MCDS Summer Research Academy

• Session 1: June 22-26 & June 9-July 3  (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)

  • For students entering: Grades 8-12

  • Location: Edgewood University 

Techniques in Chemistry is your backstage pass to how real chemists actually work. In this class, students learn how to measure, mix, heat, cool, separate, identify, and analyze substances using the same methods scientists use in research labs worldwide.

From mastering pipettes with surgeon-level precision to spinning samples in high-speed centrifuges that make you feel like you’ve stepped into a sci-fi movie, this course lets you explore different techniques used in the study of chemistry.. You’ll explore chromatography that makes colors race, titrations that feel like solving a puzzle, spectroscopy that lets you see the invisible, and calorimetry that reveals the hidden energy inside everything around us.

By the end of the course, you’ll put your new skills to the test with a hands-on demonstration. You’ll choose an experiment, showcase the techniques you’ve mastered, and explain the chemistry behind the magic—turning you from a student of science into a confident communicator of it. It’s your chance to shine, wow your audience, and prove just how far you’ve come.

Michelle Kramer, MS (she/her) is the Chemistry and Environmental Systems & Society (ESS) teacher at Madison Country Day School. 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 Goll, PhD (he/him) is a Chemistry Professor at Edgewood University. During his tenure at Edgewood College, he has taught General, Introductory, Analytical, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry courses, Chemistry Seminar, Green and Sustainable Chemistry, and Ethics and Responsibility in Scientific Research. Dr. Goll's educational interests include using TV and movies in the classroom. In addition to his interests in using popular media to teach chemistry, Dr. Goll also has research interests in the areas of porphyrins, metalloporphyrin, high-valent metal complexes, and fluorinated compounds. 

• Session 1: June 22-26 & June 9-July 3  (1:00-4:00 PM)

  • For students entering: Grades 8-10

  • Location: Edgewood University 

In this session, students will explore the emerging world of quantum technologies. Through a blend of engaging lectures, hands-on labs, and collaborative projects, participants will build a strong foundation in the principles that make quantum computing possible. We’ll start with the basics of quantum mechanics such as wave-particle duality, superposition, entanglement, qubits, and quantum algorithms, and then move into studying nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers.

Students will work with the NV centers as a model system to learn about how quantum computers work. The NV center experiment is located in the Quantum Computing Institute at UW-Madison, which we will visit on a field trip. Students will then control the NV centers remotely from our home base in the physics labs at Edgewood. 

No prior experience in quantum physics is required; students should simply have curiosity and enthusiasm for learning new physics topics! Join us this summer to unlock the future of computing—one qubit at a time.

Brian Lancor (he/him), PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Physics at Edgewood University. In graduate school at UW-Madison, he studied the quantum mechanical interactions of rubidium, helium and laser light. He holds two patents for atomic magnetometers. His scholarship now focuses on developing curriculum to teach physics through issues-based units. Brian also works for the College Board to develop and grade AP Physics exams.  In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, baking bread, and cooking spicy food. 

Rachael Lancor (she/her), PhD is a science teacher and the Research Program Coordinator at Madison Country Day School. Prior to coming to MCDS, she taught physics at Edgewood University and Harvard University.  She has a MS in Physics from the University of Rochester and a PhD in Science Education from UW-Madison. Teaching quanutm physics to high school students is one of her favorite things in the world. 

• Session 1: June 22-26 & June 9-July 3  (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)

  • For students entering: Grades 8-12

  • Location: Edgewood University 

In this course, we will explore writing as a visual practice: a way of seeing and conveying the world through language. Students will learn to engage with imagery, specificity of detail, and narrative strategies that approach “the image” as both subject and inspiration. Our work will range from ekphrastic writing (in response to visual art) to explorations of landscapes, both real and imagined. Throughout our time together, students will read a range of voices in published poetry and prose, generate original writing from prompts, and share their creative drafts in a supportive writers’ workshop format. We’ll also take our practice outdoors, walking, writing, and drawing inspiration from the natural world. By the end of the session, students will have developed a short portfolio of creative work and will present one of their pieces during a public reading.

Laura Romeyn (she/her), MFA, is the author of the poetry collection Wild Conditions (Poetry Society of America). She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, where she was Poetry Editor of Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art. She was also awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Poetry at Stanford University, where she taught in Pre-Collegiate Studies. Her poems have been widely published, including in AGNI, Harvard Review, and The Yale Review. She teaches 9th- and 10th-grade English at Madison Country Day School.

• Session 1: June 22-26 & June 9-July 3  (1:00 PM-4:00 PM)

  • For students entering: Grades 8-12

  • Location: Edgewood University 

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.

Karla Rempe (she/her), MA, teaches eighth-grade English and history at Madison Country Day School. She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and an undergraduate degree in education with a minor in history. As a child, Karla had fond memories of traveling across Wisconsin and learning its history from her father. When not in the classroom, Karla enjoys running, biking, swimming, and hiking through Wisconsin’s many great state parks. 

• Session 2: July 13-17 & July 20-24 (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)

  • For students entering: Grades 8-12

  • Location: Edgewood College 

Explore the fascinating intersection of nature, biomechanics, engineering and architecture to create innovative and imaginative designs! This hands-on course introduces participants to the design cycle as a tool for developing and improving products inspired by the world around us.

Participants will delve into biological forms, human and animal adaptations, and architectural structures to spark fresh ideas for their projects. Through guided activities, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing, you'll learn to apply concepts from nature and design in new and unexpected ways. Whether you're inspired by the streamlined flight of birds or the organic flow of natural patterns, this workshop will help you bring your creative visions to life.

Open to anyone curious about design and creativity, this workshop is perfect for makers, designers, and problem-solvers looking to expand their toolkit.

Michelle Kramer (she/her), MS is the IB Chemistry and Environmental Systems & Society (ESS) teacher at Madison Country Day School. 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 (they/them), MS is the Fabrication Laboratory Director and a Lecturer in Physics at Edgewood University. Their master's degree is in solid state physics, and they hold a BS in physics with emphasis in astronomy and mathematics. After graduate school, they attended Madison College and earned degrees in manufacturing, fabrication, and electronics. In their spare time, they listen to audio books, repair and design electronics projects, and make jewelry.

• Session 2: July 13-17 & July 20-24 (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)

  • For students entering: Grades 8-12

  • Location: Edgewood College 

Have you ever wondered how doctors know it’s flu season? Or how officials knew to close schools when COVID first appeared? In this course, we will dive into the science of how researchers track pathogens, such as influenza and the virus that causes COVID, in the environment! You’ll learn how scientists and public health teams monitor the spread of common pathogens that affect our communities. You’ll get to use real lab tools to collect samples, analyze data, and explore how research shapes public health. By the end of the course, you’ll design and carry out your own mini research project using lab equipment commonly used to monitor pathogens in our environment.  

Heidi Horn, PhD (she/her) currently works as an educational program manager in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Here, she designs curriculum around university research and works to form community connections with research groups in SMPH. She has experience as biology faculty both at UW-Madison and Edgewood University and loves working with undergraduate students excited about science. Heidi loves baking and cooking for friends and family in her spare time.