{"id":156,"date":"2013-07-09T22:11:06","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T22:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kastner.ucsd.edu\/?page_id=156"},"modified":"2015-07-07T15:12:39","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T15:12:39","slug":"cosmos-computers-in-everyday-life","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kastner.ucsd.edu\/ryan\/cosmos-computers-in-everyday-life\/","title":{"rendered":"COSMOS: Computers in Everyday Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

COSMOS: Computers in Everyday Life<\/h1>\n
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Instructors:<\/b>
\nRyan Kastner<\/a>
\nCurt Schurgers
\nShirley Miranda<\/span><\/p>\n

COSMOS Description:<\/b>
\nThe California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)<\/a>\u00a0is a 4-week residential summer program designed for talented and motivated high school students. UCSD currently has\u00a0eight clusters<\/a> focused on science and engineering. Our “Computers in Everyday Life” cluster explores concepts in computer science and electrical engineering.<\/p>\n

Cluster Description:<\/b>
\nThese days computers are everywhere. They make our cars safer and more efficient through the use of over 100 processors that control everything from the brakes and engine to the stereo; they are used in robots to perform surgeries which reduces pain and quickens the healing process; they allow us to explore our universe by controlling satellites, rovers, and telescopes. There are billions of these “embedded computers” all around us that control devices, analyze signals and collect data as we go about our daily lives.<\/p>\n

This course provides an introduction to computation through three interwoven threads. It starts by teaching the fundamentals of programming where students use a programming language called\u00a0AppInventor<\/a>\u00a0to create mobile phone applications. It continues with developing the intelligence for the\u00a0Scribbler robot<\/a>\u00a0to perform tasks like finding objects and avoiding obstacles. Next we delve “under the hood” and perform experiments using\u00a0Arduino microcontrollers<\/a>\u00a0along with touch, temperature, motion, and other sensors. The cluster concludes with a final project where students form small teams and create a project of their choosing.<\/p>\n

Related Materials:<\/b>
\n2015 Blog<\/a>
\n2014 Blog<\/a>
\n2013 Blog<\/a>
\n2012 Blog<\/a>
\nSummer 2010 Projects<\/a>
\nCluster Overview<\/a>\u00a0(rather large due to embedded videos)<\/p>\n

Class Calendar:<\/b><\/p>\n