COSMOS - Cluster 10 ‘Stars, Sight and Science’ Vision Class Report

1. COSMOS - Cluster 10‘Stars, Sight and Science’Vision Class Report Jason Porter Advisor: David Williams August 6, 2001 Center for Visual Science and The Institute of Optics University of Rochester Center for Adaptive Optics

2. COSMOS at UC Santa Cruz is an academic, four-week residential program for talented and motivated high school students in grades 9-12. While living in the dorms of College Eight, students attended short courses not traditionally taught in high school, covering topics such as astronomy and vision, earth science, mathematics, ocean science, and more. What is COSMOS? California State Summer School in Mathematics and Science • GOAL • To motivate the “creative, young minds of the new generation of prospective scientists, engineers, and mathematicians so that they may actively participate in the business and higher educational sectors of the State of California.” • To show students that math and science are cool and exciting areas and that viable career paths exist in these fields!

3. What is COSMOS? California State Summer School in Mathematics and Science • Approximately 140 students, mostly from California, attended COSMOS and were divided into 10 “clusters.” • Students had hands-on experiences in university facilities while learning about state-of-the-art technologies from experts in the fields. • Instructors consisted of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, high school teachers and local industrial partners. 10 Clusters 1. Environmental Biology and Toxicology 2. Earth and Sky: Environmental Physics 3. Life in the Ocean 4. Games, Models and Animal Behavior 5. Chemistry/Oceanography 6. Chemistry and Mathematics: From Life to Thought 7. Paradoxes & Games: The Mathematics of Logic and Chance 8. A Taste of JAVA / A Taste of Astrophysics 9. Aspects of Applied Computing

4. Cluster 10 - ‘Stars, Sight and Science’ • Cluster specially designed and sponsored by the CfAO (and NSF) that taught three coordinated classes in astronomy, vision science and science communication: • Astronomy Today: Observing the Universe • Human Vision: Photons, Proteins, and Perception • Science Communication • Enrollment in this course cluster was restricted to students from the following CfAO partner schools: • Watsonville High School • Overfelt High School (San Jose) • North Salinas High School. • A component of a multi-year CfAO high school partnership program designed to serve students from local minority-serving high schools who might not typically be included in COSMOS.

5. Cluster 10 - ‘Stars, Sight and Science’ SHORT-TERM GOALS: • Engage participants in activities that give them a “real science” experience: • Current questions, breakthroughs, techniques • Multidisciplinary activities • Project oriented tasks • Inquiry • Increase students’ and teachers’ interest, knowledge and excitement about CfAO related science, careers and educational pathways. • Establish relationships needed to start new mentoring program and further develop high school partnerships. LONG-TERM GOAL (high school partnerships): • Increase the number of underrepresented students from CfAO partner high schools who are prepared and motivated to pursue an SMET degree in college.

6. Cluster 10 - Students NameHigh School 1. Stephanie Avila North Salinas 2. Sandra Carmon Overfelt (San Jose) 3. Marvin Cruz North Salinas 4. Meghan Fuson North Salinas 5. Leopoldo Garcia North Salinas 6. Omar Lozano North Salinas 7. Cynthia Mendoza Watsonville 8. Maricela Ramos Watsonville 9. Marbella Rodriguez Watsonville 10. Lucy V. Romero Overfelt (San Jose) 11. Norma M. Sanchez Overfelt (San Jose) 12. Ryan Spriggs North Salinas 13. Monique Torres North Salinas 14. Angelica Vazquez Overfelt (San Jose) 15. Jennifer Wong Watsonville

7. Cluster 10 - Vision Instructors and CfAO Participants Vision Instructors Gene SwitkesDept. of Chemistry UCSC / Vision Sciences Program UCB Bruce Bridgeman Dept. of Psychology UCSC Lara FolandDept. of Psychobiology, UCSC Jennifer GilleRaytheon/NASA Ames David KligerDean Division of Natural Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry UCSC Jim Lewis Dept. of Chemistry UCSC Joy Martin College of Optometry, University of Houston Malika Moutawakkil CfAO Program Assistant, Graduate Program in Chemistry, UCSC Jason Porter Institute of Optics / Center for Visual Science, Univ. of Rochester Dr. Ed Revelli Associate Dean, Clinical Professor of UCB School of Optometry Burnne Yew High School teaching representative, Watsonville High School CfAO Nodes who Participated in Cluster 10 Bausch & Lomb University of Houston UC Berkeley University of Rochester UC Santa Cruz

8. Cluster 10 - Week 1 in Vision Concepts Covered • What are the properties of light? • What aspects of light provide information about color and brightness? How does the eye get information on the color of an object? • What are refraction, reflection, and diffraction? • How do the eye’s optics create an image? • What chemicals in the eye absorb light and how does information flow out of the retina? Laboratory Activities • Light, Optics, and Diffraction from a CD • Dissection of bovine eyeball

9. Cluster 10 - Week 1 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Light, Optics, and Diffraction from a CD’ Norma and Angie trying to figure out how it works! Students having fun with diffraction and reflection.

10. Cluster 10 - Week 1 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Light, Optics, and Diffraction from a CD’ Sasha and students looking through diffraction gratings. Marvin and Omar playing with lenses.

11. Cluster 10 - Week 1 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Dissection of Bovine eyeballs’ • Stephanie dissecting her eyeball. • Students had to carefully remove and identify individual components of the bovine eye. • No students fainted or refused to participate. • All students were very focused on their task.

12. Cluster 10 - Week 1 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Dissection of Bovine eyeballs’ Meghan and Leo follow directions for the cut. Angie has no fear!

13. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision Concepts Covered • Properties of lenses and refractive disorders of the eye • Diagnostic instruments and tools used to examine the eye • Diseases of the eye and their possible treatments • Methods of refractive correction, including LASIK eye surgery • What are wavefront sensing and adaptive optics? How are they applied in • Correcting the eye’s aberrations • Viewing retinal structure • Careers in vision Laboratory Activities • Properties of lenses and the eye (with trial lenses and rubber eyes) • Tour of the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry • Using a wavefront sensor to measure ocular aberrations

14. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision • Each student received their own rubber eyeball, courtesy of the University of Houston (Roorda) and CfAO Laboratory - ‘Properties of lenses and the eye’ Lucy, Sandi and Mari trying to understand why an inverted image is formed on the retina!

15. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision • Students were supplied with a myriad of trial lenses (Bausch & Lomb), a slide projector focused at infinity, a meter stick and a movable image plane. • GOAL: To determine which lenses were converging and diverging, which possessed prism or astigmatism and the relationship between diopters and focal distance (in meters). Laboratory - ‘Properties of lenses and the eye’ Which type of lens is this? How far away is the image?

16. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision • Dr. Ed Revelli gave the students a brief introduction about the eye clinic and LASIK eye surgery. • Students were shown and played with the diagnostic equipment (corneal topographers, autorefractors, slit lamps, fundus cameras) and a LIVE LASIK procedure! Laboratory - ‘Tour of the UC Berkeley School of Optometry’ Dr. Revelli taking a fundus image Typically fundus

17. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision • All students played with the diagnostic equipment as some had their “visually evoked potentials” measured. Laboratory - ‘Tour of the UC Berkeley School of Optometry’ Sandy examining Mari’s cornea under the slit lamp. Measuring Leo’s VEP

18. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Using a wavefront sensor to measure ocular aberrations’ • Each student had their eye’s wave aberration measured using a wavefront sensor (Roorda, Univ. of Houston) and were shown their wave aberration and point spread function. Joy shows everyone how to obtain wavefronts on Norma Ryan tells Norma and Jen how the wavefront sensor works

19. Cluster 10 - Week 3 in Vision Concepts Covered • Neurons and Brain Function • Visual Pathways from photoreceptors to the brain • Color Vision • Fundamentals of color vision • Color blindness • Visual illusions • Illusion with physiological correlates • Illusions involving cognitive factors Laboratory Activities • Using a Colorimeter to examine colors in the everyday environment • Color Blindness Tests • Illusions

20. Cluster 10 - Week 3 in Vision Omar’s Project / Laboratory - ‘Using a Colorimeter to examine colors in the everyday environment’ • Groups of students used colorimeters to obtain brightness values and chromaticity coordinates of everyday objects indoors and outdoors. The chromaticity coordinates were plotted on the CIE Chromaticity Diagram Omar instructs Marbella how to use the colorimeter.

21. Cluster 10 - Week 3 in Vision Angie’s Project / Laboratory - ‘Testing visual illusions’ • Students were subjected to visual illusions that tested their ability to judge the perceived length of objects. Angie (background) records Sandi’s performance. One of the tested visual illusions: The Ponzo Illusion

22. Cluster 10 - Week 3 in Vision Cynthia’s Project / Laboratory - ‘Color blindness tests’ • Each student completed two color vision tests typically used to screen for color vision abnormalities. Ishihara Plates Marbella (left) takes the D-15 test while Cynthia (right) scores. Panel D-15 test

23. Cluster 10 - Week 4 in Vision Concepts Covered • Neurons and Brain Function • Visual Pathways from photoreceptors to the brain • Color Vision • Fundamentals of color vision • Color blindness • Visual illusions • Illusion with physiological correlates • Illusions involving cognitive factors Laboratory Activities • Tour of the Mystery Spot, Soquel, CA Student Presentations of Research Projects

24. Cluster 10 - Week 4 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Tour of the Mystery Spot’ • The Claim - Gravity behaves differently in this 150 foot diameter spot due to some unexplained magnetic phenomenon! Are Marvin, Jen and Steph really standing straight-up? Does this ball really roll uphill?

25. Cluster 10 - Week 4 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Tour of the Mystery Spot’ • The Claim - Gravity behaves differently in this 150 foot diameter spot due to some unexplained magnetic phenomenon! Is Jen truly and naturally suspended in air? Are the girls leaning forward?

26. Cluster 10 - Correspondance & Websites • Extremely rewarding experience! • Have received 4 e-mails and 3 e-cards from students already! • Website designed specifically for the Cluster 10 Vision Course may be found at: • http://www.chemistry.ucsc.edu/COSVIS/ • Website designed by students Leo Garcia and Monique Torres detailing the group’s experiences may temporarily be found at: • http://cfao.ucolick.org/~ncruz/Home_Page.html • Information containing a description of the newly formed Cluster 10 course may be found at: • http://epc.ucsc.edu/cosmos/course.sky.html • Information about the general COSMOS program is at: • http://epc.ucsc.edu/cosmos/index.html

27. Cluster 10 - Honors • The COSMOS program gave scholarships to 6 of the 140 student participants for dipslaying exceptional academic acheivement, attitude, and overall excellence during their 4 week stay at UCSC. • Congratulations to Cynthia Mendoza, a cluster 10 student for receiving one of these six scholarships • $1,000 to attend any university! • $2,000 to attend any institution in the UC system! • $4,000 to attend UC Santa Cruz!

28. Thanks for allowing me to participate!