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Academic Components (June 9 - July 18, 2003)

Houston PREP offered the following subjects and activities:

1. Engineering - a four-hour per week lecture/laboratory class on topics in engineering with engineering design projects, required of First and Second Year participants.
2. Introduction to Computer Science - a four hour per week lecture/laboratory class (equipped with Pentium computers) in computer programming required of First and Third year students. Advanced Computer Science - a six-hour per week lecture/laboratory class (equipped with Silicon Graphics Indy Machines) in various programming languages and Operating Systems; required of Fourth Year Students.
3. Introduction to Physics - a four-hour per week lecture class in elementary topics in physics; required of Second Year students. Advanced Physics - a four-hour/week lecture class with hands-on experience in UHD’s Physics Labs; required of Fourth Year participants.
4. Linear Algebra - a four-hour per week lecture class required of Second Year students, on topics of Matrices and their applications.
5. Logic - a four-hour per week lecture class required of First Year participants.
6. Pre-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.
7. Problem Solving - a two-hour per week lecture class to further develop creativity and problem solving skills required for First year students.
8. SAT Preparatory Seminar - a two-hour per week English and Vocabulary lecture and a two-hour per week Mathematics seminar required of Third Year participants.
9. Statistics - 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.
10. Technical Writing - a four-hour per week lecture/seminar/computer lab class required of Third Year participants.
11. NASA - a four hour per week lecture/laboratory class required of First, Second and Third year Students on topics in Space and Earth Sciences.
12. Public Speaking - a two hour per week lecture class to develop self confidence and communication skills required for Second and Third year students.
13. Educational Field Trips - a variety number of hours spent on Fridays of specific weeks involving the following:
    June 17, 2003 All PREP students spent a day at 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.
    June 27, 2003 All of the students visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The students viewed the Museum exhibits and the IMAX Film, entitled “Grand Canyon.”
    July 15, 2003 All of the students spent a day at the NASA Johnson Space Center where they attended the TRAM tour and viewed NASA’s IMAX Theatre.