Maine School of Science and Mathematics
A Residential Community of Academic Excellence
J-Term Offerings 20141 January 6 – 17, 20142
Exhibition: February 15, 20143
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Any fees associated with courses must be paid by January 3, 2014. Please note that some classes, especially travel classes, may have early payment deadlines. 2 Please note that travel classes and internships may have different dates. 3 J Term Exhibition is required for all students as it serves as the “final exam” for J Term courses. *Any and all fees need to be made payable to: MSSM and submitted to Danielle in the Executive Director’s Office
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Any fees associated with courses must be paid by January 3, 2014. Please note that some classes, especially travel classes, may have early payment deadlines. 1 Please note that travel classes and internships may have different dates. 1 J Term Exhibition is required for all students as it serves as the “final exam” for J Term courses. *Any and all fees need to be made payable to: MSSM and submitted to Danielle in the Executive Director’s Office
August 2013 Dear MSSM Community, It is with great gusto that I reveal to you our 2014 J-Term schedule five months early! The January Term (J Term) is a time where students and faculty get to share common interests during two weeks of intensive study. Students will be able to explore their artistic side with courses in Argentine Tango and theatre, stretch their math muscles with combinatorics and computational number theory and debate. Traditional J-Terms such as Organic Chemistry will be offered and our off-campus offerings are just as exciting as those on campus. Students will continue to partner and intern with industry and business throughout the state, the country and possibly the world. As always, MSSM’s partnership with the Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas continues to be a strong opportunity for students to perform actual environmental research with scientists in the field. Needless to say, it will be a fun and refreshing two weeks for the MSSM community! Please enjoy reading through our J-Term offerings as sign-ups will begin the week of October 8th. From one penguin to another,
Luke C. Shorty Executive Director
On Campus Archetypes: The Building Blocks of Stories in Popular Children's Literature: Mr. Michael McCartney and Ms. Wag This course will examine those figures that seem to populate the stories that we encounter every day: the hero, the old man, the earth mother, the monster ... the list goes on. In this course, we will examine their origins, their evolution, and, perhaps, their future as we look at some of their quintessential expressions in modern literature. We will even put ourselves within the context of these worlds using various role-playing systems and scenarios to allow us to get hands on with literature! Reading and discussions for this course may include works by J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, G.R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and others. This class will be reading and writing intensive and will require pre-reading over Winter Break. There may even be some adventures along the way! Prerequisites: There will be pre-reading and this course is reading and writing intensive. Costs*: $10-$15 for books Maximum Enrollment: 10 or instructor approval *************************************************************************************** Argentine Tango: Dr. Brian Sullivan Argentine Tango is an improvisational social dance that originated in Buenos Aires and its suburbs in the late 19th century. In this J-Term course, students will learn to dance the Argentine tango with emphasis placed on musicality, and leading and following technique. The leading/following techniques learned through tango will enhance all forms of partnered dancing. All students will learn to both lead and follow. The course will also cover history of the music and dance form, with some analysis of lyrics and musical structure. Physics of the lead follow relationship and the bio-mechanics of dancing will feature prominently in explanations of technique. Students will need closed toed shoes that pivot easily. Prerequisites: None Costs*: None Maximum Enrollment: 16 ***************************************************************************************
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Any fees associated with courses must be paid by January 3, 2014. Please note that some classes, especially travel classes, may have early payment deadlines. 1 Please note that travel classes and internships may have different dates. 1 J Term Exhibition is required for all students as it serves as the “final exam” for J Term courses. *Any and all fees need to be made payable to: MSSM and submitted to Danielle in the Executive Director’s Office
Combinatorics: Dr. Mark Rhodes Combinatorics can be loosely defined as the art of counting. Perhaps more accurately, combinatorics is the mathematics pertaining to the existence, enumeration, analysis, and optimization of discrete structures. Some mild examples of combinatorial type problems are: 1) Counting the number of poker hands that are full houses. 2) Constructing a Magic Square 3) Attempting to trace through a network without removing your pencil from the paper and without tracing any part of the network more than once. In this course, we will endeavor to complete a survey of some general methods in combinatorics, including: Induction; inclusion-exclusion principle, pigeonhole principle; bijective counting; methods of recurrence relations and generating function; Burnside's theorem and PÂśolya counting; and the MĂ„obius inversion formula. Prerequisites: You must bring your own brain to class. Fingers and toes are optional. Cost*: None Minimum Enrollment: 2/3rds of one student. *************************************************************************************** Debate Madness: Current Issues and Rhetoric: Mr. Dan Melega As a national and global community, we face an ever increasing number of decisions to be made on controversial topics. More often than not, these issues have two sides (if not more) with individuals passionately arguing for both. In this course, students will become well versed in a variety of the more pressing issues of our time. Once students have acquired a content mastery, they will charge up their intellectual batteries for battle on the debate floor. The task will be to convince their peers of their position, but simple facts will not be enough. Students must be ready to perform and use a variety of debate tactics and devices to not only win the debate, but to win it with style. Student input on debate topics will be welcomed and encouraged. In addition to debate, students should also be prepared to participate in a mock trial. Course Prerequisites: An enthusiastic attitude and willingness to argue. Costs*: None Maximum enrollment: None *************************************************************************************** History of Rock & Roll in the U.S.: Mr. James Torruellas and Mr. Lawrence Berz In this course, we will explore the origins and development of popular rock & roll music from a mainstream, commercial, viewpoint, throughout a 30-year period, roughly from 1955-1990. We will use this 30-year timeline to examine, explore, compare & contrast musical styles and delivery systems, discuss issues of distribution, administration/management, compensation/profit and other quasi-technical elements from the perspective of musical instruments, participatory groups, and historical-socio-cultural relevance. We will work in smaller student groups that will interact with each other in the investigation and analysis of the a-fore mentioned elements. The interaction and topic involvement of these student groups will be cooperative in their collaboration as well as in their lively, creative, daily reporting and inter-instruction. The student work groups will culminate in the creation of a small, genre-based musical ensemble, which will offer an onstage performance for MSSM at the end of the course, and for the J-Term Exhibition. Those students not performing will be involved in technical and support aspects of the concert/presentation. Prerequisites: Willingness to engage in discussion, debate and argumentation of the topics previously mentioned and the ability or willingness to sing and dance to pop music and/or play a musical instrument, enthusiastically in front of an audience. Costs-if you wish to heighten your socio-cultural experience you are encourage to have a period-related costume, at your own cost-especially for the final concert/presentation piece. Maximum Enrollment: 15 ***************************************************************************************
Organic Chemistry: Mr. David Dougan This course is an experimentally based introduction to organic chemistry. A one hour lecture will be followed by an experiment involving synthesis or isolation of a compound. This is a very hands-on J-term requiring at least a B average in the first semester of honors chemistry or an overall average of a B for students that have completed a year of honors chemistry. Techniques that will be explored include: thin layer and gas chromatography, use of a separatory funnel, fractional distillation, refluxing and micro scale synthesis. Lab reports are required as well as a PowerPoint presentation. This is an excellent course for students with an interest in medical careers, chemical engineering and chemistry. Prerequisites: You must have a B average in honors chemistry or permission of the instructor. Costs*: None Maximum Enrollment: 12 *************************************************************************************** SAGE and Computational Number Theory: Dr. Clinton Givens Number theory is the mathematical study of the integers, which might seem pretty basic; but in fact the subject contains many deep, surprising, and beautiful results, as well as tantalizing conjectures which have resisted proof for centuries (see: Goldbach's Conjecture, Twin Prime Conjecture, and, finally proven in the 1990s after over three centuries, Fermat's Last Theorem). *Computational* number theory studies, in particular, how to *efficiently* compute the answer to various number-theoretic questions. For example, what are the most efficient ways to verify if a number is prime? To generate a large random prime? To break a composite number into its prime factors? To determine if a number x is congruent to a square mod p? We will use SAGE, a popular open-source mathematical software package, to explore number-theoretic questions and to implement many of the algorithms we study. No prior experience with SAGE is assumed; some general programming experience is helpful, but not required. Prerequisites: None Costs*: None Maximum Enrollment: None *************************************************************************************** The Play’s The Thing: Mrs. Pamela Sweetser When William Shakespeare's Hamlet muttered ". . . the play's the thing. . . ." he had in mind a set-up that would cause his Uncle Claudius to reveal his part in the death of Hamlet's father. In this two-week unit, "thing" is a vehicle for total immersion in the world of live theater. The intended outcome is a full production that will engage students in the technical and performance elements of commedia dell arte, serious twentieth century American drama, short monologues, & group dance. The objective for all members of the company is to apply unlimited imagination and creativity to meet the challenge of putting up a convincing show while working with limited time, materials, and facilities. Plays & pieces may include The Imaginary Autopsy (classic commedia dell arte), Trifles, a one-act by Susan Glaspell; monologues from movie & television popculture; whole-company dance/masque finale. Students will participate in the entire process from auditions to curtain call. They will be part of the traditional theater hierarchy and will learn how cooperation and collaboration, as well as a strong work ethic & willingness to follow directions are the most essential aspects of putting together a successful play. Talent & skill come after these. Each day will be divided between mornings in the classroom/workshop and afternoons in the auditorium. Weekend work will be necessary. Prerequisites: Costs*: None Maximum Enrollment: 20 or 12 ***************************************************************************************
Off Campus Internship: Mrs. Deb McGann, Coordinator The opportunity to complete J-Term Internships is one of the most unique and exciting opportunities that the Maine School of Science and Mathematics provides. During the two-week J-Term period, participating students are paired up with mentors in a job shadow environment which allows these students to delve into the fields of their own choosing. Not only does this provide invaluable experience in at least one area of potential interest, it also identifies the student as having a passion for learning that goes beyond the classroom. MSSM is pleased to offer suggestions and assistance in pinning down arrangements, but students and their families are responsible for the bulk of the logistics, including locating an internship site, a mentor sponsor, transportation, and lodging. It is expected that students will participate in their internships from 9:00 am through 3:30 pm each weekday with a break for lunch. However, it is understood that some internships may require flexibility regarding these hours. All internships must be pre-approved by the internship coordinators. Prerequisites: An exploratory spirit. Minimum sophomore standing Costs*: Families must provide housing and transportation Maximum Enrollment: None *************************************************************************************** Tropical Ecology and Sustainability: Dr. Debbie Eustis-Grandy and Dr. Greg Hamlin Spend J-Term 2014 at the Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera learning about the biological and physical properties of tidal creek systems, impact of invasive lionfish on coral reefs, and how technology can be used to create a sustainable presence in an area with little freshwater and soil for agriculture. Participants will work on a research project with CEI scientists and MSSM faculty. If you are looking for an adventure that combines natural science, mathematics, sun, water, great food, and physical activity, then this is the J-Term for you! Students must obtain a valid passport prior to departure For more information visit: www.ceibahamas.org. Also visit the MSSM Moodle site (moodle2.mssm.org); scroll down to J-Term 2014 – where you’ll find some information about last year’s trip. Dates: Jan. 1-15 (different than on-campus J-Term) Prerequisites: None (participants should be comfortable in and around the water) Costs*: No more than $2,500 Maximum Enrollment: Up to 16 students ***************************************************************************************