Course A (4 Weeks) - Instructor: Dr. Richard Scalettar

Prerequisites: [None]

"Computational Physics in Molecular & Planetary Motion"

This course will develop students’ ability to use a computer to do interesting problems in mathematics and physics. It begins with some basic computer science, including C programming, the basics of Linux operating system, and how to use a plotting package. After using these tools to perform familiar mathematical tasks (ones for which we know the answers), they will be applied to more complicated problems. These include chaotic motion and simulations of satellite orbits which have unexpected and fascinating behavior. In the laboratory students will assemble a cpu/motherboard/disk drive/etc. into a working computer and install an operating system. The course includes a field trip to the National Energy Research Supercomputing Center at Lawerence Berkeley Laboratory.

Course B (4 Weeks) - Instructor: Dr. Ali Dad-del

Prerequisites: [None]

"Computer Science - Introduction to Robotics"

This course is an informal introduction to computer science using Lego Mindstorm™ robots. The course teaches the basics of a first semester college computer science course, using NQC, a variant of the C programming language, developed for the Lego robots by Dave Baum. Standard programming concepts covered include: variables, loops, arithmetic functions, function calls, data/file manipulation, and random number generation. In addition, mechanical aspects of the robot such as the building bumpers and feelers, playing sounds, locomotion, gears, pulleys, and communication will be covered. Since programs for the robot are written on a personal computer (and then downloaded to the robot via an infra-red port), students will also learn the basics of the Unix operating system (either Linux or OS X) running on the personal computers. Each student in the course will be assigned their own robot for the duration of the course. This course will focus on the basics of designing, building, and programming the robots.