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.  To show students that math and science are cool and exciting areas and that viable career paths exist in these fields! 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.” What is COSMOS? California State Summer School in Mathematics and Science

3. What is COSMOS? 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 California State Summer School in Mathematics and Science 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 Name High School 1. Stephanie AvilaNorth Salinas 2. Sandra CarmonOverfelt (San Jose) 3. Marvin CruzNorth Salinas 4. Meghan FusonNorth Salinas 5. Leopoldo GarciaNorth Salinas 6. Omar LozanoNorth Salinas 7. Cynthia MendozaWatsonville 8. Maricela RamosWatsonville 9. Marbella RodriguezWatsonville 10. Lucy V. RomeroOverfelt (San Jose) 11. Norma M. SanchezOverfelt (San Jose) 12. Ryan SpriggsNorth Salinas 13. Monique TorresNorth Salinas 14. Angelica VazquezOverfelt (San Jose) 15. Jennifer WongWatsonville

7. Cluster 10 - Vision Instructors and CfAO Participants Vision Instructors Gene Switkes Dept. of Chemistry UCSC / Vision Sciences Program UCB Bruce Bridgeman Dept. of Psychology UCSC Lara Foland Dept. of Psychobiology, UCSC Jennifer Gille Raytheon/NASA Ames David Kliger Dean 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 & LombUniversity 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’ Students having fun with diffraction and reflection. Norma and Angie trying to figure out how it works!

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

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’ Angie has no fear! Meghan and Leo follow directions for the cut.

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

15. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Properties of lenses and the eye’ How far away is the image? 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). Which type of lens is this?

16. Cluster 10 - Week 2 in Vision Laboratory - ‘Tour of the UC Berkeley School of Optometry’ 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! Typically fundusDr. Revelli taking a fundus image

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

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. Ryan tells Norma and Jen how the wavefront sensor works Joy shows everyone how to obtain wavefronts on Norma

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. One of the tested visual illusions: The Ponzo Illusion Angie (background) records Sandi’s performance.

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

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

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!