Hey there future, detectives! Are you ready to dive into the exhilarating world of forensics’ science and crack some mind-bending cases? Throughout this interactive course, aspiring young detectives will embark on a journey to understand how chemical analysis plays a crucial role in solving crimes. From analyzing mysterious substances to deciphering hidden clues at crime scenes, you’ll learn the essential skills used by forensic chemists to crack even the toughest cases.

Fingerprint lifting, blood typing, hair, fiber, soil and food analysis are just some of the criminalistics that will be introduced! You’ll learn everything about fundamental but nifty techniques that help CSI investigators sniff out clues and identify the perpetrator, such as titration, chromatography, spectroscopy, DNA electrophoresis. But wait, there’s more! Did you know that forensic scientists can determine a person’s age by analyzing their bones? You’ll explore the fascinating world of forensic anthropology and learn how to estimate the age and gender of skeletal remains—just like a real-life bone detective.

Your skills will be put to the test as you tackle thrilling crime scenarios, from mysterious burglaries to dastardly poisonings. You’ll work in teams to collect and analyze evidence, follow leads, and catch the culprit before they strike again!

So, if you’re ready to unlock the secrets of forensics and become the ultimate crime-solving superstar, join us in “CSI @CTY ” and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime! Because with a little chemistry know-how, anything is possible!

Learning Objectives:

• Collect, handle and analyze different types (fingerprints, blood, DNA, fibers, glass, bullets, etc) of evidence
• Identify, perform and report scientifically, analytical chemistry techniques 
• Write a forensics report using data to support findings reached after reviewing the available evidence.
• Understand chemistry topics needed for the proposed forensic skills 

You meet a new friend at CTY who teaches you a dice game. The rules are simple: if you roll a 4, you win and the game ends. If your friend rolls a 5, she wins and the game ends. You take turns rolling until one person wins. If you roll first, what is the probability that you will win the game? There are several ways to solve this problem, and the answer is not obvious.

In this course, students develop a greater understanding of probability and statistics, two areas of mathematics that easily transfer from the classroom to the real world. Students conduct experiments and generate data which they display in graphs, charts, and tables in order to compare the effects of particular variables. For example, students might analyze data to examine how various design characteristics of a paper airplane, such as weight or length, affect the distance it will travel. In addition, students consider other data sources, including newspapers and journals, and identify examples of incorrectly gathered or misrepresented data that have been used to mislead consumers or influence voters.

Students also explore probability, the study of chance, to learn how to use numerical data to predict future events. Students examine permutations and combinations; develop strategies for calculating the number of possible outcomes for various events; calculate probabilities of independent, dependent, and compound events; and learn to distinguish between theoretical and experimental probability.

Do computers make mistakes? How does a machine even know what to do? Is Artificial Intelligence really intelligent? This course will guide students through the principles of computer science, exploring the theory and real-world applications of the concepts that govern it. Students will learn about the concepts of algorithms, binary mathematics, Boolean algebra and digital logic, and the theory of computation. They will be introduced to the workings of computer architecture, operating systems, computer networks and embedded systems, and gain insight into the neural networks that power modern AI systems. Throughout the course, the students will have the opportunity to build on their newfound theoretical knowledge through simulations on topics such as Digital Design and Turing Machines, as well as a plethora of hands-on programming challenges, primarily in C++.

Learning Objectives

• Gain a broad understanding of how computing and technology are shaping our world.
• Formulate and implement algorithms in one or more industry-standard programming languages; Investigate code errors, debug and test programs, and evaluate complexity of algorithms
• Think algorithmically to solve programming problems using conditional, iterative and recursive structures, and other techniques.
• Compare and contrast procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms
• Develop collaboration skills in team, project-based learning environments

Did you know that if one person’s DNA was unraveled and placed end to end, it would stretch to the sun and back at least 60 times? Or that humans and chimps share a surprising 98.8 percent of their DNA? How can we be so similar and yet so different? How does all that relate to having your mother’s eyes, or your father’s nose? Or even your great grandmother’s hair? And how did complex, multicellular organisms evolve from simpler, single-celled ones? We begin with an exploration of Mendelian genetics to determine how simple traits are passed from parents to offspring, delve into more complex concepts such as sex-linked traits and polygenic inheritance, to move towards understanding the genetics of inherited disorders. We will also take a look into the fascinating world of 6 million years of evolution. Furthermore, we learn and practice some of the methods and techniques that geneticists use to explore these concepts, such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, and bacterial transformations. 

Learning objectives

• Predict the impact of mutations and the inheritance patterns of different diseases.
• Utilize biotechnological laboratory skills to determine the genotypes of individuals and explore the process of transformation, a key technique in genetic engineering. 
• Research and present a genetically inherited disease/syndrome including characteristics such as genetic heterogeneity, penetrance and expressivity.