MCDS Summer Research Academy

• Session 1: June 17-June 21 & June 24-28 (9 am - 4 pm)

  • Note that there will be no program on July 19 (Juneteenth)

• For students entering: Grades 7-10

• Location: Edgewood College 

Think like a limnologist! Embark on a two-week field study program where students develop lab techniques and data analysis skills to answer the enduring question: “What is the health of Lake Wingra and what role do humans have in this?” In order to answer this question, students will gather data from the field, hear from experts in local limnology, and propose future topics of advocacy for exploration. The program will culminate with a State of Lake address where students present research and propose future advocacy opportunities. Comfort being on and near the water (e.g. kayaking for 1+ hours at a time) is required. 

Carly Ziegler, MS, previously the middle school science teacher at Edgewood Campus School, currently supports student learning at ECS as the Elementary Learning Resource Coordinator and also teaches at Edgewood College. Carly has a particular passion for studying water systems. When she’s not teaching or raising her family, she can be found cross-country skiing or kayaking.

Katie Klitzke, MS,  is a middle school science teacher at MCDS and moonlights as a graphic designer. Katie is set on instilling a passion in students for solving the world's problems while using science and developing critical thinking skills. Off the clock, she enjoys hilly hikes and making paper puppet dragons (or any project involving cardboard and glue) with her daughter. 

Both instructors have been trained through the University of Wisconsin's Wisconsin Sea Grant program and will be partnering with them to run this summer research program. 

• Session 1: June 17-June 21 & June 24-28 (9 am - 4 pm)

  • Note that there will be no program on July 19 (Juneteenth)

• For students entering: Grades 8-10

• Location: Edgewood College 

Biodesign is a multidisciplinary field which takes inspiration from natural functions, systems, or components. This inspiration is then used to solve problems such as designing artificial devices, structures or buildings or it is used as inspiration for artistic projects. In this course, students will study various aspects of the natural world including how the human hand functions and how natural structures are able to support so much weight. Students will use the design process to create, prototype, test, and finally produce their own nature-inspired product in the Edgewood Fabrication Laboratory.

Michelle Kramer, MS, is the Chemistry and Environmental Systems & Society teacher at MCDS. She has a master’s degree in geoscience and undergraduate degrees in chemistry and journalism. In her spare time, she plays with her dogs, builds furniture, and fixes Chromebooks.

James Diodato, MS, is the Fabrication Laboratory Director and a Lecturer in Physics at Edgewood College. Their master's degree is in solid state physics, and they hold a BS in physics with a focus on astronomy and mathematics. After graduate school, they attended Madison College and earned numerous degrees in manufacturing, fabrication, and electronics. In their spare time, they listen to audio books, repair and design elecronics projects, and make jewelry.

• Session 2: July 8-12 & July 15-19 (9 am - 4 pm)

• For students entering: Grades 8-12

• Location: Edgewood College 

Merging physics and volcanoes! Paleomagnetism can be used as an application to recreate the past of Earth’s previous magnetic fields. This study combines physics, geology, and computer programming to answer questions on how we use geophysics to enhance volcanic hazard assessment. The study area is the Snake River Plain, a volcanic province that stretches 600 km from eastern Oregon across southern Idaho and into northwest Wyoming. We will correlate lava flows across various coreholes within the Eastern Snake River Plains using a combination of computer programming and experiments in the lab. Student projects work will be based on an ongoing volcanic hazard assessment facilitated by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the United States Geological Survey. Students will have the opportunity to visit the geophysics labs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and meet paleomagnetists. 

Melissa Sikes is a master's student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studying paleomagnetism and correlating lava flows. She holds a BS in physics and broad field natural sciences from Edgewood College. In addition to her geology research, Melissa is a multi-interested individual who is passionate about all science topics. In her spare moments, you may find her hiking, looking for fossils, chasing tornados, or disc-golfing.

Rob Young, MS, is a physics teacher at Edgewood High School.  He has a bachelor's degree in physics from Washington University, a master's degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin, and has a past life as a physicist with research expertise in the areas of gravity waves and particle physics. He's excited to learn about geophysics from Melissa with the students this summer!

• Session 2: July 8-12 & July 15-19 (9 am - 4 pm)

• For students entering: Grades 8-12

• Location: Edgewood College 

In this session, you'll learn to think like a geneticist and to use biotechnology to explore the effect of mutations on yeast cells. Students will get to use laboratory techniques like PCR, electrophoresis and cellular transformation to alter the genes in yeast cells using recombinant DNA plasmids. We will also use 3D modeling of proteins to predict how mutations might affect the function of proteins. Using these tools, students will design their own experiments to better understand how yeast cells work.

Peter Kuhn, PhD is an associate professor of Biological Sciences at Edgewood College, where he teaches courses in genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Before Edgewood he studied yeast genetics at UW-Madison and plant genetics at Michigan State University. Outside of the lab, Dr. Kuhn raises chickens and enjoys cross-country skiing.

• Session 2: July 8-12 (9 am - 4 pm)

• For students entering: Grades 7-10

• Location: Edgewood College 

Pop quiz: what state capital is the home of the oldest publicly-funded historical society in the United States? If you answered Madison, Wisconsin, you’re right! Historians in our area have been preserving documents, collecting stories, interpreting information, and sharing their work with the public since at least 1846 (two years before Wisconsin even became a state!). This course will follow in that rich tradition, as students will learn basic principles of historical inquiry and investigation by working together to identify and solve a local “historical mystery.” Over the course of this session, we will: a) get hands-on experience working with different types of documents at area archives, including the Wisconsin Historical Society and local colleges/universities; b) find and connect with relevant community organizations to expand and contextualize our knowledge; and c) collaboratively create a public history “product” (i.e., an editorial, documentary, podcast, mural, etc.) in order to share our work with a wider audience.

Ben Kasten is a high school history teacher at Madison Country Day School. Born and raised in Ripon, Wisconsin, he holds a BA from Bowdoin College and MA degrees from the University of London (History & Theory) and UW–Madison (U.S. Cultural & Intellectual History). Lately, he's been interested in landscapes as historical documents, thinking historically about pop culture, and projects that connect historical research with public audiences. When he's not at school he enjoys cooking (and grocery shopping!), hiking all around the Madison area, and spending time with his family.