Admitted Student Day Mock Classes

Shala Hankison, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Schimmel Conrades Science Center, Room 228

What can science tell us about why our pets are amazing but so very different? Charles Darwin struggled with understanding domestication, the process of a wild organism becoming adapted to live alongside humans. This class will highlight the ongoing studies and genetic advances that have allowed us to more deeply understand domesticated animals. SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)! 

Frank Chiou, Associate Professor of Performing Arts
Merrick Hall, Room 202

This talk discusses the song "Dos Oruguitas" and the important role it plays as the intergenerational trauma of the Madrigal family is revealed, allowing Mirabel to understand how to begin the healing. SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)!

Kira Bailey, Associate Professor of Psychology; Neuroscience Program Director
Schimmel Conrades Science Center, Room 244

All great learners effectively operate three core executive functions: attention, memory, and metacognition. Come to this session to learn how the greats do it and why it works. Will you earn As in your college courses? Possibly. Will you impress your professors with your deep understanding of what it takes to learn? Definitely! SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)!

Eric Nauman, Assistant Professor of Accounting
R.W. Corns Building, Room 312

We will explore seven career options within accounting that most students don't think are options.  We'll look at everything from fighting crime to managing professional sports rosters. SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)! 

Liz Nix, Associate Professor of Health & Human Kinetics - Nutrition
R.W. Corns Building, Room 209

Dietary fats are among the most complex and frequently misunderstood topics in nutrition science. From the decades-long debate over butter versus margarine to the modern resurgence of olive oil and beef tallow, public health recommendations have shifted dramatically over the years.

In this session, we will dive into the chemical structures of various fats to understand what truly differentiates them at a molecular level. We'll explore their primary food sources, how the human body processes them, and what the latest scientific evidence says about their impact on long-term health. We will also critically examine current (and sometimes controversial) USDA guidelines. You'll walk away with a deeper understanding of lipids—and the realization that in nutrition science, the more we discover, the more we realize how much there is still to learn. SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)!

Dustin Reichard, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Schimmel Conrades Science Center, Room 151

Stress is unavoidable. It can make us miserable. But, is it actually a good thing? In this lecture, we will explore how hormones manage the body's response to stress, whether that's being chased by a lion, worrying about a big test, or agonizing over what to share on your socials. SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)!

Bob Harmon, Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Schimmel Conrades Science Center, Room 161

Our Sun is a giant thermonuclear fusion reactor, getting the energy by which it shines from the fusion of hydrogen into helium in its core. It has been doing this for about four and a half billion years now, but its supply of hydrogen fuel in its core won't last forever. When it runs out in about five billion years, the Sun will switch to furiously fusing hydrogen in a thin shell surrounding the core, which will cause the Sun to swell up and become a red giant a hundred times larger and several thousand times brighter than it is at present! And that will be just the beginning of the end for the Sun. We'll trace the further chapters in the Sun's story until it leaves behind its final remnant, a white dwarf that is its burnt-out core, a teaspoon of which would have the mass of a delivery truck. Then we'll see how more massive stars end their lives with titanic supernova explosions that leave behind neutron stars or even black holes! SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)!

Erin Flynn, Professor of Philosophy and Religion
Merrick Hall, Room 203

This class will introduce philosophical theories of personal identity -- that is, how might we account for the apparent fact that an individual person is one and the same person through time? SIGN UP HERE (on April 11)!