogame software engineers develop, test, and execute their respective projects, you will join two seemingly disparate fields to foster our knowledge base in both breadth and depth. You will also delve into various research articles and see just how prevalent and useful knowledge of videogames is in scientific literature and vice versa. You will leave this course with a deeper understanding of methodological design, computer coding, videogame development principles, and how each can be leveraged for a successful (and fun!) future.

Andrew McAvan is a Ph.D. student in Vanderbilt University’s Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience track through the Psychological Sciences (A&S) department. Andrew’s research interests include studying how people combine various cues while navigating to inform their subsequent decisions and spatial representations. Andrew currently heads the Spatial Memory & Navigation Lab under Dr. Tim McNamara, where he is currently investigating how people are (not) able to incorporate impossible non-Euclidean spatial information into their underlying cognitive representations via the use of fully immersive virtual reality. Andrew graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.Sc. in Psychology and a minor in Computer Science where they worked with multiple labs assessing not only retention rates of children in the Pima County DES system but also exploring how humans react to stress. Post undergrad Andrew worked at an in-patient rehabilitation facility for individuals with substance abuse and mood disorders, followed by the Human Spatial Cognition Lab at the University of Arizona where they first started developing experiments using the Unity 3D game engine in conjunction with cutting-edge VR technology. Outside of research, Andrew enjoys unwinding with nature, games, and various (too many) crafts.

Designing for Every Body: An Introduction to Prosthetics and Accessible Engineering
Instructor: Marion Hagstrom, Ph.D. Student
Engineering, Design, Accessibility

How do engineers turn human needs into devices that restore mobility and independence? What makes a prosthetic knee work for different activities, like walking and biking? In this course, you will explore the field of prosthetics and assistive technology through the lens of engineering design. Together, we’ll uncover how engineers create devices that restore mobility, independence, and quality of life. Through a blend of engaging lectures, interactive demonstrations, and hands-on design challenges, you will learn the fundamentals of the engineering design process: defining problems, brainstorming solutions, prototyping, and testing. Along the way, you’ll investigate how concepts like force, motion, and material selection shape the function of prosthetic devices, and how accessibility principles guide engineers to design for real people with diverse needs. You’ll also work in small teams to develop your own prototype concept for an assistive device, putting creativity, empathy, and problem-solving into action. By the end of this course, you’ll understand how engineers design assistive technology, and you’ll walk away with hands-on experience designing and presenting your own assistive prototype! If you’re curious about how engineering can expand human potential and change lives, this course is for you!

Marion is a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University, specializing in prosthetics and assistive technology. Her work focuses on developing affordable prosthetic knees and controllers for activities like biking and backward walking. She is passionate about teaching and mentoring, with experience ranging from coding and soldering circuits to building prosthetics and adapted toys for children.

Discovering the Secret World of Hormones
Instructor: Ben Stiadle, Ph.D. Student
Biology, Research, Logic

Ever wonder how hormones can have such a profound impact on your mood and appetite? How do they cause you to feel tired at the same time every day? Curious about how we study these small, yet powerful molecules? This course will explore how critical processes, such as metabolism, growth, and reproduction, are hormonally regulated from cellular and systemic perspectives. You’ll delve into how these discoveries were made and the disorders that can arise when these mechanisms are disrupted. You’ll get a taste of how hormones are studied by critiquing recent primary literature within the field, learning about innovative techniques, and hearing from scientists. As a final project, you will pursue an endocrinology-themed research question, formulate a testable hypothesis, and design an experiment. This course is a perfect match for anyone pursuing a career in biological research and who loves to think like a scientist!

Ben Stiadle is a Ph.D. student and researcher in Vanderbilt University’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biological Sciences. His interests lie in endocrinology, metabolism, and electrically excitable cells. He earned his Bachelor of Science in applied math and molecular biology from Ohio University (OU), spending all four years studying mechanisms for preventing type 2 diabetes development using pancreatic islets. Passionate about helping others launch their scientific careers, he served as peer mentor for OU’s diabetes summer research program for 2 consecutive years and organized an interdisciplinary research fair during his senior year. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, running, cooking, and spending time with his family.

Exploratory and Graphical Data Analysis
Instructor: Gabriella Noreen, Ph.D. Candidate
Statistics, Data Analytics, Machine Learning

From SAT scores and sports statistics to consumer spending across sectors and patient outcomes on a per-premium basis, data are all around us. How can these data be leveraged to understand what factors contribute to academic or athletic success or what drives economic behavior and health outcomes on a national level? More generally, in what ways do these data advance knowledge and drive decision-making? In this course, you will be introduced to a subfield of statistics known as Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and accompanying Graphical Data Analysis, which can help you navigate these questions and the abundance of data at hand to understand patterns and ask fruitful questions to generate hypotheses and theories. These analytical skills also enable you to be thoughtful consumers of the data you encounter in everyday life through social media, news outlets, sports reports, and more. You will learn how to utilize these robust tools to answer questions frequently explored in academia and industry. To facilitate this exploration, you will have the opportunity to work on your own data analysis projects via provided datasets and instructions on analysis and graph-making in Excel and RStudio. If you are interested in pursuing future studies in statistics and data analytics, this is an excellent course for you.

Gabriella Noreen is a doctoral candidate in the Quantitative Methods Program at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. She holds an M.S. in Quantitative Methods and a B.S. in Child Development (minor: Quantitative Methods) from Vanderbilt University. Gabriella has taught with PTY for several years and has also TA’d for numerous courses in the Quantitative Methods department, including Statistical Analysis, Multilevel Modeling, and Psychological Measurement. Her research interests focus on best practices in education, supporting underserved populations, and ensuring access to developmentally appropriate educational opportunities based on empirically documented practices for meeting the learning needs of all students. Gabriella is a Research Assistant at the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), where she enjoys developing longitudinal studies focused on facilitating positive development within education and beyond. Her work often takes an exploratory approach and blends both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Outside of her coursework and research, Gabriella enjoys baking, taking walks with her dogs, and spending time with her family.

Scanning the Skeleton: A Quantitative View of Bone Architecture
Instructor: Gabriel Ramirez Ph.D. student
Biology, Engineering, Orthopedic surgery

What makes some bones strong and others prone to fracture? In this course, you will investigate the microscopic world hidden inside the skeleton and discover how bone structure determines mechanical strength. Using micro-computed tomography (microCT)—a powerful imaging technique that reveals bone in three dimensions—you will explore the distinct architecture of cortical bone, the dense outer shell, and trabecular bone, the delicate inner lattice. Through this lens, you’ll learn how scientists analyze bone quality, how structure supports function, and how diseases like osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta weaken the skeleton at the micro-level. Throughout the course, you will gain hands-on experience interpreting authentic microCT datasets and studying how researchers collect, process, and quantify imaging data. Through guided discussions and critical reading of scientific literature, you will examine how experimental design, measurement choices, and statistical interpretation shape scientific conclusions about skeletal integrity. By the end of the course, you will understand how bone microarchitecture develops, adapts, and fails, and how imaging technologies allow scientists, engineers, and physicians to assess and predict bone strength. If you are interested in biomedical engineering, orthopedic surgery, biology, medicine, or biomechanics, this course provides an excellent foundation in the quantitative tools and scientific reasoning used to study the skeletal system.

Gabriel Ramirez is a first-year Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University who is currently rotating to find a thesis lab. His primary research interests include geroscience, osteoporosis, and the interactions of hormones on bone health. He brings extensive instructional experience to this course, having taught in programs for high school, undergraduate, and medical students. His prior research as a two-year NIH-funded researcher at Indiana University School of Medicine directly informs this course, as his work detailed the effects of chromosomal sex on bone growth and development. He holds dual B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Appalachian State University.

Short Form Prose Writing: Adventures in Narrative Minimalism
Instructor: Jan Harris, Ph.D.
Writing, Literature

What happens when a story must survive using only its most essential elements? How can a handful of words create tension, develop characters, and deliver emotional impact equal to that of a full-length narrative? In this course, you will explore the craft and discipline behind Flash Fiction and the Short-Short. Through intentional constraints, you will learn to wield precision as a creative superpower—crafting emotionally resonant stories through short form prose writing while examining how every choice on the page shapes meaning. You will practice advanced narrative techniques allowing you to hone your description and dialogue, as well as discover the essential throughlines, plot elements, and narrative perspectives. During the week, you will analyze short-form literature from a range of genres to dissect how authors build tension, establish character, and convey theme with astonishing efficiency. You will then apply these insights through iterative drafting, micro-revision challenges, and peer workshops designed to strengthen voice, structure, and thematic clarity. Along the way, you will uncover the essential throughlines in your own stories and learn to identify common craft polestars and pitfalls that get in the way of powerful storytelling. By the end of the course, you will not only have a polished portfolio of original short-form pieces but also a sharpened ability to transfer these skills to longer projects, such as novels, memoirs, personal narratives, and even college essays. The Short Form mantra, “less is more,” becomes a creative challenge building your capacity for more nuanced creative expression.

Dr. Jan Elaine Harris (she/her) is a Professor of Writing, and serves as the Faculty Fellow for Faculty Well-Being, at Lipscomb University. She holds a Masters and Doctorate in English from the University of Alabama. Her chapbook, Isolating One’s Priorities, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2021. Recent poems have appeared in the Solar Wind art exhibit, American Writers Review, The West Trade Review, Plants and Poets Anthology, HerWords, The Portland Review, etc. Jan completed a two-year training for Spiritual Directors in 2023, and she is also a trained Ignatian Guide. She serves as one of the Catalyst Mentor Coaches for Lipscomb’s Faculty and supports the College of Health Sciences as their Wellbeing Liaison. Jan received the Bledsoe Award for Excellence in the Humanities in April 2022 and was chosen as one of three Teachers of the Year in April 2024. She lives in East Nashville with her partner and two perfect GSPs, Malloy and Astrid-June.

The Thinking Brain: Unlocking Memory, Decisions, and the Prefrontal Cortex
Instructor: Rana Mozumder, Ph.D. candidate
Neuroscience, Data Science, Neurobiology

How can your brain remember a passcode for just long enough to type it, then let it go forever? Why does memory fade with age, and can we strengthen it? What happens inside your brain when you weigh options and make decisions? This course takes you on a journey into the neuroscience of thought, focusing on working memory and decision-making – the mental processes that shape how we learn, plan, and act. At the center of it all is the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s powerhouse for reasoning, planning, and self-control. You will uncover how neurons communicate, how scientists study brain activity, and how breakdowns in these systems can affect memory and choices. Beyond theory, this is a hands-on course: you will analyze real neuroscience datasets, practice statistical reasoning, and use coding tools to reveal patterns hidden in the brain’s electrical activity. By the end, you will not only understand how the brain thinks, but they will also sharpen skills in critical thinking, data analysis, and scientific problem-solving that are essential for any future in research, medicine, or engineering.

Rana Mozumder is a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, where he blends engineering, neuroscience, and a dash of machine learning to probe how neurons power cognitive skills like working memory. In the Constantinidis Lab, he records from non-human primates, designs novel tasks, and runs optogenetic and electrophysiological experiments to decode the “secret sauce” of cognition from spikes and behavior. Before starting his Ph.D. in 2022, he earned his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. When he’s not wrangling data or tuning decoders, you’ll find him watching soccer, traveling, or exploring new music. He’s excited to bring hands-on, curiosity-driven energy to this summer course and help students turn questions into experiments and experiments into insights.

Banners in the Mud: War, Chivalry, and Myth in the Hundred Years’ War
Instructor: Jesse McCarthy, Ph.D.
History Literature Political Science / Strategic Studies

What did it mean to fight for honor in a world mired in mud and plague, where loyalties wavered and glory was never clean? How did kings and chroniclers turn hard campaigns into shining legends of chivalry? In this interdisciplinary course, you will uncover the political intrigue, battlefield realities, and mythmaking that defined the Hundred Years’ War. Through a blend of historical inquiry, literary analysis, and strategic simulation, you will examine how medieval warfare shaped both Europe’s landscape and its imagination. Using chronicles by Jean Froissart, letters from Edward III, excerpts from Shakespeare’s Henry V, and digital recreations of battles, you will compare real medieval voices with modern portrayals in film and popular culture. In a collaborative “war council” simulation, you will assume the roles of commanders, where you will be managing alliances, supply lines, and morale as your campaigns unfold on a live Google Earth map. Along the way, myth-busting clips and tactical exercises will challenge what you think you know about knights, armor, and honor. By the end of this course, you will understand how chivalric ideals clashed with the realities of medieval warfare, how propaganda and myth shaped medieval memory, and how the Hundred Years’ War continues to influence our ideas about heroism and national identity. If you’re fascinated by the intersection of myth and strategy – or if you’ve ever wondered what really happened behind the shining armor – this course is for you.

Dr. Jesse McCarthy holds a Ph.D. in History and works at the intersection of culture, politics, and the imagination. A former Vanderbilt University lecturer and postdoctoral fellow, he is now a member of the Upper School history faculty at Harpeth Hall and teaches with Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, including advanced Research Immersion courses. Beyond the classroom, Dr. McCarthy is an active public humanities speaker who has led widely attended seminars at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. His teaching and research explore human culture and expression at the crux of myth and history: how we continually reimagine the past to understand ourselves and the worlds we inherit.

How Humans Move: An Introduction to Biomechanics
Instructor: David Marsh, Ph.D.
Engineering, Anatomy, Physics

Have you ever wondered how the same muscles that draw masterpieces can lift dumbbells? Why do people of all shapes, sizes, and ages walk so similarly, despite their apparent differences? In this course, you will learn about the basics of human biomechanics, from the building blocks that make up the musculoskeletal system to how professional sports teams monitor athletes for injury risk. Biomechanics is the study of how living creatures move and interact with their surroundings. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on experiential learning, including a visit to a Vanderbilt University biomechanics lab and also a commercial grade space for 3D printers. By the end of the course, you will be able to describe the primary components of the musculoskeletal system and how they interact to make forces and motion, understand how humans accomplish certain types of ambulation, including walking and running, and explain the roll of motion capture and Computer Aided Design (CAD) in the study of biomechanics.

David Marsh, Ph.D. is a recent graduate and current Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology at Vanderbilt University. His doctoral and postdoctoral work is focused on the design, control, and participant testing of a novel semi-powered transfemoral prosthesis prototype for use on those with above knee amputation. Prior to his time at Vanderbilt, David earned a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Outside of work, David enjoys spending time with his partner, going on hikes, watching college sports, playing board games, and ultimate (Frisbee).

Inside Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Ethics
Instructor: Ali Sloan, M.Ed., Ph.D. Student
Psychology

Have you ever wondered what clinical psychologists actually do, and what sets them apart from other mental health professionals? How do they figure out what’s really going on with someone, decide which treatment approach to use, or conduct research to answer unanswered questions about mental health? In this week-long intensive, you’ll explore what it means to be a clinical psychologist— and how to approach this work thoughtfully and responsibly. Through case studies, you will examine how clinicians work with individuals and families to assess, understand, and treat mental health concerns. You will then step into the shoes of a researcher, exploring how to design studies that answer critical questions about mental health and treatment. Along the way, you’ll engage in hands-on activities that highlight how clinical psychologists integrate science and practice to help young people and navigate the important questions and challenges that can arise when doing so. By the end of this course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the diverse ways clinical psychologists contribute to advancing mental health, and insight into whether clinical psychology might be a field you’d like to further explore.

Ali Sloan is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at Vanderbilt University. Her research examines how experiences of childhood adversity contribute to risk for developing psychopathology. She holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Duke University and an M.Ed. from Boston University. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Ali taught high school special education in Boston through Teach for America, then worked as a Research Assistant in the Early Psychosis Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and inspiring students to appreciate the complexity of the human experience in understanding mental health and illness. In her free time, Ali enjoys spending time with friends, watching football, and playing with her puppy.

The Invisible Colors of Stars
Instructor: Crisel Suarez, Ph.D.
Astronomy, Physics, Programming

Ever wonder why some stars are different colors? Are there colors that we cannot see? In this course, you will be introduced to the different types of stars by examining how the star’s color is related to its temperature, age, and composition. You will explore the full electromagnetic spectrum of stars, from radio waves to gamma rays, and learn how different invisible forms of light help astronomers understand our cosmos. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to astronomical concepts, observational techniques, and analysis tools. You will learn basic programming skills and learn how to work and analyze real data from NASA missions. Moreover, you will get to participate in scientific discussions and have opportunities to read scientific articles. By the end of the course, you will have a deeper understanding of the methods researchers use to characterize stars and of the physics behind the color of stars.

Crisel Suarez, Ph.D. is a Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) Postdoctoral Fellow/Astrophysicist. She earned her Physics PhD from Vanderbilt University in May 2025 working with Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann and Dr. Christopher S. Moore. Previously, she was a Predoctoral Fellow at SAO where she performed computational data analysis of beautiful solar corona. For her research, she uses data observations from different NASA missions and instruments including Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS), Hinode/X-ray Telescope (Hinode/XRT), Solar Dynamic Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA) and Swift Solar Activity X-ray Imager (SSAXI-Rocket). These instruments have pioneered new investigation into the energetics, physical mechanisms, and characteristics of soft X-ray emission of the solar corona. Moreover, Crisel is an avid mentor and enjoys empowering the next generation of scientists and participating in science outreach events that promote research, curiosity, and creativity.

Nanoscience and Engineering
Instructor: Greg Walker, Ph.D. and VINSE Faculty
Nanoscience, Engineering

Get ready to don your protective coveralls and enter the exciting world of nanoengineering. In this course, you will get an introduction to key nanoparticles and their properties while stretching your creative problem-solving skills to their limits. You can expect advanced lectures, labs, and extensive study with faculty, grad students, and postdocs at the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE). You will also spend significant time in one of Vanderbilt’s newest, biggest, and cleanest cleanrooms.* These experiences will challenge you to see the world the way a nanoscientist does, including how manipulating the smallest of particles might address some of the world’s biggest problems.

NOTE: Be advised that the special lighting, clothing, and atmosphere of the cleanroom may act as a “trigger” for students with anxiety disorders and tactile sensitivities. Please call our office if you’d like to discuss the specifics of the cleanroom further.

*Students must be at least 12 years old by July 1 to participate in this lab-based class.

Greg Walker is an associate professor of mechanical engineering, holding several appointments at Vanderbilt, including ones in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program, the Thermal Engineering Lab, the Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education, and the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. His research interests include the modeling and simulation of nonequilibrium, coupled energy transport in electronics, and energy conversion materials.

Physics of Motion
Instructor: Savanna Rae Starko, Ph.D.
Physics

How does motion in our universe occur? How do interactions between objects and even charges govern the ways in which our universe operates? In this course, you will explore these thought-provoking questions and delve into the core principles that shape the universe around us. Through engaging topics such as mechanics, fluids, sound, thermal physics, statistical physics, electricity and magnetism, basic circuits, and optics, you will learn about key challenges and breakthroughs in understanding the physics of motion. By the end of this course, you will not only have a solid grasp of the core principles of physics but also an appreciation for the profound ways in which the universe operates—whether on the grand scale of galaxies or at the microscopic level of atoms and particles.

Dr. Savanna Rae Starko (she/her) is a full-time STEM instructor in the High School for Templeton Academy Nashville. Her undergraduate degree is from a small school in western Pennsylvania called Washington and Jefferson College. There, she got BAs in Mathematics and Physics. She then went on to Vanderbilt to earn her PhD in High Energy Physics in the Spring of 2020. Savanna was a Senior Lecturer at Vanderbilt in Physics from the Fall of 2020 through Spring 2024. Being a female-identifying physicist has been quite the ride! She focuses on helping herself and her students to take up the right amount of space that they deserve in STEM fields. In her classroom, she focuses on promoting a sense of belonging in a brave space such that all persons are seen, heard, and valued. In her spare time, she instructs yoga at Small World Yoga in Edgehill, runs, and enjoys a good book!

The Secret Life of the Brain
Instructor: James Costanzo, Ph. D. Student
Neurodevelopment (Cell growth)

Have you ever wondered how your brain actually works? How does it let you think, feel, and move all at once? How does your mouth shape precise sounds for language or how do your fingers fly across your phone to type your thoughts instantly? The brain is one of the most complex and fascinating organs in our body, both essential for life, yet still full of mysteries. In this course, you’ll dive into the world of neurodevelopment and degeneration, which is the science of how the brain forms, grows, and sometimes breaks down. You’ll explore how the brain takes shape from the earliest stages of life, how its many cell types and regions work together, what happens when diseases and disorders disrupt this balance, and how scientists are recreating models of the brain in the lab to study these processes. Led by a Vanderbilt Ph.D. student, this course offers a unique, molecular level look at how small genetic changes can lead to big impacts on brain health and development. Through a mix of interactive lectures, group activities, and independent exploration, you’ll uncover how the brain develops, and why it sometimes fails to do so correctly. By the end of this course, you will understand how cells differentiate to form regions of the brain, identify key structures and anatomy of the brain, discuss mutations that affect neurodevelopment, examine Alzheimer’s disease to understand why it remains so challenging to treat, and learn about exciting new research directions. If you’ve ever been curious about how your brain builds your thoughts, memories, and emotions, or why one tiny change in a molecule can cause such huge effects, this course will give you a front-row seat to the science behind it all. Join us as we explore how the brain develops, adapts, and sometimes fails, and why understanding it is one of the greatest challenges in biology today.

James Costanzo is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he investigates how metabolic regulation influences neural differentiation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology, with minors in Neuroscience and Psychology, from Ramapo College of New Jersey. While at Ramapo, James conducted independent research on previously uncharacterized developmental genes in C. elegans. After graduating, James tutored middle and high school students across a wide range of subjects at C2 Education, including biology, chemistry, psychology, and mathematics. He then joined the laboratory of Dr. Helen Miranda at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences. As a Research Assistant, he contributed to several projects, including studies on the genetic mechanisms underlying Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and neurodevelopmental defects associated with Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy. During his three-year tenure, he co-authored a publication on the impact of the integrated stress response in ALS and mentored undergraduate and high-school researchers who later achieved recognition at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. James began his doctoral training at Vanderbilt University in 2022 through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Under the mentorship of Dr. Vivian Gama, he now studies how DRP1 dysfunction alters mitochondrial and peroxisomal morphology to affect neural differentiation. Since his freshman year of college, James has tutored hundreds of students both in traditional courses and laboratory environments, supporting learners of all ages. He is deeply committed to fostering scientific growth, advancing discovery, and helping the next generation of scientists build on the foundations laid by those who came before them.

Banners in the Mud: War, Chivalry, and Myth in the Hundred Years’ War
Instructor: Jesse McCarthy, Ph.D.
History Literature Political Science / Strategic Studies

What did it mean to fight for honor in a world mired in mud and plague, where loyalties wavered and glory was never clean? How did kings and chroniclers turn hard campaigns into shining legends of chivalry? In this interdisciplinary course, you will uncover the political intrigue, battlefield realities, and mythmaking that defined the Hundred Years’ War. Through a blend of historical inquiry, literary analysis, and strategic simulation, you will examine how medieval warfare shaped both Europe’s landscape and its imagination. Using chronicles by Jean Froissart, letters from Edward III, excerpts from Shakespeare’s Henry V, and digital recreations of battles, you will compare real medieval voices with modern portrayals in film and popular culture. In a collaborative “war council” simulation, you will assume the roles of commanders, where you will be managing alliances, supply lines, and morale as your campaigns unfold on a live Google Earth map. Along the way, myth-busting clips and tactical exercises will challenge what you think you know about knights, armor, and honor. By the end of this course, you will understand how chivalric ideals clashed with the realities of medieval warfare, how propaganda and myth shaped medieval memory, and how the Hundred Years’ War continues to influence our ideas about heroism and national identity. If you’re fascinated by the intersection of myth and strategy – or if you’ve ever wondered what really happened behind the shining armor – this course is for you.

Dr. Jesse McCarthy holds a Ph.D. in History and works at the intersection of culture, politics, and the imagination. A former Vanderbilt University lecturer and postdoctoral fellow, he is now a member of the Upper School history faculty at Harpeth Hall and teaches with Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, including advanced Research Immersion courses. Beyond the classroom, Dr. McCarthy is an active public humanities speaker who has led widely attended seminars at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. His teaching and research explore human culture and expression at the crux of myth and history: how we continually reimagine the past to understand ourselves and the worlds we inherit.

Breaking Barriers: How Scientific Discoveries Become Lifesaving Drugs
Instructor: Samika Joshi, Ph.D Candidate
Biochemistry, Biology, Health Sciences/medicine

Did you know that bringing a single drug from initial research to patient use can take over a decade and cost billions of dollars? In this course, you will explore the fascinating and complex process of drug development, from initial scientific discovery to clinical application. Through interactive case studies, scientific research analysis, and simulated drug development scenarios, you’ll uncover the intricate stages of pharmaceutical innovation. We’ll investigate the critical steps in drug discovery, including target identification, preclinical testing, clinical trials, regulatory approval, and market introduction. You’ll examine the scientific, ethical, and economic challenges that researchers and pharmaceutical companies face when developing new medical treatments. By the end of this course, you will have a comprehensive understanding of how scientific innovations transform from laboratory concepts into life-saving medications. You’ll gain insights into the interdisciplinary nature of pharmaceutical research and develop critical thinking skills about the drug development ecosystem.

Samika Joshi, a Ph.D. Candidate originally from India, is pursuing her doctoral research in Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. During her undergraduate years at Emory University, she discovered her passion for molecular research while working in the Corbett Laboratory during her junior and senior years. Using CRISPR/Cas genome editing, she explored genetic mechanisms in RNA exosome subunits, a experience that would shape her scientific trajectory. In Dr. Neil Osheroff’s laboratory, she now investigates the interactions between type II topoisomerases and antibacterial compounds in Acinetobacter baumannii, continuing her exploration of intricate molecular systems. Her work aims to contribute to our understanding of bacterial enzyme interactions and potential approaches to addressing antibiotic resistance. Outside the lab, Samika enjoys mentoring students, engaging in scientific outreach, reading fiction with a strong cup of tea, and spending time with a close-knit group of friends.

Inventing the Future: From the Lab to the Courtroom
Instructor: Morgan Ottley, Ph.D. Candidate
STEM Innovation, Neuroscience, Law

What happens when scientific discovery meets the legal system? In this week-long course, you will explore how neuroscience drives innovation and how those innovations are protected through patents and intellectual property law. You will begin by learning about scientific discovery and technological advancement in the field of neuroscience. Then, working as part of a team, you will design a novel neuroscience-related technology, drug, or tool and draft a patent to protect your creation. To put your knowledge to the test, you will participate in a mock litigation case where another group tries to patent a similar idea, giving you a firsthand look at how science and law intersect. Along the way, you will hear from two guest speakers, a scientist who has recently patented their own work and a patent lawyer, who will share insights into their careers and experiences. This course is perfect for you if you are curious about both science and law and want to see how innovation moves from the lab to the courtroom.

Morgan Ottley is a Ph.D. candidate in Vanderbilt University’s Neuroscience graduate program. Her research focuses on understanding how the brain works and how genetic changes can affect brain function. Morgan earned her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Dance from the University of Pittsburgh and has conducted research on topics ranging from cancer pain to COVID-related olfactory dysfunction. Passionate about mentorship and inclusion in STEM, Morgan has guided students through research experiences and served in leadership roles with the Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students and the Neuroscience Student Organization. She has also served as a student facilitator for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and as a mentor for students in the IMSD Discover Biomedical Research Summer Program. Morgan is excited to share her love of neuroscience, policy, and law with students and inspire the next generation of scientists.

The Pathways to Cancer: An Introduction to Signal Transduction and Malignancy
Instructor: Kailey Caroland, Ph.D. Candidate
Cell Biology, Molecular Biology

What makes a cell cancerous? Is it the same for every type of cancer? How do treatments for cancer work? In this course, you will explore the cancer biology and cellular principles behind the answers to these questions and more! Our exploration will begin with the basic biology of cancer and an introduction to signal transduction and the major cell signaling pathways, which are frequently mutated in cancer. You will investigate topics such as Wnt signaling, MAPK signaling, the hallmarks of cancer, the most common cancer types, and the effect of the tumor microenvironment, among others. Building on this knowledge, you will learn how cancer drugs can target these pathways and how they are tested before being given to patients. This will include learning about commonly used in vitro drug efficacy analysis techniques, as well as various animal models of cancer used for drug testing. The course will culminate with the chance to apply this knowledge in your final project – an opportunity to propose your very own new cancer therapy! If you’ve ever been curious about what makes cancer cancer – or if you simply want to know more about the inner workings of your cells – this mentorship is for you!

Kailey Caroland is a 3rd-year Ph.D. candidate in cancer biology at Vanderbilt University. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biotechnology, with minors in biochemistry and coaching, from Elizabethtown College, where she was also a varsity tennis player and coach. She then earned her Master of Science degree in molecular medicine, with a minor in drug discovery and development, from Drexel University. While completing her master’s degree she studied novel combination therapies for triple-negative breast cancer. Her current dissertation research, under Dr. Vivian Weiss, focuses on the connection between Wnt signaling and liver metastasis. When she is not in lab, she enjoys spending time with her husband, going to zoos, and playing with her cat Hiccup.

Policy in Action: Who Decides? The Barnes Foundation Case
Instructor: Amber Glenn
Civics, Political Science, History

Who decides how we use the most valuable resources in our community? What happens when a famous art gallery’s vision conflicts with a demand for access? How do ordinary people create change when powerful interests resist? In this course, you’ll explore these questions by examining how communities negotiate access to cultural and educational resources. Using the Barnes Foundation as a primary case study, a negotiation between a wealthy estate and a local community, you will explore how legal structures and community advocacy converged with government action to facilitate the transition of an esteemed art collection. Through this case study and brief comparative examples, you will analyze how advocates and policy officials navigate competing interests to achieve policy change and consider applications to other institutional contexts. You will then apply these tools to contemporary justice issues, constructing a range of approaches for understanding when and how governmental change becomes possible. By the end of this course, you will develop foundational research skills, critically think about how institutions serve (or exclude) different groups, gain practical competencies for analyzing policy and advocacy strategies. If you’re interested in public policy, social justice advocacy, community leadership, and civic engagement, this course is for you!

Amber Glenn, a Master of Public Policy student at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, specializes in education policy and how public and private sector decisions shape access to institutional spaces. Her research focuses on how historical events influence policy processes and create lasting impacts on educational opportunities, especially for underrepresented communities. To this, Amber explored and published research on the Barnes Foundation’s role in expanding art education access for students and its broader sectoral impact. Amber holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Fisk University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about examining policy issues through both psychological and systemic lenses, understanding how institutional decisions impact individual experiences and community well-being.

The Secret Life of the Brain
Instructor: James Costanzo, Ph. D. Student
Neurodevelopment (Cell growth)

Have you ever wondered how your brain actually works? How does it let you think, feel, and move all at once? How does your mouth shapes precise sounds for language or how your fingers fly across your phone to type your thoughts instantly? The brain is one of the most complex and fascinating organs in our body, both essential for life, yet still full of mysteries. In this course, you’ll dive into the world of neurodevelopment and degeneration, which is the science of how the brain forms, grows, and sometimes breaks down. You’ll explore how the brain takes shape from the earliest stages of life, how its many cell types and regions work together, what happens when diseases and disorders disrupt this balance, and how scientists are recreating models of the brain in the lab to study these processes. Led by a Vanderbilt Ph.D. student, this course offers a unique, molecular level look at how small genetic changes can lead to big impacts on brain health and development. Through a mix of interactive lectures, group activities, and independent exploration, you’ll uncover how the brain develops, and why it sometimes fails to do so correctly. By the end of this course, you will understand how cells differentiate to form regions of the brain, identify key structures and anatomy of the brain, discuss mutations that affect neurodevelopment, examine Alzheimer’s disease to understand why it remains so challenging to treat, and learn about exciting new research directions. If you’ve ever been curious about how your brain builds your thoughts, memories, and emotions, or why one tiny change in a molecule can cause such huge effects, this course will give you a front-row seat to the science behind it all. Join us as we explore how the brain develops, adapts, and sometimes fails, and why understanding it is one of the greatest challenges in biology today.

James Costanzo is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he investigates how metabolic regulation influences neural differentiation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology, with minors in Neuroscience and Psychology, from Ramapo College of New Jersey. While at Ramapo, James conducted independent research on previously uncharacterized developmental genes in C. elegans. After graduating, James tutored middle and high school students across a wide range of subjects at C2 Education, including biology, chemistry, psychology, and mathematics. He then joined the laboratory of Dr. Helen Miranda at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences. As a Research Assistant, he contributed to several projects, including studies on the genetic mechanisms underlying Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and neurodevelopmental defects associated with Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy. During his three-year tenure, he co-authored a publication on the impact of the integrated stress response in ALS and mentored undergraduate and high-school researchers who later achieved recognition at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. James began his doctoral training at Vanderbilt University in 2022 through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Under the mentorship of Dr. Vivian Gama, he now studies how DRP1 dysfunction alters mitochondrial and peroxisomal morphology to affect neural differentiation. Since his freshman year of college, James has tutored hundreds of students both in traditional courses and laboratory environments, supporting learners of all ages. He is deeply committed to fostering scientific growth, advancing discovery, and helping the next generation of scientists build on the foundations laid by those who came before them.

Seize the Data: Intro to Statistical Thinking
Instructor: Ashley Mullan, M.S. (Ph.D. Student)
Statistics, Data Science, Scientific Communication

In the 21st century, data are everywhere. From the science lab to the sports arena, from social media feeds to the nightly news, patterns in data help us make sense of the world and guide the decisions we make every day. Do you ever wonder how you can use data to ask and answer research questions or how to choose the right type of data for a research problem? If these questions spark your curiosity, then this course is for you! In this exciting course, you will take a deep dive the role of data and statistical programming in the research process. You will learn how to design a research question, create data visualizations, and conduct an appropriate statistical analysis. You will also learn how to effectively present your results to an audience. By the end of the week, you’ll be able to describe, visualize, understand, and creatively communicate about any data set that interests you. Whether your passion lies in science, social issues, business, sports, or everyday life, this course will give you the tools to explore data with curiosity, rigor, and imagination.

Ashley Mullan is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biostatistics at Vanderbilt University. Her research interests include developing methods and software to analyze error-prone and partially missing data and using these techniques to answer questions in public health and medicine. Originally from New York, Ashley earned bachelor’s degrees in Applied Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Scranton and both a master’s degree in Statistics and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science from Wake Forest University. She loves encouraging students to think about how data can help them ask and answer questions about their own interests. In her free time, Ashley enjoys making music, reading, and gathering data about her music and reading habits.

AI in Medical Imaging: Foundations, Innovations, and Real-World Applications
Instructor: Zoe Marshall, Ph.D. Student
Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science
Prerequisite: Calculus (must appear on transcript)

How can AI improve the clarity and quality of medical images? What makes machine learning so useful for these applications? Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming modern medicine—and one of its most powerful applications lies in improving the quality, clarity, and speed of medical imaging. In this advanced, week-long course, you will explore how machine learning techniques are applied to solve real-world biomedical engineering challenges. Throughout the course, you will learn what makes different imaging modalities unique, why certain types of noise or artifacts occur, and how AI algorithms can be incorporated to enhance image reconstruction, tissue segmentation, noise removal, and diagnostic workflows. You will build foundational knowledge in supervised machine learning, including gradient descent, neural networks, and essential model parameters such as learning rate, batch size, epochs, network depth, and dataset size. Through hands-on exploration using Python and a pre-built neural network, you will experiment with training parameters, modify portions of the model, and observe how these changes affect memory usage, training time, model complexity, performance, and overall image quality. If you are interested in improving medical imaging or exploring biomedical engineering applications of machine learning, this course is for you!

** Each student needs access to a google account and ability to download a dataset to that accounts google drive (i.e. enough open storage- roughly 50MB). Students will be walked through setting up a google collab notebook to run python code and downloading data to google drive in class. A laptop/Chromebook (i.e. not a tablet) is preferred if possible, due to possible compatibility glitches and runtime issues with collab.**

Zoe Marshall is a Ph.D. student in the department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She is a part of the BEAM Lab, which focuses on beamforming and image processing methods for improving ultrasound image quality. Zoe focuses on machine learning techniques for removing noise in echocardiograms and improving blood flow measurements. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and mathematics, with a minor in digital fabrication. In her free time, Zoe loves playing volleyball, playing and listening to music, and watching football.

Beauty of the Brain: A Comprehensive View of the Field of Neuroscience
Instructor: Fei Yang Ph.D. Candidate
Neuroscience, Medicine, Research

Did you know that the human brain accounts for just 2% of the total body weight but consumes nearly 20% of the body’s total energy? Or that neurons communicate through highly coordinated chemical and electrical signals to form the basis of every thought, movement, memory, and emotion you experience? The brain is a remarkably powerful and complex organ—and when even the smallest region is damaged, it can produce symptoms that are as fascinating as they are puzzling. In this course, you will explore the core principles of modern neuroscience, exploring topics such as neural anatomy, neurotransmission, and the biological foundations of cognition and behavior. Through interactive investigations, you will analyze real neurological and psychiatric case studies, examine how researchers investigate the innerworkings of neurons, and consider how emerging scientific discoveries lead to new medical treatments. Taught by a future physician scientist, this course will challenge you to think like neuroscientists: to ask precise scientific questions, evaluate evidence, and connect biological mechanisms to observable human behavior. Whether you’re interested in the mysteries of the mind, the science of disease, or a future career in medicine or research, this course offers a rigorous, hands-on introduction to one of the most dynamic fields in science. Join us as we uncover the incredible beauty—and complexity—of the human brain.

Fei is a third-year graduate student in the neuroscience PhD program. Her current research focuses on the function of adhesion G-Protein Coupled Receptors in the hippocampus of the brain, which she hopes will become useful knowledge for human patients with seizures. Fei attended college at Vanderbilt University and enrolled in the Vanderbilt MD/PhD program after graduating. During Fei’s clinical training, she confirmed her love for the human brain and is considering pursuing psychiatry for her medical specialty. Besides learning medicine and finding out new things about the brain, Fei also loves to hang out with her Australian Shepherd Juniper, take care of her hundreds of house plants, make art, explore new places in or out of town, read fictions, and cook up recipes from all around the world!

Culture, Society, and Politics: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Instructor: Mandy Muise, MA, Ph.D. Candidate
Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science

What drives individuals, communities, and entire societies together, and what pushes them apart? This cultural anthropology course explores human behaviors by way of cultural patterns, norms, social structures, and ideologies, to understand the world around us. Using Nashville as a case study, this course asks you to engage deeply with anthropological methodologies–– such as participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and ethnography–– to analyze a social problem of your choice and generate explanations and potential solutions. Throughout this course, you will work across subdisciplines like political, economic, and legal anthropology, to theorize socio-cultural systems at both micro and macro levels, considering both individuals and the societies within which they live. By the end of this course, you will have written your own ethnography, drawing upon fieldwork conducted during this class and engaging with anthropological literature, to explore a topic or realm of study that you are interested in. In the process, you will develop (and sharpen!) an anthropological gaze, one that will shape the way you see the world and your place in it. If you are interested in understanding social systems in ways that empower you and your communities, this is the course for you!

Mandy Muise is currently a 3rd year PhD candidate in anthropology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Their research operates at the nexus of food justice, racial justice, and immigrant justice in the American Southeast, drawing upon critical ethnography and Black feminist thought to articulate community resistances to and refusals of disinvestment and food insecurity. By engaging with the transformative work already occurring within communities and schools, Mandy collaborates with community and youth leaders and activists to explore the futurities housed within shared knowledges of cultivation that transcend ethnoracial and spatiotemporal boundaries of possibility.

Economics & Health: The American Challenge
Instructor: Robbie Skinner, Ph.D. Candidate
Economics; Public Health; Public Policy

Why does the U.S. spend more on healthcare than any other country, yet still struggle with access and health outcomes? This course invites you to explore the history and current structure of health policy in the United States, focusing on the historical, economic, and epidemiological forces that have shaped today’s healthcare landscape. You will examine the transition from infectious to chronic diseases as the dominant public health concern and consider how this shift influenced the development of modern health insurance. As you progress through the course, you’ll encounter key health economics concepts, such as risk adjustment, risk pooling, and adverse selection, which are essential for understanding the functioning of health insurance markets. You’ll explore these ideas through the lens of American healthcare history, including the rise of employer-sponsored insurance, the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act. You’ll engage with this material through interactive lectures, historical case studies, debates on alternative healthcare models, a simulation game that explores health insurance market dynamics, and policy analysis assignments designed to sharpen your critical thinking. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to describe major health coverage models in the U.S. and around the world, explain core principles of health insurance market design, and trace the historical causes of mortality over time.

Robbie Skinner is a Ph.D. candidate in Health Policy at Vanderbilt University. His research centers on long-term care, population aging, and the economics of health. Currently, his work examines how nursing home regulations influence resident health outcomes, leveraging variation in inspector behavior to assess the relationship between oversight and hospitalizations. Before graduate school, Robbie spent four years as a contractor for federal health agencies, where he evaluated the costs of healthcare interventions and analyzed state-level regulation of healthcare providers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and has published in academic journals on topics related to health and aging. Robbie has also served as a teaching assistant for courses in statistics and health policy.

I’m Gonna Smash it! – The Physics of Particle Accelerators & Detectors
Instructor: Jennifer James, Ph.D. Candidate
Physics, Mathematics (Pre-Calc), Computer Science

What happens when we smash particles together near the speed of light? How do detectors capture traces of the invisible? And what can these collisions reveal about the origins of our universe? In this course, you’ll step into the world of modern particle physics and learn about the science behind discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Through interactive lectures, thought experiments, and mini labs, you’ll explore how scientists accelerate, steer, and detect subatomic particles to unlock nature’s most fundamental secrets. By the end of the course, you will understand how particle accelerators use electric and magnetic fields to steer and energize beams of charged particles and explore how detectors record signals from particle collisions and convert them into measurable data. You will also apply phenomenological reasoning to interpret simplified collision events and identify possible particles or decay channels as well as connect physics principles to real-world applications in medicine, materials science, and astrophysics. Working in small research teams, you will design and present a concept for a mini accelerator–detector system. This includes illustrating how your setup could test a physical principle or discover a phenomenon as well as explaining the experimental design choices behind your model. The week concludes with a mock scientific symposium where your team will present your work and reflect on what you all have learned over the course.

**A physical keyboard accessory is highly recommended**

Jennifer L. James is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on high-energy nuclear physics, where she investigates the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Jennifer’s dissertation centers on jet substructure measurements using the sPHENIX detector to probe the QGP’s color coherence length and energy loss mechanisms. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Jennifer earned her B.S. in Space Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she conducted undergraduate research in general relativity and detector characterization. She has served as a teaching assistant for multiple introductory physics laboratory courses and frequently mentors undergraduates in experimental data analysis and coding within the Vanderbilt high-energy nuclear physics group. Jennifer is passionate about science communication, science policy, and hands-on learning. She looks forward to bringing her enthusiasm for particle physics and experimental design to Vanderbilt Summer Academy, helping students explore how accelerators and detectors reveal the universe at its smallest scales.

Nature of Time
Instructor: Lucas Spears Ph.D. Student
Physics, Mathematics

Time has long been one of the most perplexing aspects of reality. In this course, you will unravel its complexities by examining the evolution of how we understand time, from early experimental measurements to modern physics. You’ll begin by exploring the nature of light, delving into its wave-particle duality through the double slit experiment and the photoelectric effect. Next, you’ll investigate the “speed of light” and the concept of “space-time,” setting the stage for an introduction to special relativity, with its mind-bending paradoxes and implications for time’s nature. Finally, you will explore Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which reveals how gravity distorts space-time itself. Through these lenses, you will gain a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between time, light, and gravity in shaping our universe. This course is designed for you if you have a background in precalculus or physics and are ready to engage with the mysteries of the cosmos.

Lucas Spears is a second-year graduate student in the Physics Ph.D. program at Vanderbilt University. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, which is also his hometown! Lucas’s research focus is Quantum Mechanics and Proteins, which involves utilizing machine learning to understand protein structure at a quantum scale. Besides science, Lucas enjoys reading and loves watching movies; He also plays some video games and keeps up with my favorite sports teams. Academically, Lucas has a broad set of interests ranging from the natural sciences to philosophy, so do not hesitate to talk to him about what interests you!

The Secret Science of Electrochemistry
Instructor: Hannah A. Richards, Ph.D.
Engineering, Chemistry, Biology

Whether you’re sending a text, playing a video game, styling your hair, driving an electric vehicle, or treating your skin with a facial device, you’re harnessing the power of electrochemical reactions unfolding at the atomic level. From lithium-ion batteries powering Teslas to redox reactions inside your own body, electrochemistry drives much of the modern world—and its innovations are shaping the future of sustainable technology. In this course, you’ll delve into the science behind how electrons move, react, and generate power. Starting with the fundamentals of atomic structure and oxidation-reduction reactions, you’ll uncover how the transfer of electrons governs processes from corrosion to clean energy technologies. Through interactive discussions, debates, and laboratory investigations, you will explore electrochemical cells, electrode behavior, and conductivity. You’ll experiment with building and testing your own battery systems and analyze how real-world technologies, from electric vehicles to biomedical sensors, harness electrochemical principles to generate the energy that keeps our world running. Throughout the week, you’ll apply your growing expertise to a collaborative project investigating the chemistry behind electric vehicle technology. You will research an electric vehicle manufacturer, design a presentation exploring its chemical foundations, and communicate how it contributes to a more sustainable future. By the end of this course, you will have a deep understanding of how electrochemistry powers both everyday devices and groundbreaking technologies, along with the ability to analyze and design electrochemical systems yourself. If you’re fascinated by the hidden chemistry that drives innovation and want to understand how electrons shape our modern world, this course is for you!

Hannah A. Richards received a B.S. in Chemistry from Austin Peay State University in 2022 and is a 2026 graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Ph.D. in Chemistry. Her research investigates inflammatory responses using newly developed electrochemical biosensors, with focus areas spanning electrochemistry, microfluidic organ-on-a-chip models, cell biology, and complex reproductive systems. She has over six years of experience teaching and mentoring youth in science and is passionate about educating rising scientists while fostering welcoming and collaborative learning experiences. In her personal time, she enjoys activities with her family and playing with her two yorkies. She is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Clinical Psychology: Cognitive-Behavioral Theory in Research and Application
Instructor: Allie Adamis, Ph.D. Candidate & Jessica Cheng, Ph.D. Student
Clinical Psychology

Have you ever wondered what cognitive and behavioral factors underlie mental health challenges – like why it is sometimes difficult to control your worries, or why avoiding something scary can often make things worse? Are you curious about how researchers investigate the processes driving our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, or how these insights shape the treatments we use to help people? If so, this course is for you! Together, we’ll dive into the fascinating world of clinical psychology, with an emphasis on the cognitive-behavioral theory for specific anxiety-related disorders and application of theory to practice in clinical settings. You will explore research that helps us understand what underlies the development and maintenance of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and critically evaluate the core research methods used by clinical psychologists. Then, you’ll connect these foundational ideas to real-world clinical practice by studying cognitive-behavioral therapy—the gold standard treatment for psychological disorders. Beyond the science, this course will also give you a glimpse into career paths in clinical psychology, from teaching and research to assessment and therapy. As a final project, you’ll design and present your own research proposal to investigate an unanswered question about the causes or optimal treatment of a psychological disorder, putting everything you’ve learned into practice.

Allie Adamis is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University, where her passion for clinical psychology began. After graduation, Allie joined Dr. Katherine Burdick’s Mood Disorders Research Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School to contribute to research on the neurocognitive underpinnings of mood disorders. She became fascinated by cognitive mechanisms underlying psychopathology, particularly those involved in anxiety disorders. She began her graduate studies at Vanderbilt to train in cognitive-behavioral theory and treatment of anxiety under the mentorship of Dr. Bunmi Olatunji. In her free time, Allie enjoys running, doing yoga, baking, and trying out new restaurants. She is excited to share her knowledge of clinical psychology with aspiring psychologists.

Jessica Cheng is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology Program at Vanderbilt University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Jessica worked as a research coordinator at Johns Hopkins Hospital and subsequently Baylor College of Medicine. Jessica’s current research examines the cognitive, behavioral, and affective mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance of anxiety disorders and OCD, and she is also interested in how these mechanisms inform the treatment of these disorders. In her free time, Jessica loves spending time with friends, family, and her cat, exploring new restaurants, going to the gym, and reading.

Combustion Turbines: The Practical Side of Engineering
Instructor: Meredith Neal
Engineering, Thermodynamics, Energy

Did you know that power outages cost the U.S. economy an estimated $18–33 billion each year, or that healthcare facilities can lose up to $8,000 for every minute without electricity? Power is fundamental to our society, infrastructure, and economy, but maintaining a reliable electrical grid is no small engineering feat. Concepts like thermodynamics, heat transfer, and metallurgy must be applied to real machines operating in dynamic, real-world conditions to literally “keep the lights on.” In this course, you’ll dive into these complex topics to examine the systems that make modern electrification possible. You’ll also visit a working power plant to see firsthand the machinery and processes covered in class. By the end, you will use failure analysis—the science of understanding how materials and equipment fail—to develop risk-based recommendations for a real equipment failure case study. Along with your classmates, you’ll explore the reasoning behind machinery design decisions. If you’re interested in engineering or in seeing how advanced theory comes to life in practice, this course is for you.

Meredith Neal is a Professional Engineer at Constellation Energy Group (CEG) who is passionate about sharing her expertise in large rotating equipment. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. Early in her career at Watts Bar Nuclear, she discovered her interest in Condition Based Maintenance and uncovering the root causes of machine behavior. Now serving as the Principal Engineer for Rotating Equipment at CEG, Meredith helps guide the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy in the continental U.S. In her free time, she enjoys being with her husband, triathlon, watching Formula 1, and enthusiastically reading fantasy novels.

Emotional Minds, Political Worlds: The Affective Foundations of Politics
Instructor: Sofia Rivera Sojo, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate
Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

How may the emotions we experience in our day-to-day impact political life at an individual and collective level? In this course we will unpack what emotions are, their evolutionary functions, and how specific positive (hope, pride, and joy) and negative (fear, anger, disgust) emotions can shape how humans process political information, form attitudes and beliefs, and develop preferences for candidates, policies, and institutions by generating specific (and often unconscious) cognitive tendencies, needs, and motivations. For example, experiencing fear plays a crucial role in protecting us from harm by triggering vigilance and a heightened perception and aversion to risk. Yet, in doing so, it can promote highly pessimistic and negative evaluations of governments and others around us, eroding political and interpersonal trust. Similarly, because fear emerges from a sense of uncertainty and low personal control, it has been associated with the development of heightened in-group/out-group bias or authoritarian tendencies as a form of emotional regulation since these can heighten our sense of safety, control, and certainty. You will explore these relationships by learning about the methodologies political psychologists use to study these processes, from observational studies using large-scale public opinion surveys to experimental approaches that temporarily induce emotional states in controlled settings to explore their consequences. Adopting a comparative lens, this course will seek to reconcile the biological “universals” of human emotion with the sociocultural and developmental sources of variation that make the politics of emotions vary across countries and contexts. Ultimately, this course invites you to explore, via a political science lens, how our emotions don’t just affect our inner world and close relationships but act as powerful collective forces that can be activated by particular actors and situations to move crowds, shape societies, and profoundly impact the world in often unseen ways.

Sofia Rivera Sojo is a Political Science Ph.D. Candidate from Santiago, Chile at Vanderbilt University, specializing in Comparative Political Behavior. Her research examines how emotions shape political attitudes and policy preferences, with her dissertation exploring how fear of crime may simultaneously increase support for punitive crime-control measures and reduce support for wealth redistribution. Drawing on political psychology and political economy, she explores how emotions can operate as a bridge between the individual and broader political and economic structures. Sofia earned her B.A. in Political Science and Comparative Literature from Northwestern University, her M.A. in Politics from NYU, and worked at the Observatory of Socioeconomic Transformations in Santiago, Chile. At Vanderbilt, she has worked as a research assistant at the Center for Global Democracy (CGD), the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), and conducted experimental research at the Research on Individuals, Politics, and Society (RIPS) Lab. She has also served as TA for PSCI 1101 – Introduction to Comparative Politics and two sessions of PSCI 2270 – Conducting Political Research, where she has led lectures, review sessions, and worked closely with students to develop their research projects. Grant-funded international fieldwork has enabled her to carry out archival research and interview members of Chile’s Constitutional Convention. She enjoys film, live music, yoga, and playing tennis.

How To Win a Jury Trial: Foundations of Litigation
Instructor: Alyssa Baskam, J.D.
Legal Studies

Have you ever wondered how lawyers prepare for and win verdicts at trial? What strategies do they use to persuade a judge or jury? How do they manage the complexities of presenting evidence and examining witnesses? In this course taught by a practicing trial lawyer, you will explore the fundamentals of trial law through a combination of theory and practical application. From opening statements to closing arguments, you’ll gain an understanding of the stages of a trial and the skills needed to effectively advocate for a client in the courtroom! We will cover topics such as opening statements, direct and cross-examination, the introduction of evidence, and closing arguments. We will also explore the rules of evidence, courtroom etiquette, and strategies for effective advocacy. Throughout the course, you will engage in practical exercises, including mock trials, to develop skills in legal reasoning, persuasive communication, and trial preparation. Whether you are interested in pursuing a legal career or simply want to understand the dynamics of a trial, this course will provide the tools and knowledge to engage with the judicial process confidently.

Alyssa Baskam is an owner of the law firm of Cross Kincaid Baskam. She became a trial lawyer, so she could help people through unimaginable hardship. She has won several multi-million-dollar verdicts with her trial team. Alyssa attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. She was a Public Service Scholar recipient, inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated in 2011 with honors. She earned her law degree from Emory Law School, where she graduated with honors in 2014 as one of the youngest ever Emory Law graduates. While at Emory, she was a member of the Emory Moot Court Society executive board and a national qualifier at the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition. She has been featured by Forbes, SuperLawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Best Lawyers Women in the Law. She is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (GTLA) where she serves as an Executive Committee member. She is also on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice. In her spare time, Alyssa is an avid hiker and painter. She also serves on various community service boards.

Quantum & Relativity: Inside the Particle World
Instructor: Nishant Gaurav, Ph.D. Candidate
Physics

Quantum mechanics and relativity changed the way we understand the universe. They showed us that light can act like a wave or a particle, that time does not always tick at the same rate, and that the matter around us is built from a small set of fundamental particles. In this course, you will explore these modern physics ideas and see how they link to technologies we use every day from GPS to MRI machines to particle accelerators. Through lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, you will experiment with models that show how measurements work in the quantum world, build simple spacetime diagrams to see how motion affects time and distance, and work through examples that connect theory with real physical effects. With that foundation, you will step into particle physics to understand how quarks, leptons, and force-carrying particles shape the structure of matter and learn how physicists identify new particles in high-energy collisions. By the end of the course, you will have a clearer sense of how modern physics challenges our everyday expectations and how scientists use these ideas to study the universe at its most fundamental level.

Nishant Gaurav is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata and now conducts research in high-energy particle and nuclear physics. His research explores dark matter, the quark–gluon plasma, and the identification of tau leptons inside jets with the CMS experiment at CERN. His work spans phenomenology, data analysis, and machine-learning–based approaches to understanding collider events. He is also deeply curious about the origins of the universe and the emergence of life, finding beauty in the interplay of simplicity and complexity at fundamental scales. Beyond research, he enjoys teaching and mentoring students, playing badminton, skeet shooting, cliff jumping, hiking, and traveling to explore new perspectives on the world.

Quantum Chemistry: Smaller than Small
Instructor: Michael Valencia, MD/PhD Student
Chemistry, Computation, Physics

What would it be like to be shrunk down to the size of a single subatomic particle? Is the Universe truly random? Could your hand “magically” tunnel through your desk? Believe it or not, the answers all come from some of the strangest science humans have ever discovered: quantum mechanics. Some of the most famous scientists, including Albert Einstein, spent their lives pondering this strange world with its own completely new rules. In this course, you’ll step into the tiny world where particles are also waves, where energy comes in “quanta,” and where molecules behave in ways that defy common sense. You’ll explore the history and principles behind quantum physics, such as why electrons don’t orbit like planets (and what they really do); why light both is and isn’t a particle (and how lasers work because of it); and how computers can predict chemical properties before anyone mixes the beakers. Instead of just memorizing the periodic table, you’ll dig into the rules of the universe that tell atoms how to bond, molecules how to react, and how this governs the world around us. By the end of the course, you’ll have a better understanding of the quizzical world of quantum chemistry by explaining how quantum principles govern chemical bonding and reactions, connecting quantum phenomena (like tunneling and quantized energy) to real technologies, and finally predicting the properties of your very own molecules without touching any beakers. If you want to study chemistry, physics, or even engineering later on, this course gives you the rare chance to see the universe in its most mind-bending form!

Michael Valencia is a 3rd year M.D./Ph.D. Student at Vanderbilt University. He is currently a member of Timothy Hohman’s lab focusing on the multiomic properties of Alzheimer’s Disease. Before that, he received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry at the University of Mississippi and worked extensively in astrochemistry research under the tutelage of Ryan Fortenberry by working on the spectroscopic properties of nanocrystals in space and the application of genetic algorithms to highly dimensional problems. He loves working in computational spaces and founded a startup for education technology in 2020. When not in the lab, he can be found painting, writing, or playing with his pet chinchilla.

The Biology of Cancer: What Is It, How It Spreads, and How We Treat It
Instructor: Logan Northcutt, Ph.D.
Biology, Medicine

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and around the world. Although billions of dollars are invested in cancer research each year, scientists continue to seek answers to key questions: What are the molecular mechanisms of cancer? What are the most effective treatment options? How can we best study cancer? In this course, you will explore these questions by surveying the scientific foundations of cancer biology. You will begin by examining what cancer is and how it spreads throughout the body, then evaluate current strategies used to diagnose and treat it. You will read and discuss scientific literature, engage in guided discussions, and learn from guest speakers who share their own research and professional experiences. Hands-on activities will complement these lessons, helping you understand how cancer impacts the normal functions of the body’s organs and systems.

Dr. Logan Northcutt is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Morehouse College and an alumnus of the Program in Cancer Biology Program at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Northcutt studies how the physical factors of the tumor microenvironment can cause cancer cells to become more aggressive after spreading to other parts of the body. Dr. Northcutt also enjoys reading, exercising, and listening to music.

Vanderbilt Vocal Immersion: An intensive training course for classical vocalists
Instructor: Vanderbilt Blair School of Music Faculty

How do you prepare for a career as a classical vocalist? You may sing beautifully, but do you have the other essential skills to be a successful singer? This course provides a condensed and comprehensive overview of the essential toolkit for aspiring classical vocalists. Through one-on-one vocal lessons, Vanderbilt Faculty from the Blair School of Music will work with you to eliminate common vocal issues, check for unhealthy vocal habits, and identify vocal strengths and weaknesses. You will also work with world-class vocal coaches to hone diction and grammar skills and learn appropriate stylistic elements and performance practice. In addition, you will develop essential stagecraft skills related to movement, character development, improvisation, projection, and versatility as well as participate in masterclasses, special topics discussions related to the business of singing and professional development. At the end of this immersive course, you will leave with an accurate assessment of your current vocal, musicianship and dramatic skill as well as with concrete strategies for finding success at the collegiate level and in work as a freelance singer.

Tyler Nelson, Associate Professor of Voice; Area Chair: Voice

Tyler Nelson is a highly sought-after soloist and teacher. Some of Mr. Nelson’s career highlights include performances with Irish National Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Opera on the James as Alfredo in La Traviata, Opera Saratoga as Paul in Rocking Horse Winner and the Magician in The Consul, New Orleans Opera and Opera on the James as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Dayton Opera as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Utah Symphony & Opera as Le théière / Le petit vieillard in L’enfant et les sortileges, Opera Naples as Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Opera Omaha as Trin in La fanciulla del West, Opera Tampa and Wide Open Opera in Ireland as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and in Handel’s Messiah with Augustana College and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, as well as multiple performances with Le Festival Lyrique International de Belle-Île en Mer in France, as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C and Mozart’s Vesperae solemnes de confessore and Requiem. Click here for more information: https://blair.vanderbilt.edu/bio/tyler-nelson/

Hailey Clark, Assistant Professor of Voice

Hailey Clark been appointed to the faculty of Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music in fall 2024 as assistant professor of voice. An award-winning operatic soprano, Clark has garnered praise on the international stage for her signature character portrayals, as well as her versatility in operatic and concert repertoire spanning nearly three centuries. Click here for more information: https://blair.vanderbilt.edu/person/hailey-clark/

Soyeon Kim, Senior Lecturer in Vocal Music

For information click here: https://blair.vanderbilt.edu/bio/soyeon-kim/

Tucker Biddlecombe, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education; Director of Choral Activities

Tucker Biddlecombe (Ph.D.) is Professor of Choral Studies and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he conducts the Vanderbilt Sixteen and teaches courses in conducting and music education. In addition, Biddlecombe has served as Chorus Director of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra since 2016. For more information, click here: https://blair.vanderbilt.edu/person/tucker-biddlecombe/

Dashon Burton, Assistant Professor of Voice

Bass-baritone Dashon Burton has established a vibrant career appearing regularly throughout the United States and Europe in key elements of his repertoire — Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions and the B minor Mass, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven 9, the Brahms Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem. For more information, click here: https://blair.vanderbilt.edu/bio/dashon-burton/

Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience
Instructor: Vanessa Miller, Ph.D.
Neuroscience, Development, Neurobiology

Have you ever wondered what makes you dream, laugh, or fall in love? At the heart of everything you think, feel, and do lies the brain — a remarkable organ built from countless molecular and cellular interactions. In this course, you’ll uncover the fascinating biology behind who we are by exploring how the brain develops its intricate networks and connections. You’ll start at the very beginning, when the neural tube forms the foundation of the central nervous system, and follow each key step as it transforms into the complex adult brain. Along the way, you’ll see how our experiences — everything we see, hear, and feel — literally shape the structure and wiring of our brains through changes in neurons, synapses, and glial cells. You’ll also explore what happens when these processes go awry, learning how developmental and neural circuit disorders can disrupt the brain’s delicate architecture. By the end of the course, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for the incredible, dynamic process that makes each of us unique — from molecules to mind.

Vanessa Miller is a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Broadie Lab at Vanderbilt University. Her broad research interests include neuroplasticity, neural development, and translational neuroscience. Vanessa’s current research focuses on serotonin’s role in regulating neuroplasticity and how this signaling pathway can be leveraged to develop improved therapeutics for neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. During her graduate training, Vanessa served as a Teaching Assistant for four semesters in Vanderbilt’s Introduction to Biology laboratory course, where she supported foundational science education for undergraduate students. She has also mentored multiple undergraduates in the laboratory, guiding them through experimental design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation, culminating in the successful publication of a first-author paper (congratulations to Michael Du). Vanessa is passionate about scientific mentorship and bridging fundamental neuroscience research with clinically meaningful outcomes.

I’m Gonna Smash it! – The Physics of Particle Accelerators & Detectors
Instructor: Jennifer James, Ph.D. Candidate
Physics, Mathematics (Pre-Calc), Computer Science

What happens when we smash particles together near the speed of light? How do detectors capture traces of the invisible? And what can these collisions reveal about the origins of our universe? In this course, you’ll step into the world of modern particle physics and learn about the science behind discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Through interactive lectures, thought experiments, and mini labs, you’ll explore how scientists accelerate, steer, and detect subatomic particles to unlock nature’s most fundamental secrets. By the end of the course, you will understand how particle accelerators use electric and magnetic fields to steer and energize beams of charged particles and explore how detectors record signals from particle collisions and convert them into measurable data. You will also apply phenomenological reasoning to interpret simplified collision events and identify possible particles or decay channels as well as connect physics principles to real-world applications in medicine, materials science, and astrophysics. Working in small research teams, you will design and present a concept for a mini accelerator–detector system. This includes illustrating how your setup could test a physical principle or discover a phenomenon as well as explaining the experimental design choices behind your model. The week concludes with a mock scientific symposium where your team will present your work and reflect on what you all have learned over the course.

**A physical keyboard accessory is highly recommended**

Jennifer L. James is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on high-energy nuclear physics, where she investigates the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Jennifer’s dissertation centers on jet substructure measurements using the sPHENIX detector to probe the QGP’s color coherence length and energy loss mechanisms. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Jennifer earned her B.S. in Space Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she conducted undergraduate research in general relativity and detector characterization. She has served as a teaching assistant for multiple introductory physics laboratory courses and frequently mentors undergraduates in experimental data analysis and coding within the Vanderbilt high-energy nuclear physics group. Jennifer is passionate about science communication, science policy, and hands-on learning. She looks forward to bringing her enthusiasm for particle physics and experimental design to Vanderbilt Summer Academy, helping students explore how accelerators and detectors reveal the universe at its smallest scales.

Introduction to Legal Studies: A Crash Course in Law
Instructor: Kaleigh Ruiz, JD, Ph.D. Candidate
Legal Studies

While the law impacts every citizen on a day-to-day basis and shapes the governing rhythm of American life, few truly understand what “the law” is and how it is actually practiced. In this course, you will embark on an intensive overview of legal studies through engaging foundational topics that are often at the core of the 1L (first year) law school experience. These critical topics include criminal law, torts, contracts, property, and constitutional law. By the end of the course, you will develop an emerging understanding of the major areas of law, learn how to read a legal case, and begin to think like a lawyer. If you are considering a career in law, politics, government, or want to get a sense of a law school approach to education, this is the course for you!

Kaleigh Ruiz is a Ph.D. candidate studying how judges make decisions in Vanderbilt’s Political Science department. She graduated from law school at the University of Chicago, where she held leadership positions on the Law Women’s Caucus, Latinx Law Student Association, and International Law Society. When not busy researching or teaching, Kaleigh enjoys performing with local theatre groups.

Neuroscience of Addiction
Instructor: Zander Maitland, Ph.D. Student
Neuroscience, Mental Disorders, Biology

How do addictive drugs shape behavior and rewire the brain? In this course, you will critically examine the neurobiological foundations of addiction through a rigorous exploration of major drug classes—including alcohol, stimulants, opioids, cannabinoids, entactogens, and psychedelics. You will analyze how these substances are synthesized, how they interact with molecular targets in the brain, and how these interactions cascade into measurable changes in cognition and behavior. Through inquiry-based activities, data interpretation exercises, and interactive lectures, you will investigate the experimental methods used in both preclinical and clinical addiction research, from behavioral assays and neuroimaging to pharmacological interventions. You will also evaluate emerging therapeutic strategies and consider how neuroscience research informs public health and clinical decision-making. For your final project, you will be given a dossier on a fictional street drug and will be tasked with characterizing its effects and presenting your findings. By the end of this course, you will be able to explain the cellular, molecular, and systems-level mechanisms underlying drugs of abuse, interpret real research findings, and apply neuroscience principles to the challenges of diagnosing and treating addiction. If you are interested in careers or majors such as neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, medicine, pharmacology, biomedical research, or public health, this course will give you an early and authentic window into the scientific study of the brain and behavior.

Zander Maitland is a Ph.D. Student at Vanderbilt University. His research interests include neuroscience, pharmacology, and drug development. Zander graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2022 with a degree in Neuroscience with Honors. During his undergraduate career, he worked in a lab studying the neurobiological mechanisms of cocaine addiction and developed machine-learning approaches for understanding animal behavior. Zander later worked as a post-bac fellow at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, where he investigated emerging drugs of abuse in the illicit market and assessed novel medications for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. He also presented to recovery centers and high school students, teachers, and administrators on the neuroscience of addiction and the dangers of novel psychoactive substances (“designer drugs”).

The Science of Speech Sounds
Instructor: Delin Deng, Ph.D.
Linguistics, Speech Science

Speech is made up of tiny details, including sounds, pitch, rhythm, and articulation, that our brains decode effortlessly. But how are these speech sounds produced, and how can we analyze them scientifically? In this course, you will dive into the field of phonetics, the study of how speech sounds are made, transmitted, and perceived. Through interactive lectures and hands-on activities, you will learn how to describe and analyze the physical properties of sounds such as vowels, consonants, and suprasegmentals such as stress and intonation. You will use Praat, a powerful speech analysis tool, to visualize sound waves, measure pitch and formants, and explore how small acoustic cues can reflect broader patterns in language use. You will also examine how speech sounds can vary across regions, speakers, and speaking styles, and how phonetic detail can carry information about identity, intent, and emotion. By working with real-world speech data and conducting mini experiments, you will build both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. By the end of the course, you will understand the basics of articulatory and acoustic phonetics, gain hands-on experience analyzing speech with Praat, learn to interpret spectrograms and other phonetic visualizations, and explore how and why speech sounds vary across people and situations. Whether you are curious about science, language, or technology, this course offers an exciting introduction to the sounds of speech and the tools linguists use to study them.

Dr. Delin Deng is a linguist specializing in phonetics, the scientific study of speech sounds. She holds a PhD in Linguistics and brings deep expertise in both acoustic analysis and computational methods for studying spoken language. Her research explores how features such as pitch, loudness, and articulation encode meaning and reflect aspects of identity, emotion, and social interaction across diverse languages. In addition to her research, Dr. Deng is a dedicated educator with a passion for making the science of speech accessible and engaging. Her teaching combines interactive lectures with hands-on activities using tools like Praat, helping students explore how speech works and why it matters. She enjoys guiding students through real-world data and experiments that uncover the patterns behind everyday conversation. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Deng mentors aspiring linguists and is committed to inspiring the next generation to listen more closely to the sounds that shape our social world.

Seize the Data: Intro to Statistical Thinking
Instructor: Ashley Mullan, M.S. (Ph.D. Student)
Statistics, Data Science, Scientific Communication

In the 21st century, data are everywhere. From the science lab to the sports arena, from social media feeds to the nightly news, patterns in data help us make sense of the world and guide the decisions we make every day. Do you ever wonder how you can use data to ask and answer research questions or how to choose the right type of data for a research problem? If these questions spark your curiosity, then this course is for you! In this exciting course, you will take a deep dive the role of data and statistical programming in the research process. You will learn how to design a research question, create data visualizations, and conduct an appropriate statistical analysis. You will also learn how to effectively present your results to an audience. By the end of the week, you’ll be able to describe, visualize, understand, and creatively communicate about any data set that interests you. Whether your passion lies in science, social issues, business, sports, or everyday life, this course will give you the tools to explore data with curiosity, rigor, and imagination.

Ashley Mullan is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biostatistics at Vanderbilt University. Her research interests include developing methods and software to analyze error-prone and partially missing data and using these techniques to answer questions in public health and medicine. Originally from New York, Ashley earned her bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics and philosophy from the University of Scranton and a master’s degree in Statistics and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science from Wake Forest University. She loves encouraging students to think about how data can help them ask and answer questions about their own interests. In her free time, Ashley enjoys making music, reading, and gathering data about her music and reading habits.

The Omics Odyssey: Exploring Genomes and Beyond
Instructor: Joe Guidubaldi, Ph.D. Student
Biology, Genetics, Bioinformatics
No prior coding experience required

Ever wondered if you could read the instruction manual of life using just a laptop? Are you curious about what biomedical science looks like in the age of big data? This week‑long bioinformatics course turns complex biological data into questions you can explore. Each morning offers a big‑picture tour of a core method, while each afternoon guides you through a step‑by‑step tutorial with real datasets. Explore data from a wide range of “multi-omic” techniques, looking at DNA, RNA, proteins and other components of the central dogma of life. Receive hands-on training that transforms professional computational techniques into approachable tools to find patterns, check data quality, and make sense of results. On the final day, you will combine these cutting-edge skills into one integrated project to build a full image of biology and disease. Leave with a portfolio of analyses, new confidence, and a sharp view of how data powers modern genetics and neuroscience.

Joe Guidubaldi is a Ph.D. student in Vanderbilt University’s Neuroscience Graduate Program. His broad interests include neurodegeneration, integrative multi-omics, and translational medicine. Joe’s current research focuses on merging multiple genomic and clinical data modalities to build comprehensive profiles of neurodegenerative disease, with an emphasis on vasculature and glymphatic dynamics in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Joe graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors in Biological Sciences in 2020, and as a Fulbright Scholar from University College London with a Masters in Cell and Gene Therapy in 2021. Following his early academic training, Joe also worked as a Laboratory Technician and Laboratory Manager in international biotechnology startup companies and further trained as a scholar at the National Institutes of Health Laboratory of Neurogenetics. Throughout his training, Joe has trained undergraduate researchers in the lab, mentored several students through his university’s Honors Program, volunteered to lead high school dissections and develop AP and IB projects, worked as an operating room technician in his local hospital, and helped to found a local chapter of the Nu Rho Psi Neuroscience Honor Society. On the other side of the classroom, Joe has taught undergraduate coursework in leadership and college success, served as a TA for undergraduate Physiological Psychology lab courses, and worked as an adjunct teacher in K-12 schools specializing in covering high school AP and International Baccalaureate English and Biology. Beyond his 9 years of research, teaching, and leadership experience, Joe is a staunch advocate for work-life balance and sustainable training – a belief he puts into practice through his involvement in university Greek Life, orchestras, and marching bands.

Young Composers Institute
Instructor: Michael Slayton, DMA
Music Theory, Music Performance
Prerequisites: ability to read and notate music in treble and bass clef in uncomplicated meters; general facility with music notation software (any of the following is fine: MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius, Dorico) and the ability to bring personal laptop with notation software already installed; completion of at least one year in a music ensemble, e.g. concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, or choir.

Are you ready to take the next step in your musical creativity? You have likely heard and played dozens of exciting, emotional, and impactful pieces for your instrument, or in your choir, band, or orchestra. Now it’s time to start thinking about how it’s done, and how you can get started! The Young Composers Institute at the Blair School of Music will help you unleash your own ideas about how else music might go. We understand that your interest in composing may have only presented itself recently—and we want you to know that that’s okay! What is far more important is your strong sense of curiosity and exploratory mindset. Each day you’ll learn new approaches and then put them to work in your own music. Fresh scales, spicy harmonies, and irresistible rhythms are all just waiting for you to meet them! Every student in the institute will get to workshop new creations in a real time, supportive environment. Your mentor will be an experienced composer and teacher who can help guide your creative explorations and growth toward a music of your own. Join us for a week of meeting yourself–the composer!

American composer MICHAEL SLAYTON has written works in a cross-section of musical genres, with specific emphasis on chamber music. His continuing dedication to the value of artistic exchange has afforded him the opportunity to partner with distinguished performers all over the world. His music, published by American Composers Edition (BMI), is regularly programmed in the U.S. and abroad, including Chemnitz, Seitz, Leipzig, Droyssig, and Weimar, Germany; Graz, Austria; Paris, Tours, and Marquette-lez-Lille, France; Kristiansund, Norway; Aviero, Portugal; Brussles, Belgium; Johannesburg and Potchefstroom, South Africa; London, UK; and New York, NY. 2016 saw the PARMA Recordings release of his first portrait CD, entitled Sursum. His second CD, Sage Brushes, is currently in release, offering musical representations of visual art works. Slayton is also author/editor-in-chief of Women of Influence in Contemporary Music (Rowman and Littlefield), a book detailing the lives and music of several of America’s notable women in composition, including Elizabeth R. Austin, Susan Botti, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Tania León, Cindy McTee, Marga Richter, and Judith Shatin. A member of the American Composer’s Alliance, Society of Composers, Inc., the College Music Society, Connecticut Composers, Inc., and Broadcast Music, Inc., Slayton continues to be an active participant in the national and international music community. He currently serves as Professor and Chair of Composition & Theory at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he specializes in the teaching of compositional craft and the design and structure of both tonal and non-tonal music.

Behavioral Research and Videogame Development: Making non-videogame videogames for research purposes
Instructor: Andrew McAvan, Ph.D. Student
Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science

Many modern-day cognitive psychologists rely on computer-based programs to gather data from participants, with these programs allowing researchers to create and tweak experiments down to the smallest detail in ways that couldn’t be done in the real-world. Interestingly, many methodological decisions (i.e., how researchers test participants) can be greatly informed and impacted by popular video games (which in turn can also be influenced by research conclusions). In this course, you will learn the basics of experimental design, videogame development, and how to leverage both for success. Through learning how scientists and videogame software engineers develop, test, and execute their respective projects, you will join two seemingly disparate fields to foster your knowledge base in both breadth and depth. You will also dive into various research articles and see just how prevalent and useful knowledge of videogames is in scientific literature and vice versa. You will leave this course with a deeper understanding of methodological design, computer coding, videogame development principles, and how each can be leveraged for a successful (and fun!) future.

Andrew McAvan is a Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University’s Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience track through the Psychological Sciences (A&S) department. Andrew’s research interests include studying how people combine various cues while navigating to inform their subsequent decisions and spatial representations. Andrew currently heads the Spatial Memory & Navigation Lab under Dr. Tim McNamara where he is currently investigating how people are (not) able to incorporate impossible non-Euclidean spatial information into their underlying cognitive representations via the use of fully immersive virtual reality. Andrew graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.Sc. in Psychology and a minor in Computer Science where they worked with multiple labs assessing not only retention rates of children in the Pima County DES system but also exploring how humans react to stress. Post undergrad Andrew worked at an in-patient rehabilitation facility for individuals with substance abuse and mood disorders, followed by the Human Spatial Cognition Lab at the University of Arizona where they first started developing experiments using the Unity 3D game engine in conjunction with cutting-edge VR technology. Outside of research, Andrew enjoys unwinding with nature, games, and various (too many) crafts.

Exploring the Human Mind: An Introduction to Psychological Research
Instructor: Abby Blum, Ph.D. Candidate
Psychology, Research Methods

Ever wondered why people act the way they do or what really shapes who we become? This course puts YOU in the driver’s seat as a psychological researcher, uncovering what makes humans tick. You’ll explore everything from how babies form attachments and what different parenting styles actually do, to how we think, make decisions, and interact with others—touching on developmental, clinical, cognitive, and social psychology. Through hands-on activities and lively discussions, you’ll learn to debate like a scientist, backing up your arguments with real research evidence instead of just opinions. You’ll also become a research detective, learning to spot the difference between legit scientific studies and the clickbait “pop psychology” you see all over social media. By the end of the week, you’ll design your own mini research proposal tackling a question you care about, and you’ll walk away knowing how to think critically about human behavior and evaluate the claims you see online. No lab coat required—just bring your curiosity.

Abby Blum is an incoming 4th year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology Program at Vanderbilt University. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Abby attended Northwestern University, where she graduated with a degree in creative writing and psychology. Throughout her career, she has worked in multiple research labs, where she has had the opportunity to participate in studies ranging from the early caregiving environment to the development of leadership in adolescents. Her current research interests include caregiver–child attachment, understanding the similarities and differences between typical and atypical pathways of development, and infant mental health. Over the past few years, Abby has also served as a teaching assistant for various undergraduate courses, including Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Child Psychology, and Introduction to Clinical Psychology. She can’t wait to return as a VSA instructor this summer! In her spare time, Abby enjoys exploring new cities, hiking with her dogs, and spending time with her friends and family.

Inside the Clinic: High-Impact Diseases and How Doctors Think
Instructor: Claire Hanson, M.D./Ph.D. Student
Medicine, Biology, Public Health

Did you know that over 75% of American adults have a chronic disease? This is a significant lifelong burden not only for patients, but also for the healthcare system. Understanding these conditions and how clinicians reason through them is essential for anyone interested in medicine or public health. In this course, you’ll learn to think like a doctor by working through realistic patient cases. Each day, a new scenario will guide you through interpreting symptoms, ordering tests, forming a differential diagnosis, and selecting a treatment plan. As you encounter common high-impact diseases, you’ll also examine their public health implications and why prevention often lags behind treatment. By the end of the course, you will have a practical understanding of core medical reasoning, familiarity with major chronic diseases, and insight into how individual care connects to national health challenges. In teams, you’ll apply what you’ve learned to design a prevention-focused strategy targeting one of the discussed conditions. If you’re drawn to the intersection of medicine, problem-solving, and public health, this course is for you.

Claire Hanson is an M.D./Ph.D. student studying psychiatry and neuroscience. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2021 with a major in neuroscience and later worked at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she studied how differences in chromosomes can affect mental health. She returned to Vanderbilt for medical school in 2023 and began her Ph.D. in 2025. Claire’s research focuses on understanding how brain networks function differently in people with psychosis, using tools like neuroimaging and computational methods. She hopes to use this knowledge to improve care for future patients. She also serves as a co-director of the Shade Tree Psychiatry Clinic, a free, student-run clinic for uninsured people in Nashville. In her free time, Claire enjoys creative coding and taking long walks with her dog.

Introduction to Astrophysics: Black Holes, Gravity & the Science of Sci-Fi
Instructor: Kaylah McGowan, Ph.D. Student
Physics, Astronomy, Computer Science

What really happens near a black hole? Why does gravity bend light? Could wormholes, time dilation, or multiverses—seen in films like Interstellar, Thor, or The Martian—exist in the real universe? In this introduction to modern astrophysics, you’ll explore gravity, spacetime, stellar evolution, exoplanets, and the physics of black holes. You’ll use Python to build simulations and models of black holes, gravitational lensing, and extreme cosmic environments. After learning key scientific principles, you’ll apply them to evaluate iconic scenes from sci-fi movies and TV. Through hands-on coding, demonstrations, and analysis of real NASA data, you’ll develop a strong foundation in how the universe works. By the end of this course, you will be able to explain gravity in both Newtonian and Einsteinian frameworks, describe the structure and behavior of black holes, simulate astrophysical phenomena using Python, analyze the accuracy of sci-fi portrayals, and interpret real astrophysics data. If you’ve ever wondered where astrophysics ends and science fiction begins and are fascinated by space, physics, or the science behind your favorite movies, this course is for you!

Kaylah McGowan is a Ph.D. student in Astrophysics at Vanderbilt University whose research focuses on gravitational-wave instrumentation and detector characterization. She works with the LIGO Livingston Observatory, where she develops software tools to identify and analyze noise sources—including ARCHGEM, a pipeline she created to study scattered-light noise in gravitational-wave data. Kaylah’s work has been featured at national and international conferences such as SPIE, APS, and the LVK Meeting. Kaylah earned her B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Arizona and her M.S. in Physics from Fisk University. She is passionate about science communication and mentoring young scientists, and she enjoys bringing astrophysics to new audiences. Outside of research, she loves motorsports, travel, and exploring the intersection of science and pop culture.<

Introduction to Legal Studies: A Crash Course in Law
Instructor: Kaleigh Ruiz, JD, Ph.D. Candidate
Legal Studies

While the law impacts every citizen on a day-to-day basis and shapes the governing rhythm of American life, few truly understand what “the law” is and how it is actually practiced. In this course, you will embark on an intensive overview of legal studies through engaging foundational topics that are often at the core of the 1L (first year) law school experience. These critical topics include criminal law, torts, contracts, property, and constitutional law. By the end of the course, you will develop an emerging understanding of the major areas of law, learn how to read a legal case, and begin to think like a lawyer. If you are considering a career in law, politics, government, or want to get a sense of a law school approach to education, this is the course for you!

Kaleigh Ruiz is a Ph.D. candidate studying how judges make decisions in Vanderbilt’s Political Science department. She graduated from law school at the University of Chicago, where she held leadership positions on the Law Women’s Caucus, Latinx Law Student Association, and International Law Society. When not busy researching or teaching, Kaleigh enjoys performing with local theatre groups.

Statistical Methods in Engineering
Instructor: Benjamin M. Ward, Ph.D. Student
Engineering, Statistics

The everyday things that we take for granted—our phones, clothes, vehicles, not to mention our buildings and roads—are the work of engineers. Engineers use statistics to make informed decisions about the design of these items and structures, which provide our modern prosperity and comfort. Are you interested in the design of systems and devices that have a profound impact on your life and others? Would you like to learn how engineers assess risk and reliability? In this course, you will study cases of when and where engineering decisions have averted or contributed to disaster using probability, computation, and other modern techniques. In the end, you will gain a mathematical foundation critical to anyone interested in a career in engineering, science, or technology.

Ben is a Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University studying Mechanical Engineering. Previously, he completed a degree in Physics and worked on research projects in biophysics and quantum computing. For his thesis work, he studies the qualification of additively manufactured aerospace parts made from high performance alloys. He serves as a graduate council representative for the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association. In his free time, he enjoys fencing, reading, and lifting weights.

Young Composers Institute
Instructor: Michael Slayton, DMA
Music Theory, Music Performance
Prerequisites: ability to read and notate music in treble and bass clef in uncomplicated meters; general facility with music notation software (any of the following is fine: MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius, Dorico) and the ability to bring personal laptop with notation software already installed; completion of at least one year in a music ensemble, e.g. concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, or choir.

Are you ready to take the next step in your musical creativity? You have likely heard and played dozens of exciting, emotional, and impactful pieces for your instrument, or in your choir, band, or orchestra. Now it’s time to start thinking about how it’s done, and how you can get started! The Young Composers Institute at the Blair School of Music will help you unleash your own ideas about how else music might go. We understand that your interest in composing may have only presented itself recently—and we want you to know that that’s okay! What is far more important is your strong sense of curiosity and exploratory mindset. Each day you’ll learn new approaches and then put them to work in your own music. Fresh scales, spicy harmonies, and irresistible rhythms are all just waiting for you to meet them! Every student in the institute will get to workshop new creations in a real time, supportive environment. Your mentor will be an experienced composer and teacher who can help guide your creative explorations and growth toward a music of your own. Join us for a week of meeting yourself–the composer!

American composer MICHAEL SLAYTON has written works in a cross-section of musical genres, with specific emphasis on chamber music. His continuing dedication to the value of artistic exchange has afforded him the opportunity to partner with distinguished performers all over the world. His music, published by American Composers Edition (BMI), is regularly programmed in the U.S. and abroad, including Chemnitz, Seitz, Leipzig, Droyssig, and Weimar, Germany; Graz, Austria; Paris, Tours, and Marquette-lez-Lille, France; Kristiansund, Norway; Aviero, Portugal; Brussles, Belgium; Johannesburg and Potchefstroom, South Africa; London, UK; and New York, NY. 2016 saw the PARMA Recordings release of his first portrait CD, entitled Sursum. His second CD, Sage Brushes, is currently in release, offering musical representations of visual art works. Slayton is also author/editor-in-chief of Women of Influence in Contemporary Music (Rowman and Littlefield), a book detailing the lives and music of several of America’s notable women in composition, including Elizabeth R. Austin, Susan Botti, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Tania León, Cindy McTee, Marga Richter, and Judith Shatin. A member of the American Composer’s Alliance, Society of Composers, Inc., the College Music Society, Connecticut Composers, Inc., and Broadcast Music, Inc., Slayton continues to be an active participant in the national and international music community. He currently serves as Professor and Chair of Composition & Theory at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he specializes in the teaching of compositional craft and the design and structure of both tonal and non-tonal music.