Fall Schools 2025
Weekend Classes
Cosmology
What is Dark Matter?
Observations of galaxies and star clusters show that much of the Universe is made of some material that we can't see with a telescope. What is "dark matter?"What is General Relativity?
Why does gravity behave so differently from the other fundamental forces of Nature? How are space and time related? What did Einstein get right? And what did he get wrong?How Old is the Universe?
How do we measure the age of the Universe? How are new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope changing our ideas about the early evolution of the Universe?How do Galaxies Form?
How did matter begin to clump up in the early Universe to create galaxies, stars, and planets? What role did dark matter play in this process?Can we "See" The Big Bang?
How did pesky "background noise" in radio observations of the skies turn out to be a signature of the birth of atoms after the Big Bang?What is a Black Hole?
What is a black hole? What does a black hole look like? What happens if two of them collide? Do they last forever?
Cosmology Track
Multiple Sessions Online
Weekends this fall
The Cosmology Track will follow the evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang through the formation of atoms and molecules, to stars, and galaxies.
- What does the Cosmic Microwave Background tell us about the early Universe?
- What is dark matter, and how do we know it exists?
- What does a black hole look like?
- What is General Relativity and what does it tell us about the Universe?
- What is a supernova?
- What are neutron stars, quasars, and pulsars?
- What is a wormhole?
- Are there other Universes?
Enrollment is limited to 10 students per session
Applicants are evaluated on a rolling basis
Tuition: $1490
Course Format
Students will complete weekly problem sets and complete a mentoring portfolio including a college list, draft college essays, and draft messages to potential mentors and recommenders.
Homework help and mentoring is available by arrangement with instructor and will be assessed based on student growth and effort rather than "right" or "wrong."
Students who attend all of the sessions and complete the written assignments will receive a letter of completion and may request letters of recommendation from the instructor for school, college, or scholarship applications.
Instructor
The instructor for the 2025 summer course is YTL founder Dr. Amy Barr Mlinar.
Amy holds a BS in planetary science from Caltech and a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is an expert in the formation and evolution of rocky and icy planets in our Solar System and beyond, having authored 40+ peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and appearing on NPR, Nova, and the BBC to discuss her research. From 2011 to 2014 Amy was a professor at Brown University, where she developed courses on planetary physics and exoplanets, similar to that being offered this summer.
Amy is also an expert on university admissions, having contributed to admissions recruiting and selection at Caltech, SSP, and other organizations.