Classes without Quizzes (November Open House)

Ever wondered what a real college class feels like?

Here's your chance to find out — no homework, no quizzes or tests, just the fun part!

Check out the list of mock classes offered at 10:00 AM during Open House and sign up for the one that sounds most interesting to you. Each class has limited spots, and it's first come, first served, so we recommend picking a few backups just in case your top choice fills up.

Registration will open at 7:30 AM on Saturday, November 7.

• What the Fat
  
  From trans fats to seed oils, we've had more recommendations about fats and oils than almost any other food. What makes these molecules so fascinating to researchers and so important for cooking and human health? Should students reach for the olive oil or the beef tallow? In this session we will follow the trends of fat and oil recommendations and the science and validity behind these claims. 
  Professor: Dr. Liz Nix, Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Kinetics-Nutrition
  Location: R.W. Corns Building, Room 203
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• Climate Change and Cholera
  The science of ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. In this class, we use an ecological perspective to examine the unexpected connections between climate change and the human disease cholera.
  Professor: Dr. Laurel Anderson, Professor of Biological Sciences
  Location: Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, Room 236
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• How Do We Know What Stars Are Made Of?
  Did you ever wonder how we know what stars are made of? After all, we can't go to them and take samples to bring back to a lab on Earth! The key is spectroscopy: We spread the light from the star out into a "rainbow" of colors, and identify dark lines where light is missing because atoms in the star's outer layers absorb photons - packets of light energy - of specific wavelengths/colors before they escape from the star. Meanwhile, atoms in interstellar gas clouds glow colorfully because atoms in them emit photons of specific wavelengths. In this class we'll see how all this works, and you'll see some spectra for yourself. We'll see how we can simulate star-forming clouds using a "neon sign" that is filled instead with hydrogen. Will you be up to the challenge of identifying a "mystery gas" from its spectral lines? Finally, you'll see what happens if you electrify a pickle - and what an electric pickle has to do with our topic!
  Professor: Bob Harmon, Professor of Physics and Astronomy
  Location: Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, Room 161
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• From Wannapreneur to Entrepreneur: Where Startup Ideas Come From
  I speak with a lot of students who want to be entrepreneurs, but feel that they don't have any "big" idea. In this class, we'll show you where good ideas come from. 
  Professor: Dr. Cliff Hurst, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Business-Entrepreneurship
  Location: R.W. Corns Building, Room 209
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• Why is that tiny bird worth protecting? Examining biology's role in conservation.  
  Environmental conservation and economic development are two powerful and (often) opposing forces in our society. In this class, students will build two competing cases that argue for or against the protection of a songbird in Florida, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow, that is at risk of extinction due to the rapid expansion of new housing and tourism in the region. Is this bird unique enough to warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, or is it "just another seaside sparrow" that won't be missed?
  Professor: Dr. Dustin Reichard, Professor of Biological Sciences
  Location: Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, Room 151
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• Housing for all?: Redlining and the Suburbs in the 1950s
  In this class we will examine the mechanisms by which the federal government facilitated suburbanization for white, affluent homeowners while making the process extremely difficult for black and nonwhite Americans.
  Professor: Dr. Abby Trollinger,  Assistant Professor in the Department of History
  Location: Merrick Hall, Room 202
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• The Problem of Personal Identity
  This class will introduce students to what philosophers mean by the problem of personal identity and to some of the ways philosophers have attempted to solve the problem. (The idea of) Zombies will be involved.
  Professor: Dr. Erin Flynn, Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion
  Location: Merrick Hall, Room 203
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• What Every Professor Wants Students to Know
  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!
  Professor: Dr. Kira Bailey, Professor in the Department of Psychology
  Location: Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, Room 244
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)
• Behavior and Genetics of Domesticated Animals
  What can science tell us about why our pets are amazing but so very different? This class will highlight the ongoing studies and genetic advances that have allowed us to more deeply understand domesticated animals.
  Professor: Dr. Shala Hankison, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences
  Location: Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, Room 228
  REGISTER HERE (avaialble at 7:30 a.m. on 11-7)