Programs for High School Students

We offer several science programs for local high school students to introduce them to various scientific disciplines.

Courses run at different times throughout the year and cover topics such as chemistry, physics, biology and electronics. Participating in these courses can help boost your college application and give you and introduction to careers in science and engineering.

The following upcoming courses are now accepting applications. Students are accepted on a first come, first serve basis. To apply for the program, email veronique.lankar@manhattan.edu.

  • Physics I Lab

    This class offers an exciting hands-on introduction to the fascinating world of physics. Each session begins with a short lecture that introduces the mathematical tools and physics concepts that are relevant to the lab.

    The 10-week curriculum is as follows:

    1. Uniform motion with a toy car – Best fit line
    2. Uniformly accelerated motion - Kinematics
    3. Acceleration due to gravity – The pendulum
    4. Simple Harmonic Motion – Sine function – wolfram alpha
    5. Conservation of energy – Kinetic energy vs potential energy
    6. Buoyancy lab – Archimedes principle
    7. Inverse square law of light
    8. Introduction to optics – lenses and mirrors
    9. Lemon battery – measuring voltage and current
    10. Radioactive decay – exponential decay

    Each class is two hours, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m every week for 10 weeks in the fall. A certificate will be provided at the end of the program for all students who have a perfect attendance.

    Recommended supplies:

    • Laptop with spreadsheet
    • Calculator

    Requirements:

    • Interest in STEM
    • Strong motivation

    Cost:

    • This course is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation so there is no cost for students to participate. 
  • Arduino-Based Data Acquisition Lab

    This class offers an exciting hands-on introduction to the fascinating world of physics. Each session begins with a short lecture that introduces the mathematical tools and physics concepts that are relevant to the lab.

    The 10-week curriculum is as follows:

    1. Arduino 101 – Photoresistor and the inverse square law of light
    2. Acceleration due to gravity – photogate with a laser and a phototransistor
    3. Newton's law of cooling – the temperature probe
    4. Calories content of a marshmallow – specific heat of water
    5. Thermal energy in a resistor - equivalence calories/joules
    6. Acceleration on an inclined plan – ultrasonic sensor
    7. Simple harmonic motion – ultrasonic sensor
    8. Magnetic field inside a coil and Faradya's law of induction – Hall effect sensor
    9. Charge and discharge of capacitor (using analog read)
    10. Introduction to R – Processing data from the LHC

    Each class is two hours, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m every week for ten weeks in the spring. A certificate will be provided at the end of the program for all students who have a perfect attendance.

    Recommended supplies:

    • Laptop with spreadsheet
    • Calculator

    Requirements:

    • Interest in STEM
    • Strong motivation

    Cost:

    • This course is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation so there is no cost for students to participate.