Summer Programs for High School Students in Vancouver BC area

Quest University Canada, Squamish, BC:
Located in Squamish, BC (one hour from Vancouver), Quest University Canada is Canada's first independent, not-for-profit, nonsectarian university of the liberal arts and sciences. Our Summer Scholars program is a pre-university summer program for exceptional high school students (Grades 10 - 12). The program runs over three weeks and consists of one-week courses on a variety of topics. Students can choose to attend for one, two, or three weeks. The program is available as a residential program or a day camp for local commuters.

A Pre-University Program for Students in Grades 10 - 12
July 2013 - Join us for our sixth "Summer Scholars" program, designed to inspire the next generation of thinkers and leaders.

Experience a week of engaging in an academic course in the mornings, and participating in related social and recreational activities in the afternoons and evenings. You will explore the local area through hikes and excursions, choose workshop projects in media including photography, graphic design, and videography, and have optional activities from yoga to bouldering to ultimate frisbee.

WEEK ONE: July 7th to 12th

Myths of Psychology
Newspapers claim that the "cure" for violence has been found - take away rap music and videogames! Or they tell us that pregnant women should eat lots of fish to decrease the chances of autism in their offspring, while simultaneously telling us that pregnant women should not eat lots of fish because it increases chances of ADHD in their offspring. What do we believe? How do we know what's true? This course will debunk some famous myths of psychology, and provide students with the tools to critically examine myths for themselves.

Water Scarcity
This course will explore the science and engineering of major urban areas located in water scarce regions. With a quantitative background established, the course will then turn to an examination of the economic and policy responses to severe occurrences of water scarcity. To help orient students to matters of river flow and river engineering, this course includes a one-day, professionally-guided whitewater rafting trip on the nearby Squamish River.

WEEK TWO: July 14th to 19th

Why words?

Some authors refer to language as an "instinct," claiming that humans will develop language the way they will develop depth perception. Researchers spent much time in the 1960s and 1970s trying to teach chimpanzees sign language, with mixed results, whereas deaf children in Nicaragua developed their own language with very little input from the outside world. In this course, we'll look at why language is a special cognitive skill, why the acquisition of language tells us about how brains evolved, and why other species don't have language.

The Dynamic Geology of the Sea to Sky Corridor
LIMIT: 14 students

Embedded in rock outcroppings and magnificent mountain vistas along the Sea to Sky Corridor is a remarkably complex and dynamic geologic story. The goal of this course is to write a script for that tale by investigating the major geologic events that shaped the landscape. We will collect our evidence during a series of field excursions to answers questions such as: How can the Stawamus Chief tell us the Quest campus was under ice during the last glaciation? Why do the lava flows on the way to Whistler take unique columnar shapes? What will it really take for Squamish to flood? Garibaldi volcano: imminent danger or sleeping beauty? No geologic background is required, just a willingness for adventure.

WEEK THREE: July 21st to 26th

From Models to Measurements
LIMIT: 12 students
This course aims at the linkage between scientific models and experimentation. Students will have the opportunity to choose a scientific model and then perform experiments of their own design to test the connection between the two kinds of knowledge. Questions leading to experiments might look like the following: If atoms are little spheres, what, then, must be the speed of sound in air? If molecules stick to each other, how would this affect the change from liquid to gas? What is the equivalent of mechanical energy in terms of thermal energy? No prerequisites, but unbridled curiosity is necessary!

River Restoration
What makes a "good" river? What leads to the degradation of a river, and what about a degraded river is "worse" than a pristine one? When humans seek to restore rivers to more natural conditions, what attributes should they seek to re-create? This course will consider the scientific factors and social values that lead communities to use and restore their rivers in various ways. So that students can gain first-hand experience with a virtually pristine river, this course will include a one-day, professionally-guided whitewater rafting trip on the nearby Squamish River.