Grandchildren's University "Majors"

Art

Metals Heirloom Project

Design and fabricate a piece of jewelry influenced by an existing familial object. Gain confidence in creating an original design or concept for a piece of jewelry that will be a physical reminder/celebration of the past, present and future. You will be guided in ways to discover your potential to communicate through metal. Learn practical approaches to developing a concept/design, and a work plan to bring those ideas to reality.  Grandparents and grandchildren will work collaboratively to fabricate a new treasured piece of jewelry from something old, using basic metalsmithing techniques. Investigate ways to redesign memorable or sentimental objects, either conceptually or physically. Draw on new skills to shape a work including sawing, carving and forging. Join pieces together through hot and cold connections.

This “major” has an additional supply fee of $25 which includes a limited amount of copper and brass, safety glasses and other art supplies.

Capacity: 15

Ages Recommended: Ages 7-14 

Physical Activity Level: Low.

Instructor:  Dr. Teresa Faris directs UWW’s Metals program and is co-author of the Women of Metal Exhibition and Oral History Project.  She has received a number of awards including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts 2008. She exhibits extensively in Europe and the US. Recent work, publications and exhibition are listed on her website at teresafaris.com

---

Biology

Freshwater Biology

Learn about the small (but oh so important) organisms found in local lakes and streams, and how surrounding land use can influence these organisms.  In this major, you will collect organisms from local water bodies, and then examine the organisms you’ve collected in the laboratory.  You’ll sample plankton and measure water quality at a local lake, sample aquatic insects at a local stream and learn why it has been designated an “Exceptional Resource Water” by the DNR, use microscopes in the laboratory to view the plankton and aquatic insects you’ve collected, and learn how these small aquatic organisms can tell us something about water quality.

Capacity: 20

Ages Recommended:  Ages 7-14

Physical Activity Level: Moderate during the two field trips (we will park close to the lake and the stream, but some walking is necessary); low during the indoor lab. 

Instructor: Dr. Elisabeth Harrahy conducts research on the effects of water pollution on aquatic organisms, and teaches courses in ecology, aquatic biology and environmental toxicology at UWW.

---

Geology

Earthquake, Volcanoes, Tsunamis and Other Geologic Events

What causes the geologic disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis/ how do scientists study those? Can we build earthquake resistant buildings? Can we stop a lava flow? In this camp we will explore these questions through various hands-on activities which include exploring data from the UWW seismograph to see how we measure  earthquakes, building earthquake resistant buildings and simulating lava flow in a laboratory and simulating explosive volcanism

Capacity: 20

Ages Recommended: Ages 8-14

Physical Activity Level: Low

Instructor: Prajukti (juk) Bhattacharyya (bhattacj@uww.edu) is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Geology at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, with a background in “Hard Rock Geology” and Geoscience Education.  She teaches courses on volcanoes, mountain building, rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, and environmental geology. 

---

History

Wisconsin Past and Present

Do you have a favorite or special Wisconsin place?  A state park?  A memorable lake or river?  A grandparent's farm or house anywhere in the state?  If so here is a chance to see what the land looked and felt like long before it was transformed through time.   You'll learn how to look back at that special place and land, the people who lived on that land and changed it over time. You’ll will learn how to follow changes in land use since the early 19th century when the first surveyors traveled the state.  You will see how the Great Depression affected your special place. You'll learn how land changes and how people--your relatives--were changed by the land on which they lived.  This hands-on course will also include a local field trip and local hike where we will see first-hand how land changes over time.

Capacity: 20

Ages Recommended: Ages 8-14

Physical Activity Level: Low, one guided tour in flat terrain.

Instructor:  Anthony Gulig, from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Saskatchewan.  His research and teaching has focused on issues related to the history of Wisconsin's natural environment, land and people for nearly twenty years.

---

Media Digital Arts

Create Your Video Game

Do you like playing games on the computer?  What would your videogame look like? Students in this program will learn the art of game design and will spend time together building a videogame that they can be proud of. The tools you will learn are widely available, and make it easy to share your games online with friends and family members.

Capacity: 20

Ages Recommended: Ages 8-14

Physical Activity Level: Low

Instructor:  Josh Fishburn is Assistant Professor of Communication at UW-Whitewater. He teaches in the Media Arts and Game Development program and his games have been exhibited in Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Brazil.