Nanoscience and Engineering
Instructor: Jeremy Espano, Doctoral Candidate

Get ready to enter the exciting world of nanoengineering. In this experience, you will get an introduction to nanoscience and potential applications while stretching your creative problem-solving skills to their limits. The nanoscience and engineering fields are booming, and we are looking forward to introducing you to these fields through hands-on activities. This day will include a look inside the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) cleanroom with state-of-the-art equipment, activities to learn about a variety of nanoscience applications, and a hands-on solar cell experiment in an undergraduate lab space. 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.

*Students must be at least 12 years old by December 2 to participate in this lab-based class.
** All students participating in this class must wear pants and closed toe shoes because of lab experiences.

Jeremy Espano is a 5th Year Ph.D. Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program working under the direction of Dr. Janet Macdonald. His research involves controlling the phases of metal chalcogenides to be able to target rare crystalline materials and understand how we get one product over the other. When not in the lab, Jeremy loves participating with the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering events and outreach programs.

Keep Calm and Be Significant: How We Use Research and Statistics to Understand Our Lives
Instructor: Zachary Stuckelman, Ph.D

How can research and data be used to describe what happens all around us? What do you need to consider when creating a scientific hypothesis that you can test? How can you use tools from psychological research to investigate real life questions about why people are who they are or do things the way they do? In this class, you will examine these questions and many more as you take on the role of a researcher and statistician. Using the field of psychology as our guide, we will practice using numbers and theories to draw conclusions, answer important questions, and make sense of the world around us. By exploring different methods for data collection and uncovering how scientists make educated guesses based on theory and numbers, you will learn important tools that can be applied in all different types of scientific research. After exploring research methods, you will develop and test your own scientific hypothesis based on previous research, analyze your own data using statistical methods, and present the findings you uncover. Experience psychology in action as you investigate data to find “significant” insights, as well as share your own discoveries with your peers, friends, and family.

Zachary Stuckelman, Ph. D. received his doctorate degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University. Currently, he serves as the Lead Content Researcher for Lovevery, a child development-based toy company. Zach has a strong background in various psychological domains, statistics, and social science research methods. He has previously taught multiple courses for the SAVY/PTY programs around various topics in psychology and research. He is very excited at the opportunity to mentor students to become the next generation of researchers and psychologists!

So You Want to be a Lawyer?
Instructor: Kaleigh Ruiz, JD

Many students aspire to a career in law whether that be in the public sector (helping criminal defendants exercise their rights to remain innocent until proven guilty), private sector (litigating or completing deals for big corporations at a high-profile firm), the government (researching and preparing legislation), or elsewhere. Despite this, there are few opportunities to expose students to law in high school or even college. During this experience, you will be introduced to the vast possibility of occupations held by attorneys and the experience that is law school. By the end of the day, you will gain an understanding of the daily life of lawyers and law students including a brief introduction to a core legal course–Torts–and will have the opportunity to perform an oral argument for a tort client. If you’re considering whether a career as an attorney could be a good fit, this is the class for you!

Kaleigh Ruiz is a PhD student studying judicial politics at Vanderbilt University. 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 hiking, curling up with a good book, and hanging out with her cat, Penny.

So You Want to be a Neuroscientist
Instructors: Leah Mann, Doctoral Candidate

The human brain holds the key to the way the body operates. In this experience you will be introduced to the basic anatomy, physiology, and function of the brain. We will dive into the building blocks of the nervous system, including neurons and glial cells, before exploring various regions of the brain. You will discover how the brainstem regulates our breathing, the amygdala allows us to comfort a friend when they look scared, and the hippocampus permits us to remember where we parked our car. This class will offer a helpful foundation to the complexities of the brain and practical advice to those exploring careers in neuroscience.

Leah Mann is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University and was fortunate to work in several language development labs during her undergraduate years. Leah’s research interest shifted during her graduate studies, and since joining the Cognitive and Movement Disorders Lab, has focused upon Parkinson’s disease and the role of dopamine in non-motor symptoms. Leah participated in a community health advocacy program at Brown, preparing lesson plans and teaching health topics to elementary and middle school students. She was an undergraduate teaching assistant for a human cognition class and a graduate teaching assistant for a fundamentals of neuroscience course. In her free time, Leah enjoys baking, hiking, and artistic lettering. Leah is eager to share her experience and knowledge with science-loving participants in WAVU.

Global Economics: How Valuable is the U.S. Dollar as an Asset?
Instructors: Dini Chandra, Ph.D.

Could global debts be paid using the U.S. dollar as the currency? Does the U.S. as a country face its debts the same way an individual would balance their bank account? How does the strength of the U.S. dollar impact the price of goods that are traded globally? In this one-day experience we will focus on these questions and more by studying economics through the lens of global trade and the U.S. dollar as a form of global currency. We will use recent data from 2000-2022 to take part in hands-on simulations designed to uncover the impact of the U.S. dollar on trade and to highlight how trade works globally across different industries. This experience highlights the field of economics and work that someone might do in this field.

Devaki (“Dini”) Chandra has her Ph.D. in Economics from City University of New York. She enjoys teaching PTY students to promote informed citizens on economic issues when they vote in the future. She has taught Math and Economics with the aim of engaging youth in how these two subjects affect them. She has found that it isn’t always obvious to them.

How can we devise innovative solutions to cater to diverse needs? What frameworks and strategies can be employed to ensure long-term growth without compromising essential resources? And at its heart, how do we shape organizations that focus equally on well-being and environmental responsibility? Prepare to ideate, iterate, and innovate! It’s time to harness the essence of innovation and truly build for the greater good. As emerging social entrepreneurs, your primary task is to identify significant challenges and envision solutions for your community. Guided by the principles of Social Entrepreneurship, your aim will be to assist in creating a thriving, sustainable, and equitable environment. Throughout the day, we’ll delve into the heart of organizations that achieve the balance of profit with purpose. We’ll study case studies from successful global enterprises, drawing valuable insights to inform our strategies. Anticipate collaborative sessions with peers, where brainstorming will pave the way to address challenges and identify opportunities. By day’s end, you’ll have the foundational components of a blueprint. This tool will not only serve your current project but can also guide innovative thinking in school, broader life scenarios, and potential future careers.

Jeremy M. Payne, Ed.D., is a seasoned educator, facilitator and coach based in Nashville, TN, with extensive experience in fostering academic excellence and creating supportive learning environments. He has a strong background in curriculum development, organizational leadership, and program management, as well as a proven track record in working with start-ups and social enterprises to drive meaningful impact. Dr. Payne holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from the department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Peabody College – Vanderbilt University. He currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in Human & Organizational Development. Passionate about empowering students and educators alike, he has dedicated his career to developing innovative educational programs and strategies that inspire learners to achieve their full potential.

Psychology is not just therapy: Debunking myths about the brain and human behavior
Instructor: Ashleigh Maxcey, Ph.D.

Have you ever been told that most people only use 10% of their brain power? Or playing Mozart music to infants boosts their intelligence? Maybe, you’ve heard people say that psychology is only for those who want to be therapists. As a psychology professor at Vanderbilt, I have the opportunity to debunk commonly held misconceptions about psychology, the brain, and human behavior. During this experience, you will learn about the many areas and career paths in psychology by debunking myths associated with the discipline, such as all psychologists are therapists, students learn best when teaching styles are matched to their learning styles, dreams are symbolic, some people are left-brain and other people are right-brained, and more. In this fast-paced experience, I will encourage you to think critically using the scientific method, make an argument against Freud as a psychologist, get you excited about statistics and research methods, and help you find many examples and applications of psychology in everyday life.

Dr. Ashleigh Maxcey (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer & Research Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department. In her laboratory, Dr. Maxcey studies memory and forgetting. She earned her PhD and MA from the University of Iowa in Cognition & Perception and her BA from Purdue University. At Vanderbilt she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods, statistics, positive psychology, cognitive psychology, and general psychology. She has a passion for helping students embrace topics they previously found daunting and bridging topics to applications outside the classroom. At home Dr. Maxcey lives with two kids in high school, one child in middle school, one cat and a dog.

Introduction to Number Theory and Cryptography
Instructor: Larry Rolen, Ph.D.

Cryptography studies how to take ordinary messages and scramble them into messages which are very hard to decode unless you have a privileged piece of information. These have been used since ancient times (in the case of Caesar, simply by shifting letters by 3 and wrapping around the end of the alphabet) and have been a staple in notes passed in classrooms and turned the tides of war alike. The cracking of the German Enigma machines using the ideas of Turing and others and the development of the first computers was instrumental in the Allied efforts in WWII, for instance. These days, encrypted messages are essential to a functioning internet. In this experience, we will learn fundamentals of elementary number theory, which is the basis for modern cryptography. This will be an introduction to pure mathematics, with an aim towards cryptography applications. Students will learn how to formally “prove” some results and will discover other key properties of number theory for themselves through exploration. We will also learn a little computer programming to actually perform secure cryptography on real messages.

Larry Rolen obtained his PhD in mathematics in 2013 from Emory University in Atlanta. He works in number theory, the study of whole numbers under the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. While this sounds straightforward, many basic questions remain unsolved. For instance, no one has been able to show for 281 years whether every even number at least 4 is the sum of two prime numbers. Rolen works at the intersection of number theory with applications in physics, counting problems, and geometry. The area Rolen specializes in was inspired by the genius mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was not formally educated in higher mathematics but made many remarkable discoveries that are hugely influential over 100 years later (Ramanujan was the subject of a recent Hollywood film starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons). One thing Ramanujan noticed (though he was not the first to notice this) was that the number e^{Pi*sqrt(163)} is very nearly a whole number, namely, it is 262537412640768743.99999999999925. This fact, though strange, is not a coincidence, and is a very deep hint of a large amount of theoretical structure. Number theory also serves as the basis for modern cryptography and data security, which is of critical importance to the functioning of the internet and our daily lives.

Electrical Engineering, Sensors, and Automation
Instructor: Will Barbour, Ph.D.

Sensors and automation are embedded in so many systems that we interact with, that we can take for granted how much we rely on them. A normal garage door system can have up to 10 unique sensors and a modern vehicle can have 100! These sensors can increase safety and provide the ability to automate systems and make our lives easier. The electronics and programming tools available today make it easy for anyone to experiment with and utilize sensors and automation in your own projects and ideas – you don’t have to be an expert to build cool, new prototypes. In this experience you will 1) learn electrical engineering skills and build your own circuits, 2) test out sensors and integrate them with a microcontroller computer, 3) build and program your own miniature automated vehicle. You will get hands-on experience with electrical engineering, sensors, automation, and programming.

Dr. Will Barbour is a research scientist at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems at Vanderbilt University. His teaching and research interests focus on advanced computing techniques applied to transportation systems; examples include big data analytics, machine learning, optimization, and artificial intelligence. He currently works on the I-24 MOTION testbed, seeking to establish a nationally-recognized study area for automated vehicle technologies on an open roadway in Tennessee. Will’s other domain interests include pedestrian and cyclist accessibility, public transit planning, and transportation policy and equity. Dr. Barbour received his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University, an M.S. degree in sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.S. in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has previously worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and CSX Transportation.