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Academic Components  (June 10 - July 26, 2002)

            Houston PREP offered the following subjects and activities:

1.         Biology – a four-hour per week lecture class on topics of genetics, behavioral of       biology and cell biology; required of Fourth Year Students (not offered in 2002).

2.         Computer Science – a four-hour per week lecture/laboratory class (equipped with Pentium IV computers) in computer literacy and basic programming in Visual Basic, Scheme, and/or C++ required of First and Third year students. Advanced Computer Science – a 4-6 hour per week lecture/laboratory class (equipped with Pentium IV computers) in various programming languages, operating systems, web development, and robotics implementation; required of Fourth Year Students.

3.                  Engineering – a four-hour per week lecture and hands-on class in engineering; students develop proposals, drafts/models, and presentations to design and test their projects, such as balsa bridges, rockets, mousetrap race cars.  Required of First and Second Year participants.

4.                  Physics – a four-hour per week lecture class in elementary topics in physics and its applications; required of Second Year students.  Advanced Physics – a four-hour/week lecture/laboratory class with hands-on experiments in UHD’s Physics Labs; required of Fourth Year participants (the advanced segment was not offered in 2002).

5.                  Linear Algebra – a four-hour per week lecture class required of Second Year students. Topics include systems of linear equations and matrix applications.

6.                  Logic – a four-hour per week lecture mathematics-based class required of First Year participants.  Topics include sets and functions, Elementary Number Theory, logic, induction, combinatorics, relations and graph theory.

7.                  Calculus – a four-hour per week lecture class on topics such as differentials of calculus, limits, slope of tangent, derivatives and applications of rate of change; required of Fourth Year participants.

8.                  Problem Solving – a 2-4 hour per week lecture class to further develop creativity and problem solving skills; required of First and Second Year students.

9.         SAT Preparatory Seminar – a two-hour per week English and Vocabulary lecture and a two-hour emphasis per week Mathematics seminar; required of Third Year participants.

10.       Statistics and Probability – a four-hour per week lecture class required of Third Year participants.  Topics include probability, descriptive measures (central tendency, variation, etc.), graphs, chi-square tests, simple linear regression, questionnaire design, and sampling techniques.  A project (using Minitab) was given to provide hands-on experience with statistical concepts learned in class. 

11.       Technical Writing – a four-hour per week lectures with computer usage to prepare technical reports and presentations;required of Third Year participants.

12.       NASA Curriculum – a four hour per week lecture/laboratory class required of First, Second and Third Year Students.  Topics were in Space and Earth Sciences.

13.       Public Speaking – a two-hour per week lecture class to develop self-confidence and communication skills required for Second, Third and Fourth Year Students.

14.       Educational Field Trips – 4-8 hours on selected Fridays with fieldtrips to the following (made available to all participants; bus transportation provided):   

June 21, 2002  The PREP participants visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  The students viewed the Museum exhibits and the IMAX Film, entitled “Grand Canyon.”

June 28, 2002  Houston PREP students spent the day at the NASA Johnson Space Center where they attended the TRAM tour and viewed NASA’s visitors center and IMAX Theatre.

July 25, 2002  All PREP students spent the day at Six Flags Astroworld where they learned applications of engineering and physics.  The applications of engineering and physics observed at Astroworld were further analyzed through a set of worksheets provided by Astroworld’s management.