2026 Session 1

Instructor: Mary Ben Bonham

This summer, discover your inner Frank Lloyd Wright, your budding Frank Gehry, or your emerging I.M. Pei. The Beginning Design: Architecture + Interior Design course is a unique opportunity to peek into the lives of architects and designers. You will work in the design studios, be taught by Miami professors, and build from your own imagination. With a curriculum geared toward improving designs for creating competitive architecture and interior design portfolios, you will identify and examine several design topics. In multiple phases through a series of rigorous investigations and discoveries, you will practice fundamental design principles. The overriding emphasis will be placed on the "process" of design. Where might it start? How does it evolve? Learn to develop your own ideas and use them to drive the creation of space and form. At the end of the session, you will have an exhibition of works you've created as well as documentation and analysis to enhance your college admission application.

Instructor: Imran Mirza

Computers rule our world, but are you ready for what comes next? Step into the future this summer at Miami University with Quantum Computing, the technology that's rewriting the future of computing and how information technologies are going to look! Over one action-packed week, you'll go beyond standard screens and dive into the mind-bending world of quantum mechanics, discovering how tiny particles of nature, such as atoms and photons, can solve complex problems in fundamentally new ways compared to our current computers. You'll get hands-on with real quantum platforms, design your first quantum circuits, and learn about qubits, superposition, and quantum entanglement in a collaborative environment. No advanced physics or mathematics knowledge needed, just your curiosity and a drive to lead the next frontier of high-tech innovation. Whether you're building a standout college resume or want to be the first to gain knowledge about the tech of tomorrow, this module is your launchpad into the Quantum Era!

Instructor: Dr. James Chagdes

Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Quinn

How much of our brains do we really use? Are we really “right-brained” or “left-brained”?

Misconceptions about the structure and function of the human brain are all too common. Once these myths are widely disseminated, it is often difficult to separate scientific fact from fiction. This module will examine some of these myths, and provide you with the science and investigative tools to effectively debunk them. You will have the opportunity to examine real brains, observe direct brain manipulation techniques, and interact with researchers in their laboratories. As part of a team, you will select a cluster of related myths to evaluate, present the scientific evidence to dispel them, and create games to educate others about these misconceptions.

Instructor: Alim Dewan

Scholars will engage in hands-on exploration of core chemical engineering principles, including fluid mechanics and heat and mass transport, and apply those principles to real-world applications such as fluid flow in piping system, distillation, and paper manufacturing.

Instructors: James Walden, Honglu Jiang, and Joe Kennedy

Hackers don’t take the summer off, but this summer, you can learn how to stay one step ahead. In this hands-on cybersecurity session, students will explore how networks are secured, how data is protected, and how cyber threats are detected through interactive labs, puzzles, and competitions. You’ll collaborate with other tech-curious students while building real-world skills in digital security and ethical hacking. You'll also visit a working cyber fusion center to see cybersecurity in action. The module wraps up with a fun Capture the Flag competition where you’ll put everything you’ve learned to the test.

Instructor: Dr. Amy Roberts

Students will engage in activities to explore how they can make a difference in the world through various helping professions (e.g., social work, family life education, marriage and family therapy, child life specialists, and other closely related fields). Students can look forward to learning about on-campus programs to support student wellness, hearing from guest speakers working in each profession/area, role-plays, demonstrations, and creating a vision board to illustrate future goals. At the completion of the module, students will identify which helping professions are of interest and set goals for their individual pathways to the professions.

Instructor: Gylaine Gilmore

Are you interested in a career in fashion? Do you dream of owning your own fashion business, or working for a large fashion brand? Did you know that one in every six people worldwide is employed in the global fashion and textile industry? Begin your fashion future with this focused one-week program!

This module is for students who are interested in fashion design, fashion entrepreneurship, and/or fashion corporate business, but do not necessarily have experience in business, sewing, or patternmaking. It will be an introduction to fashion employers, fashion forecasting, fashion/design language, silk dyeing, garment analysis, and technical illustration.

Instructor: Dr. Geoffrey Long

Games and fictional worlds both ask "What if?" and then make up rules to explore those answers. Students will learn the fundamentals of great game design, create their own storyworlds using the same method used by the professor in the games industry and Hollywood, and then make short games set in their worlds.

Instructor: Dr. John Forren

Should the U.S. Constitution be interpreted to protect flag burning? Should religious minorities be exempted from laws that burden spiritual practices? When (if ever) may government officials discriminate without violating the Constitution’s guarantee of "equal protection of the law"? Is the death penalty a violation of fundamental human rights — or a proper response by society to the problem of violent crime?

Using selected court opinions and other primary sources, you will explore the array of legal, philosophical, and political ideas that have informed American debates on these and other controversial issues throughout history. Through the use of various active-learning activities — including legislative simulations, debates, educational games, guided discussions, and mock trials — you will also learn about and practice the civic skills of dialogue, deliberation, persuasion, and accommodation that generations of Americans have used to resolve differences and solve problems in their communities.

*NOTE: Grant funding from the Menard Family Center for Democracy may be available to admitted scholars with demonstrated financial need.

Instructor: Elaine Miller

How should societies balance individual freedom and the good of the whole? How do influential thinkers change the world? Who should lead, and why?

The Leadership Scholars program invites ambitious students to explore enduring questions about freedom, society, and government through classic works of literature and philosophy. Students will take a transformative texts seminar, receive one-on-one tutorials, explore college admission, and interact with undergraduate ambassadors. The program emphasizes the development of skills essential for leadership in any profession.

If admitted, Leadership Scholars receive full funding for the Summer Scholars experience by the Teagle Foundation. There is a pre-screening process for this experience. Please apply to the Summer Scholars Program by first submitting a statement of interest form. If approved, you will receive instructions for how to apply to the Summer Scholars Program through the portal.

Instructor: Neil Danielson

The determination of the chemical components of interest in real life samples for quality assurance involves analytical chemistry. One such subdiscipline is spectroscopy which uses light as the signal of interest for sample analysis. We will focus on the hands-on analysis of food and supplements in the lab using a variety of spectroscopic instruments. Experiments involving techniques such as colorimetry to follow the degradation of aspirin, fluorescence for detection of riboflavin in gummies, flame emission for sodium and potassium in energy drinks, atomic absorption for calcium in milk or zinc in supplements, and digital microscopy of metal precipitates are planned to be done.

Instructor: David Hartup

During this module, students will learn many aspects of both industrial and mobile robots. Activities will include programming of industrial robots, becoming familiar with mobile robots, and studying mathematical principles related to robotics.

Instructor: Joel Armor

Are you thinking of studying design or art in college, but you are nervous about your portfolio? Let us help! Studio Art - Portfolios with Punch is a college preparatory studio workshop that will allow you to improve your creative skills and construct a competitive art portfolio for college admission. Outcomes focus on drawing and a variety of 2D studio-production approaches while emphasizing evaluative portfolio criteria, including design/composition, technical proficiency, color, presentation, and photographic representation. Studio sessions consist of artist lectures, studio demonstrations, hands-on activities, outdoor drawing excursions, and critical analysis of work created, as well as learning more about the work of professional artists via campus galleries and museums.

Instructor: Thomas Farnbacher

Ever wonder how a smartphone goes from a raw mineral to your pocket in record time? Dive behind the scenes to master the global relay race that powers brands like Apple, Amazon, and Nike. Learn how world class companies design smarter production processes, solve complex puzzles, and lead the businesses of tomorrow. Get a basic understanding of Operations Management and Supply Chain Management.

Instructor: Dr. Jim Friedman

The secret to success in life and business can be found in the entrepreneurial mindset. The entrepreneurship track of the Summer Scholars Program exposes students to the fun and excitement of bringing ideas to life. You will participate in interactive, hands-on projects where you will be exposed to what it takes to build companies, teams, and insight. Whatever your interests — building a small start-up company, creating a major corporation, driving meaningful social change, or working in creative fields — we will build ideas, form teams, and create the structure that builds success.

Instructors: Dr. Steve Sullivan

Nature is a fundamental part of every major. The raw materials for everything you own were either grown on or dug from the Earth. Your culture, neighborhood, family history, and even worldview have been influenced by nature. Your ancestors were naturalists. Yet, the skills of a naturalist are declining, even within the biological sciences. Students of any experience level or background are invited to join the Hefner Museum of Natural History team to get muddy, cut things up, smell the roses (and remove the invasive ones), and learn through firsthand experience the basic principles and theories of nature that make you who you are. This course is a literal walk in the park (among other things). It will be a good overview for the aspiring biologist but equally, it is designed to be useful and exciting for the non-biology student who has often wondered about nature but never had a guide.

Instructors: Dr. Becky Crews, Elizabeth Troy

This summer, you have the opportunity to engage with First Year Integrated Core faculty to learn about key workplace skills such as: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, and business research. As you learn these key skills, throughout the week, you will apply them to a mini business project. You will work with the faculty and in groups to experience what it’s like to weave together skills and apply them to a final project. Get ready to engage in a high-touch, experiential learning experience to start unpacking your business briefcase!