IMPORTANT NOTE: The course list for 2008 is very much tentative and will remain so until the spring. In late spring, we will definitively announce the courses for the 2008 session. Guest speakers and site visits for 2008 will be announced in early June, 2008.
2008 Courses
All students will enroll in 5 academic courses, in addition to their research project and numerous other activities.
- Robotics- Our robotics course uses Legos Mindstorms kits and a set of aftermarket sensors to engage students in team-based competitions. In teams of 4, students build and program their robots to solve challenges. In 2007, these challenges were a) a search and rescue mission involving line-following, b) creating a robot that imitates an animal, and c) robotic sumo wrestling. In 2008, we will introduce new competitions!
- Physics- Our physics course is designed to introduce modern and experimental physics topics to the Governor's School students. The class is designed to be both novel and comprehensible by students whose backgrounds range from no prior physics experience through having completed AP Physics. Topics include special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, experimental design, and string theory.
- New Technology Research- Drawing on readings from current computer science and computer engineering conferences, "New Tech" investigates peer-to-peer networks (Napster, Gnutella, Bittorrent), social networks (MySpace and Facebook), user interface design, and digital music. A heavy emphasis shall be placed on the research process, choosing research topics, scientific writing, and entrepreneurship.
- Elective A: Discipline Depth- Students will choose a class (from at least 3 options) which explores a particular engineering discipline in great depth. In 2007, students chose from classes in Current Biomedical Engineering Research, Designing Civil Engineering Structures that Resist Earthquakes, and Technology Math (which is being moved into the "Elective B" category, and will be replaced by an electrical engineering course in 2008).
- Elective B: Engineering Math and Technical Computing- In this new category of electives, students will choose a class (from 3 options) in either math or computer programming. The courses offered will span a wide-range of difficulties. Technology Math, which will be the most difficult math class offered, will quickly cover basic results in number theory and abstract algebra and then use these results to construct important mathematical primitives in computer security (such as public key cryptography ciphers, zero knowledge proof mechanisms, and electronic voting systems). Technology Math will proceed at a rapid pace and assume significant mathematical maturity. We will offer a second mathematics class (in a topic area T.B.D.) that will proceed at a slower (yet still more advanced than high school) pace. The third option in this category will be an introductory computer programming class based around biomedical image processing and numerical methods, intended for all students who have not studied (or only had a cursory introduction to) computer programming.
Guest Speakers
We are fortunate to bring a number of distinguished guest speakers to Governor's School each summer. These speakers are leaders in either academia or industry, and are excited to share current developments in engineering as well as career advice. While we will not be announcing speakers and topics for 2008 until June, 2008, our guest speakers in 2007 discussed the following topics:
- Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Reinforcement Learning
- Introduction to drafting in AutoCAD
- Engineering Opportunities, Introduction to Engineering Disciplines, Engineering Ethics
- iPods, Hearing Aids
- Engineering Startup Companies, Medical Assist Devices
- Transitioning from Biomedical Engineering to Medicine, Diabetes, Phantom Limb Pain
- Engineering Challenges with the Quantum Computer
- Computer Graphics, Shading, Modeling, and Video Game Design
- Route 18 Highway Reconstruction Analysis, Careers in Civil Engineering
- Computational Complexity, the P vs. NP Problem
- Financial Careers for Engineers
Site Visits
As part of the program, we bring our students on a number of corporate site visits. Companies that graciously invited our students to visit over the past two years include: Sun Microsystems (Somerset, NJ), Merck Pharmaceuticals (Rahway, NJ), Lockheed Martin (Moorestown, NJ), the Metropolitan Transit Authority- Grand Central Terminal and East Side Access Project (NY, NY), Violet Packing Company (Williamstown, NJ), PIP (Edison, NJ), and Johnson & Johnson (Skillman, NJ). Our site visits for 2008 will not be announced until early June, 2008.
Enrichment Activities
A number of supplementary activities will reinforce opportunities, ideas, and ethics in engineering. A set of “Life Skills Days” will provide exposure to the many important skills an engineer needs to know, yet may not have seen before. Each “Life Skills Crash-Course” provides a 60-90 minute introduction to the topic without assuming any prior knowledge. Past topics have ranged widely, including electronics soldering, using power tools, repairing iPods, and even hip-hop dancing!
Scholars will also take part in a College Question and Answer session with current college students and recent graduates. Our students will get an inside look at college admissions and how to stand out in the process, learn what it's really like to major in different engineering and technology fields, and find out how to get involved in ground-breaking research as early as their freshman year.
Additional activities include everything from a half-day simulation of the Engineering Team Design Process to a student talent show!
