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Monday, July 28

C(o)urses

When you asked your kid what they wanted to do on their summer vacation, what did they say? Mine (well, one of them) said, "More school, please!!"

Stinky is away at Evil Genius School this week... thanks to some extremely generous local folks. We got a little sneak peek at what college tuition is like in the 54F household, and without a nice scholarship from the University, support from the community, and a good painting gig this great experience would not have been possible. So from both of us... Thank You!!!

So Stinky is living in a dorm room for the next two weeks. We knew he would be sharing with another evil genius. Turns out his roomie traveled here all the way from South Korea! How cool is that? I wonder if he will teach Stinky to say "My mom is the greatest" in Korean? Heh... right.


Shortly after arrival he signed up for classes. Two math classes seems like a little "much" but hey, whatever keeps the kid happy. Here's what he signed up for:
CONSERVATION HOTSPOTS
Why are so many creatures going extinct, and what can we do about it? Come learn the ins and outs of conservation biology while focusing in detail on several regions (hotspots) where the effects of humans and nature are causing the greatest loss of biodiversity. Focus in on a specific place, problem, or species of your choice, and work with your friends to share what you learn with your peers. Topics to be covered will include global warming, habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, and overfishing.

THE CONTEMPORARY WESTERN: WAY BEYOND JOHN WAYNE
Maybe you’ve watched a bunch of Westerns with your parents: dusty, rugged films filled with manly men, horses, and the triumph of good over evil. Or maybe you think all those movies, showing non-stop on TBS, couldn’t possibly be more boring. Well, throw your preconceptions of the Western out the window, and take a radically different look at the way that the myth behind the Western has become the greatest influence on American Film today. Examining at what you might think of as the least Western of films and television shows, including Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Step Up, Lost, and Batman Begins, we’ll use techniques of film and genre criticism to get to the bottom of what makes a Western and why the genre endures. Whether you’re a film buff or just a weekend moviegoer, this class will heighten your appreciation and understanding of American cinema today.

DISCRETE PROBABILITY
What is the probability of getting dealt four of a kind in poker? What are the chances that you’ll win the lottery? Discrete probability is the study of events with a finite number of possible outcomes and is used to describe the likelihood that a particular outcome will happen. In this class, we will study combinations (basic combinatorics provides a method by which we can study discrete probabilities), permutations, conditional probability, independence, inclusion/exclusion principle, random variables, and expected values.

HUMAN GENETICS
Explore this exciting field through a combination of lectures, discussion, and hands-on lab work. Learn about genetics basics like DNA, chromosomes, mutations, and inheritance patterns; then study pedigrees to see how genetic conditions are inherited in families. Examine the genetics of blood type (possibly including your own), identify your DNA "fingerprint", and see how genetics relates to the field of forensics. Additional possible topics include the genetics of cancer, immunology, and gene therapy.

NUMBER THEORY
Number theory investigates properties of integers. We'll start with primality and factorization, follow it up with divisibility and congruence relations, and segue from there into modular arithmetic. Other possible topics include The Goldbach Conjecture, The Twin Prime Conjecture, Fermat’s Little Theorem, Fermat’s Last Theorem, Euler’s Theorem, The Chinese Remainder Theorem, and Fibonacci Numbers.

PERSPECTIVE
Are you interested in making drawings that look like realistic, three-dimensional images? Then you need to know the ins and outs of perspective! Learn one point, two point, and multi-point perspective drawing, and produce perspective-driven works of your own on small and very large scales. Gain an understanding of the use of measuring and proportions, and apply your knowledge as you create and draw a city of your own.
Sound like fun?

Note: Super Evil Geniuses still need their Mom whether they admit it or not. Tomorrow I am dropping a cell phone charger in the mail for him, because he forgot to bring one. Oops!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

man, I'm at library camp, but I wish I was at evil genius camp! (as a total aside, I'm always paranoid I will spell genius wrong which would be, you know, sad.)

diner life said...

You have a great kid there....of course, you already knew that.

When he gets back, could I use him for poker on Mondays. I could use some help in the probability department. lol.

You might want to stop by and pick up the evil genius box if you get the chance. I think there is a couple of dollars in it. Might help with the charger.

Shannon said...

It was a pleasure having Stinky do some yard work. He is a neat kiddo. When I was his age, all I wanted to do was hang out at the pool each day (and I did).