Small Group Classes for IEA/H-bar Academy

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! I know it's a litle belated, but that's because I've been busy growing H-bar's wonderful base of tutors. We now number over 20 tutors, work in both the San Gabriel Valley and on the West Side, and spend nearly 4 hours a day on average improving the science education of our area's youth. I also have some exciting news to share with you. I have recently been chosen to attend the 60th meeting of the Nobel Laureates at Lindau. This great honor is given to less than 50 US grad students every year. This year's Interdisciplinary Meeting is the first in 5 years, and will feature 66 Nobel Laureates in the Maths and Sciences, teaching and mingling with grad students (ME!) on an island castle in Germany. So... let me know if you want me to ask any Laureates anything!

H-bar Mentors are young researchers at the top of their fields who want to inspire other gifted student to pursue their own scientific interests to the fullest. We will introduce your student to the essential methods of modern science in a fun and accessible way. We also know that being gifted can be sometimes isolating, so we'd like to assist your child’s social development by surrounding them with similarly gifted students their own age, and, of course, their gifted mentor. Through collaborative exercises, your child will be on the fast track to scientific thinking as well as learning how to work as part of a team.

We believe that with the right approach, students are capable of going much farther than what is listed in the traditional school curriculum. Our elementary gifted curriculum aims to give gifted elementary students quality middle school level math and science, and our middle school gifted curriculum aims to give gifted middle schoolers access to all the math and science they can handle (through AP level). We also believe in teaching the whole student, so we present the diverse and integrated curriculum below:

Rocket to Calculus - Designed by MIT alum and Caltech PhD student mentor Ronnie Bryan, this class makes use of actual rockets and computer simulations to teach students the basics of algebra, geometry, a
nd pre-calculus. Students will learn conceptual physics at the same time as they learn the math behind the intuition. And Ronnie brings the calculations to life with a real rocket launch! Some of the rockets we use have cameras in the tips, so your child's high altitude flight, from their MATH class, can be a youtube sensation. This class has been a hit with students already, and we look forward to a full class of eager students this summer! Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Stories of Scientific Success - Designed and taught by Dr. Rosemary Rhode (Caltech Chemistry PhD, 2009), this class explores the biographies of great scientists from Mendeleev to Einstein. Children are exposed to original material from the scientists themselves to discover what drove each to success, and how these geniuses coped with failure. A final educational trip to Caltech will highlight the stomping grounds of geniuses from Einstein to Feynman to Hawking (parents invited!). Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Number Theory for Kids - Designed and taught by MIT alumni and Caltech PhD students Ronnie Bryan and Evans Boney, this class details the underpinnings of modern number theory. Children get plenty of practice with basic algebraic operations, but also learn about the differences in whole, counting, natural, negative, imaginary, rational, and irrational numbers. (and, of course, zero!) Students will tackle the relationship between numbers and graphical representations, and will discover how simple geometric relations inspire the discovery irrational numbers. The course ends with a final project that is a student’s presentation about their favorite number (parents invited!). Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Game Theory and Games - Game Theory is so much more than playing games, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring! We will bring this exciting area of math to life through demonstrations of classic games such as the Prisoner's Dilemma, and show how thinking about a game as a pay-off matrix builds not just math skills, but the foundation of economics and social science as well. Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Health Science - In order to learn, the brain must be well-fed, both intellectually and nutritionally! Every day's lunch presents an opportunity to discuss the health science behind our modern diet. Simple or complex carbohydrates? Saturated or unsaturated fats? Omega-3s? Anti-oxidants? We will use lunch as an opportunity to learn some of the basic science behind what we eat. We will also learn about healthy exercise, including muscular anatomy and metabolism through class work and real outdoor exercises. Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Sustainability and the Future of Planet Earth- Designed and taught by Dr. Rosemary Rhode (Caltech Chemistry PhD, 2009). Students learn, research and discuss how energy and waste effect our daily lives and those around us. Then students look at how some alternative energies work, and students design a sustainable invention of their own, allowing their creativity to run free, after building a few devices with the class. Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Intro to Neuro-Electricity - Introduction to basic concepts of Electricity and Neuroscience. What is your brain made out of? What is electricity and how does the brain use it to transmit information? Students will learn basic cellular neurobiology to identify the major parts of the neuron (such as the axons and dendrites) and how they process electrical information (voltage, current, and resistance). We will also do a project: Can you use your mind to control electric flow? Students will build a Galvanic-Skin-Response meter, the basis of the modern "lie detector" and test whether or not this technology is actually useful for detecting lies. If not, what is it useful for? Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Democracy Every Day - How does a democracy work? We will find out by bringing democracy to the classroom. Students will present the pros and cons of various issues and then vote as a class. What kind of food should we order for lunch tomorrow? Should we play kickball or soccer? Elocution, diction, rhetoric, but also personally relevance! Students will be given the chance to debate and decide the issues that most directly affect them, but encouraged also to think critically about issues of broader interest. Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Biology and Evolution - Designed by MIT alum / Caltech PhD student Evans Boney and Caltech PhD student Adler Dillman and taught by Caltech PhD student Paul Minor, this class will be a chronology of modern biology as scientists learned it, designed for eager elementary school students curious for real explanations about the living world around them. We begin our chronology with a few lessons on animal classification, a fundamental topic of biology that is being reshaped in the era of molecular biology and genomics. We then delve into the cell biology of animals to investigate the central role of DNA in determining animal similarities and differences, and finally touch on the principle ways through which DNA can evolve over time and how this contributes to the diversity of life. Finally, the class concludes with an educational trip to the LA Zoo, parents welcome! Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Quantum Chemistry for Kids - Designed by MIT alum Evans Boney for gifted middle schoolers, this class will teach kids fundamental chemistry. Following the beginning of the AP curriculum (with engaging visualizations from chemistry sets) students will get an early first exposure to the photoelectric effect, structure of the atom, Heisenberg Uncertainty, deBroglie wavelength, an introduction to VSEPR theory, and some discussion of bonding energetics. We then put the theory into practice with some of the simplest (and most ubiquitous) reactions: combustion, precipitation, sublimation, etc. Give your eager elementary school student a math and science challenge this summer! Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.

Independent Study - We know highly motivated students are often very self-directed, so we want to give our students the chance to explore new topics that capture their interest. We will provide resources such as books, journals, and DVDs on a wide range of topics for each student to explore independently. At the end of each week, we will have a "lab meeting" where students update the group on what they have been studying independently. Available for grades 1-5 or 6-8.


Thanks a bunch for your attention this month, and I hope this school year is going well!

Evans Boney
CEO H-bar Tutoring
http://hbartutoring.com/Group_Classes.html