Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier, and which people have used to provide mechanical advantage for thousands of years. Students learn about the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw and pulley in the context of the construction of a pyramid, gaining insights into tools that have been used since ancient times and are still important today. Through numerous hands-on activities, students imagine themselves as ancient engineers building a pyramid. Student teams evaluate and select a construction site, design a pyramid, perform materials calculations, test a variety of cutting wedges on different materials, design a small-scale cart/lever transport system to convey building materials, experiment with the angle of inclination and pull force on an inclined plane, see how a pulley can change the direction of force, and learn the differences between fixed, movable and combined pulleys. While learning the steps of the engineering design process, students practice teamwork, creativity and problem solving.

Students will learn the skills necessary for a career in the fast growing industry of fashion design. Students will learn how to design, sew, and re-style clothing; apply the elements and principles of design in various aspects of the fashion industry; understand the relationship between history and fashion; know the general characteristics, production, and maintenance of textiles and textile products; study and analyze fashion trends; understand the principles of apparel pattern making; and demonstrate the skills and procedures necessary for sales and marketing in the fashion industry.

A fire fighter is an emergency safety professional who responds to fire scenes to extinguish fires and assist fire victims. Many fire fighters are certified first responders, meaning they can assist victims by providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and other basic life saving techniques. This course provides students with an introduction in the history of fire fighting, basic firefighting skills, personnel rules and regulations, professional organizations and standards, elementary fire behavior, fire control techniques, firefighting tactics and strategy, fire ground safety and operations, apparatus and equipment operation and maintenance, fire investigation, report writing, wild land training, and physical fitness.

Students are introduced to the important concept of density with a focus is on the more easily understood densities of solids. Students use different methods to determine the densities of solid objects, including water displacement to determine volumes of irregularly-shaped objects. By comparing densities of various solids to the density of water, and by considering the behavior of different solids when placed in water, students conclude that ordinarily, objects with densities greater than water sink, while those with densities less than water float. Then they explore the principle of buoyancy, and through further experimentation arrive at Archimedes' principle that a floating object displaces a mass of water equal to its own mass. Students may be surprised to discover that a floating object displaces more water than a sinking object of the same volume.

The Food Science, Dietetics, and Nutrition Pathway focuses on three specializations centered on the science of food in food prepartation and development and its relationship to the health and well-being of individuals. Students pursuing this career pathway learn observational and analytical skills in food safety and sanitation; the chemistry of food; chemical and biological processes; functional and nutritional components of food; sensory evaluation; guidelines for a healthy diet; the psychology of food and eating; specialized diet planning; food production and processing; and packaging and product development.

In the first of two lessons of this curricular unit, students are introduced to the concept of friction as a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. Student teams use spring scales to drag objects, such as a ceramic coffee cup, along a table top or the floor, measuring the frictional force that exists between the moving object and the surface it slides on. By modifying the bottom surface of the object, students find out what kinds of surfaces generate more or less friction. They also discover that both static and kinetic friction are involved when an object initially at rest is caused to slide across a surface. In the second lesson of the unit, students design and conduct experiments to determine the effects of weight and surface area on friction. They discover that weight affects normal friction (the friction that results from surface roughness), but for very smooth surfaces, the friction due to molecular attraction is affected by contact area.

The Forestry and Natural Resources Course helps students understand the relationships between California's natural resources and the environment. Topics include energy and nutrient cycles, water resources and management, soil conservation, wildlife preservation and management, forest and fire management, lumber production, the outdoor recreation industry and multiple-use management.

Fundamentals of Biology focuses on the basic principles of biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and recombinant DNA. These principles are necessary to understanding the basic mechanisms of life and anchor the biological knowledge that is required to understand many of the challenges in everyday life, from human health and disease to loss of biodiversity and environmental quality.

The Girls Who Build Cameras workshop for high school girls is a one-day, hands-on introduction to camera physics and technology (i.e. how Instagram works!) at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Beaverworks Center. The workshop includes tearing down old dSLR cameras, building a Raspberry Pi camera, and designing Instagram filters and Photoshop tools. Participants also get to listen to keynote speakers from the camera technology industry, including Kris Clark who engineers space cameras for NASA and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Uyanga Tsedev who creates imaging probes to help surgeons find tumors at MIT

The Girls Who Build: Make Your Own Wearables workshop for high school girls is an introduction to computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering through wearable technology. The workshop, developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, consists of two major hands-on projects in manufacturing and wearable electronics. These include 3D printing jewelry and laser cutting a purse, as well as programming LEDs to light up when walking. Participants learn the design process, 3D computer modeling, and machine shop tools, in addition to writing code and building a circuit.

A course in Graphic Arts Technology provides students with an understanding of the processes and systems common to careers in publishing, printing, and other forms of media distribution. Representative topics include graphic design concepts; art and copy preparation; image generation and editing; desktop publishing; on-demand publishing; school yearbook and magazine layout; advertising and promotion; printing technology; binding and finishing; and screen printing.Students will be committed to lifelong learning as they grow individually, participate in groups, think analytically, create artistic products, and contribute to production of a major project. Students will learn illustration design software such as Adobe Illustrator, photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, and page layout software such as Adobe InDesign to create projects that will be printed in traditional and digital formats.

This class introduces the student to the use of small telescopes, either for formal research or as a hobby.

Health Informatics is an emerging field that fosters the acquisition, storage, retrieval and use of information within health care. As information technology advancements become more integral to health care, the demand for health care professionals who can employ and utilize health data is increasing. Health Informatics plays a critical role in enhancing the quality of consumer care, reducing health care costs and providing healthcare access in rural areas. Health Informatics specialty areas include electronic health records, health care insurance billing, telemedicine, and health care delivery systems, including laboratory and public health.The standards for the Health Informatics pathway and related courses apply to occupations and functions in health information systems and the delivery of healthcare. The standards specify the knowledge and skills common to occupations in this pathway. Students participating in a solid Health Informatics program, can expect to understand patient privacy laws, health care legal and policy issues, front and back office data systems, health information insurance billing, troubleshooting and problem solving, and terminology. Additionally, students will learn different clinical applications in medicine, nursing, pharmacology, laboratory, and public health.

Highlights of Calculus is a series of short videos that introduces the basics of calculus—how it works and why it is important. The intended audience is high school students, college students, or anyone who might need help understanding the subject.

Hospitality Tourism & Recreation is a course designed to introduce the student to the various aspects of Hospitality industry. It is currently estimated that 30% of all the jobs in the state of California are available in the hospitality and food service workplaces therefore emphasis is placed on meeting the needs for the growing number of resources and services in the local area. This class is designed to give the student basic skills needed to acquire an entry level job in lodging, recreation, travel event planning and theme park/ exhibition occupations.

This is an activity about ultraviolet light. Learners will make ultraviolet light detector bracelets and use them to experiment with artificial light and sunlight. Then, they experiment with various sun-blocking materials to see how such materials impact the beads' absorption of ultraviolet light. Special UV detecting beads are required for this activity. This is Activity 3 of the Sun As a Star afterschool curriculum.

Subject studies how and why machines work, how they are conceived, how they are developed (drawn), and how they are utilized. Students learn from the hands-on experiences of taking things apart mentally and physically, drawing (sketching, 3D CAD) what they envision and observe, taking occasional field trips, and completing an individual term project (concept, creation, and presentation). Emphasis on understanding the physics and history of machines.

This course is designed to teach students the elements of design. Students learn to create an impact through the use of color, fabrics and textures. Instruction includes the history of interior design, furniture styles, design theory, and project presentation. Students will learn to determine the scope of a project, develop and present a proposal, and implement a project. Communication skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork, and ethics are addressed. English language arts and math are reinforced throughout the course.

This course samples the wide variety of bioengineering options for students who plan to major in one of the undergraduate Engineering degree programs. The beginning lectures describe the science basis for bioengineering with particular emphasis on molecular cell biology and systems biology.

This is a fast-paced introductory course to the C++ programming language. It is intended for those with little programming background, though prior programming experience will make it easier, and those with previous experience will still learn C++-specific constructs and concepts.