NOTE: An Introduction to Calculus is closed for registration as it may have reached capacity or not have enough students registered. In the event that this course has been cancelled all registered students will be notified.

This course will cover nearly a semester of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning topics in computer science.  Each day you will participate in both individual and small group programming projects and in class discussions and activities.  After a brief review of topics from a first-semester programming course, we will discuss the basic data structures used in AI including stacks, queues, lists, trees, and graphs, as well as sorting and searching algorithms.  We then will dig into intelligent agent architectures, knowledge representation, reasoning, planning, decision making, and learning using such structures as decision trees, neural networks, and Bayesian networks. The course will finish with a small group project applying one of the ideas from the course to an area of interest to the student.

 

Prerequisite:

·        Completion of Java Programming or instructor-approved equivalent course/ individual work (Java will be primary programming language used in this course.)

·        ACT-Science Reasoning =21, ACT Math =18

·        SAT-Math =500 or combined SAT-Math and SAT-Verbal =930.

 

Instructor: Brian Patterson holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree from Iowa State University. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in computer science with emphasis on theory. Brian’s teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate computer science courses and instructor with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. This is Brian’s fourth year teaching with OPPTAG.

 

The Chemistry course will give you an in-depth understanding of a full year of high school chemistry. You will have the opportunity to integrate your theories and hypotheses in chemistry with qualitative and quantitative experimentation in the lab. You will spend part of each day in the laboratory, completing experiments designed to elicit your higher order thinking skills while expanding upon the principles of structure, periodicity, kinetics, solutions, gases, thermodynamics, equilibrium, and oxidation-reduction. The thinking skills you develop through your experimentation will be used to explore a broad range of scientific topics.

Instructor: Alan Junck, B.S. in science education, has taught chemistry in Missouri and in Iowa. He is currently a chemistry instructor at Ames High School. This is Alan's ninth year with OPPTAG
Score Criteria: ACT-Composite ≥21, ACT-Science Reasoning ≥23, combined SAT-Math and SAT-Verbal ≥930 or ≥3.50 (on 4.00 scale) on high school GPA; completion of Algebra I is recommended but not required.

NOTE: Exploring New Worlds Through Writing is closed for registration as it may have reached capacity or not have enough students registered. In the event that this course has been cancelled all registered students will be notified.

Welcome to applied psychology: understanding yourself and others! Psychology is the scientific study of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Contrary to popular belief, psychology is more than just abnormal behavior and therapy. In fact, applied psychology focuses on the use of different psychological principles to solve real world problems. Psychologists study everything from the function of the brain to the behavior of entire cultural groups. This course is aimed at giving you unique opportunities to explore the role of psychology in diverse ways.

 

Prerequisite:

• ACT-Composite ≥ 20, ACT-Science Reasoning ≥ 22, OR

• Combined SAT-Math and SAT-Verbal ≥ 930, OR

• ≥ 3.50 (on 4.00 scale) high school GPA.

 

Instructor: Ashley Hackler holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Spanish from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, along with a master’s of science in psychology from Iowa State University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Iowa State University. She teaches Counseling Theories and Techniques-Lab and has taught Introduction to Psychology at Iowa State. Ashley has experience working with high school students in both wilderness therapy and at Duke University’s Talent Identification Program. This is Ashley’s second year teaching with OPPTAG.

NOTE: Introduction to Neuroscience is closed for registration as it may have reached capacity or not have enough students registered. In the event that this course has been cancelled all registered students will be notified.

NOTE: Music Theory, Composition, and Technology is closed for registration as it may have reached capacity or not have enough students registered. In the event that this course has been cancelled all registered students will be notified.

This course will allow you to complete an in-depth study of a full year of high school physics. We will investigate motion, forces, and energy; properties of waves, especially electromagnetic and sound; and simple electric circuits. In lab experiments, you will theoretically investigate the physical data you collect through hands-on experiments, applying basic algebraic concepts within the structure of critical scientific thinking. These investigations will allow you to gain a genuine understanding of the physical laws fundamental to all sciences. As a class you will also take a field trip to Adventureland, a local amusement park, to test laws of motion and force exhibited by the different rides at the park.

 

Prerequisite:

• ACT-Composite ≥ 21, ACT-Science Reasoning ≥ 23, OR

• Combined SAT-Math and SAT-Verbal ≥ 930, OR

• ≥ 3.50 (on 4.00 scale) high school GPA;

• Completion of one year of algebra is required

 

Instructor: Elizabeth Brenneman graduated from Drake University in secondary science education with highest honors. It is Elizabeth's third year teaching physics at Ames High School; previously she taught in Texas. Elizabeth finds great joy in sharing the awesomeness of physics with students. This is Elizabeth’s second year teaching with OPPTAG.