Clarkson University Project Challenge 2016
Course Descriptions
Saturdays 9:00 am - 12:00 noon - January 16, 23, 30; February 6 and 13 (Snow date - February 20)
That’s a Load of WBS! - NEW - Instructor: Marshall Issen and Clarkson University Society for Project
Management mentors
What do sending humans to Mars, developing a cure for cancer, designing the care of the future, and planning a
party have in common? All these thrilling events involve creativity, teamwork and complex thinking. Do you have
these skills? Are you up for a challenge? Join us to learn effective Project Management. Working in teams, you
will be learning foundational project management skills and how to lead project teams. Learn how to deal with a
load of WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) for a successful future! This is just the tip of the iceberg when it
comes to what you will learn from this course. (Limited to 20 students) Location: Bertrand H. Snell Hall 239
Smart City, Smart You! - NEW – Instructors: Professors Melike Erol-Kantarci and Burak Kantarci
You hear smart everywhere. Smart city, smart grid, smart car and the list goes on. Can people be smarter with
technology? Your mobile phones talk to each other to look for free parking, to arrange for a meet up with friends,
they are even good for matchmaking. But, what is behind the scene? How do they know your friends are going to
movies, that there is a free spot in the lot, that your flight is delayed? The world around us is getting connected.
We are getting connected. We are becoming a part of communities through social networks. This class will
provide you the basics of communications and networks that make things talk. You will see how connected devices
(computers, mobile phones, watches, glasses) communicate. You will even see a message flying in the air (of
course, simulated packets -but they are flying). You will learn how communities can be detected in networks. The
class will have a lab session, where you will see our sensor boards talking to each other, harvesting energy from air
(almost) and a visualization tool for community detection in a social network. (Limited to 10 students) Location:
CAMP 175
Hack Life! The Role of Occupation in Living Your Life to its Fullest - NEW – Instructors: Professor
Rondalyn V. Whitney, Caitlin Miller and graduate students in Occupational Therapy
Have you wondered how people with no arms get dressed in the morning or take a shower? Ever wondered how
someone in a wheelchair can drive or get out of bed or put on their pants? Occupational Therapists help
individuals do the things they want each day in spite of disabilities. This is an experiential, hands-on course where
you learn how to successfully navigate the day to day activities, or occupations, as if you had a disability. Learn how
to go upstairs in a wheelchair, how to cook a meal without vision, or drive a car with no hands! Learn how play
can help you learn and gum improves your performance on exams. Learn what part of the brain you use when
you play Scrabble or Quarto or The Set. Learn about Universal Design and the exciting profession of
occupational therapy. The last session of the course will teach you Life Hacks and you will even build your own
Life Hack in our Occupational Therapy Simulation Lab! Join us to learn more about the day to day life and the
therapy that engineers ways to convert disability into ability through play and fun. (Limited to 20 students)
Location: Clarkson Hall (Occupational Therapy Simulation Lab)
Intro to Entrepreneurship - NEW - Instructor: Ashley Sweeney
Have you ever thought about owning a business? What about being the CEO or manager of a company? This
fast paced course will focus on the entrepreneurial spirit of students and allow them to apply classroom concepts
in a “real-world” context. During the class students will be exposed to leadership principles, team building, ethical
decision making, financial statements, and marketing principles. (Limited to 20 students) Location: Technology
Advanced Center (TAC) 206
Engineering for Life – Instructor: Melissa Richards
Ever wanted to design and build your own rocket, tractor, roller-coaster, automobile, or robotic arm? In this class
you will learn how engineers are able to design the devices we see everywhere around us!! You will even have the
opportunity to design and build your own “Rec-Rube-y”! What is that you may ask? …. I guess you will have to
register to see!! (Limited to 15 students) Location: CAMP 176
Strength and Conditioning - It’s a Science, not an Art - Instructors: Dr. Ali Boolani and Clarkson Students
Have you ever wondered what goes into designing a strength and conditioning program? Ever wanted to learn the
science behind designing a strength and conditioning program? This class will explore the physiology of exercise
and how science can be used to design strength and conditioning programs that can help improve performance
and reduce risks for injuries. Participants will be involved in a variety of activities to enhance learning through:
laboratory and field evaluations and exercise techniques, brain teasers and memory tests, balance activities,
strength training activities and role play. Students will learn the role of cardiovascular, muscular strength, flexibility,
body composition and muscular endurance in strength and conditioning. Participants will interact with current
students in our exercise physiology lab while learning laboratory and field testing. Each session consists of active
participation and “hands-on” activities and/or exercises for the focused area. Note: Students will be performing
exercises related to each body region and MUST come prepared with proper clothing and sneakers (Limited to
15 students) - Location: Clarkson Hall 224
Psychology: More than Reading Minds and Lying on Couches!” – Instructor: Professor Jennifer Knack
How do people’s expectations about food affect how much they enjoy eating? Why do we eat when we’re not
hungry? Why do stereotypes exist? How does prejudice affect people’s behavior? Can we create false memories?
How do advertisers use psychology to sell products? How do negative social relationships affect our health?
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mind. In this class, we will discuss how psychologists use the
scientific method to understand human behavior, thoughts, and emotions. During each of the five classes we will
learn about psychological concepts and apply psychological concepts to real-world problems. Through the use of
video clips and activities, students will discover how the field of psychology explores human behavior, thoughts,
and emotions from multiple perspectives (e.g., cognitive, social, biological, personality, developmental, and
counseling/clinical). (Limited to 20 students) Location: To Be Determined
Writing Software and Changing the World - Instructor: Professor Jeanna Matthews
Computing is changing nearly every aspect of our society. Learning to write the software that is changing our world,
rather than just use it, is both a preparation for many of the best careers available anywhere and an essential
preparation for being a citizen of the modern world. Writing code has been called the "new literacy" and the most
important skill of the 21st century (if you have a chance, visit code.org and read appeals to learn programming
from all sorts of people from Bill Gates to Bill Clinton to will.i.am). This course will give you a solid introduction
to the fundamentals of writing software. You will also write some seriously fun software like a personality quiz that
you could use on your friends and a text-based game. We will also discuss careers in computing and the ways in
which citizens with knowledge of computing can make a difference in the world. (Limited to 25 students) -
Location: Science Center 334
Real Medicine – Instructors: Professors Dawn White, Keith Young, Mario Ciani
Big surprise! Most of the medical information you see on TV is not accurate. Join the faculty of Clarkson’s
Physician Assistant (PA) program to learn about medicine in the real world. You will explore careers in
healthcare. Have you ever wondered how to take someone’s pulse and heart rate? What do doctors look for
when they look in your ears and eyes? Through the use of a stethoscope, you will be able to listen to the heart and
lungs. How well do you breathe? You will learn how to measure this and look at X-rays to see what pneumonia
and other conditions look like. What is a CAT scan or an MRI? Have you ever broken a bone? We’ll visualize
X-rays of fractures and then do some splinting of the arms and legs. You will learn how to put stitches in, test your
blood sugar and find out what happens when someone has a heart attack or stroke. (Limited to 20 students)
Location: Clarkson Hall 1207 (Physician Assistant Classroom)
The First Amendment in American Democracy - Instructor: Professor Christopher Robinson
Students will read a series of U.S. Supreme Court cases and through discussion and mock trials consider the relation
of the liberties guaranteed by the First Amendment to the quality of democracy we know in America today. The
course will focus on cases on freedom of speech, religious freedom, and freedom of the press. Of particular concern
is the effect of the war and national security on these freedoms. Students will read actual court cases and engage in a
series of debates and mock trials that concern First Amendment questions. (Limited to 20 students) Location:
Bertrand H. Snell Hall, Room 169