ESP Biography

Learn how to make patterns using light through chemistry and engineering!

Where does color come from? In our everyday lives, we get color just by adding dyes, pigments, and inks to things, but have you ever wondered how we get those colors in the first place? Through some hands-on activities and exploration, we'll figure out the science behind color, which is more than just mixing paint together. We'll first examine color at the molecular level in the dyes and pigments we use everyday. Next, we'll explore how pearls and peacock feathers get their beautiful iridescent colors and play around with how the effect works. Come learn how color works all around us!

"My math homework looks great on paper, but so clumsy looking when I type it up on the computer!" So how should you type up math equations? In this class, you'll learn about LaTeX, a math typesetting language that will make all of your math documents look beautiful. We'll walk through a brief algebra proof, and then work together to type it up in LaTeX. Don't rely on a clumsy equation editor ever again!

Where does color come from? In our everyday lives, we get color just by adding dyes, pigments, and inks to things, but have you ever wondered how we get those colors in the first place? We'll first examine color at the molecular level in the dyes and pigments we use everyday. Next, we'll explore how pearls and peacock feathers get their beautiful iridescent colors and play around with how the effect works. Come learn how color works all around us!

What do maps, Facebook, and power grids all have in common? They can be studied with graph theory! These aren't the graphs you're used to - instead, these graphs help us study things that have connections with one another. In this class, we'll learn about some basic concepts in graph theory and how it can be applied to problems in our daily lives.

What do maps, Facebook, and power grids all have in common? They can be studied with graph theory! These aren't the graphs you're used to - instead, these graphs help us study things that have connections with one another. In this class, we'll learn about some basic concepts in graph theory and how it can be applied to problems in our daily lives.

What is nanotechnology? Learn how nanotechnology can create beautiful colors, improve solar cells, and treat diseases!

Where does color come from? In our everyday lives, we get color just by adding dyes, pigments, and inks to things, but have you ever wondered how we get those colors in the first place? We'll examine color on the molecular level and see how changes in a molecule result in changes in what we see. Finally, we'll scale up a bit and talk about how material structure can also create different colors.

What is nanotechnology? It's found in our things all around us, from sunscreen to odor-resistant fabric to medieval stained glass. Learn how nanoscience can improve solar cells, cure cancer, filter water, and more!

Superconductors promise better electronics, less energy waste, and even levitating trains! Come see a superconductor in action and learn why physicists continue studying this exotic material.

What do maps, Facebook, and power grids all have in common? They can be studied with graph theory! These aren't the graphs you're used to - instead, these graphs help us study things that are connected to one other. In this class, we'll learn about some basic concepts in graph theory and how it can be applied to problems in our daily lives.

Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak - can we make one, too? This class will explore the basic science behind invisibility through a series of interactive demos, and we'll explain how they work. We will also talk about some of the cutting edge research being done on cloaking today!

"My math homework looks great on paper, but so clumsy looking when I type it up on the computer!" So how should you type up math equations? In this class, you'll learn about LaTeX, a math typesetting language that will make all of your math documents look beautiful. We'll walk through a brief algebra proof, and then work together to type it up in LaTeX. Don't rely on a clumsy equation editor ever again!

What do maps, Facebook, and power grids all have in common? They can be studied with graph theory! These aren't the graphs you're used to - instead, these graphs help us study things that are connected to one other. In this class, we'll learn about some of the basic tools of graph theory and how we can use them to make conclusions about these systems.

Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak - can we make one, too? This class will explore the basic science behind invisibility through a series of interactive demos, and we'll explain how they work. We will also talk about some of the cutting edge research being done on cloaking today!

Blue is such an interesting color - it's difficult to find in nature, it was the last LED color to be created (and recently won a Noble prize!), and by all means, should be the most difficult color to perceive. In this class, we'll go through some fun science stories related to the color blue - how do we see the color blue? Why was it such a special color in history? Why are the wings of the morpho butterfly such a bright blue? Why was the blue LED so difficult to make? And of course, why is the sky blue?

Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak - can we make one, too? This class will explore the basic science behind invisibility through a series of interactive demos, and we'll explain how they work. We will also talk about some of the cutting edge research being done on cloaking today!

Chaos theory is best described by the butterfly effect: small disturbances in a system, like the flap of a single butterfly’s wing, can strongly influence future behavior, like a hurricane halfway across the world years later. In this class, we’ll define what it means to be a chaotic system, take a look at some of the most well-known models of chaos, and talk about some of the modern day applications.