The Luminary Project is a three-week residential program held on campus for mature 8th-12th graders. Students focus on one intensive course of study for six hours a day that is an equivalent to one full year of honors level high school content or one semester of college content. Many schools consider these courses for high school credit, although CBK cannot guarantee this transfer.
Luminary 2020 Courses:
Soundscaping: Using Technology to Bring Music to Life (H) with Coire
Whether it is a recording of an ensemble or an electronic music soundtrack, nearly all of our music consumption happens digitally. We use computers to record music, alter sounds with effects, use systems of loops to create complete arrangements live, and even more popularly we can use software to compose and perform entirely new music. In this class we will learn how to pair high level knowledge of music theory such as scales, harmony, and rhythm with use of a Digital Audio Workstation or DAW. This software can be used to record live instruments, digital instruments, or to combine the two together to create truly unique and different sounds and music. In addition to music theory, students will learn how to loop, record music, use equalizers and filters, program a digital synthesizer, use Virtual Studio Technologies, and set up hardware in the form of Digital Audio Interfaces to connect recording equipment to computers and run the sound through the DAW. No previous musical or technological skills are required.
($80 lab fee)
The Chemistry of Colorado’s Varied Environments (S) with Patrick
Chemistry is an important science that can help humanity to better understand why the world around them is shaped the way it is, why plants and animals behave the way that they do, and how everything works, from the simplest to the most complex device. In this class, we’ll explore concepts in chemistry including atomic theory, bonding, stoichiometry, acid-base theory, solution chemistry, gas laws, and reduction-oxidation reactions to better understand how the world around us works. There will also be a field-work component where we get out into the environment to collect samples for testing, and thorough testing of these samples to gain a greater understanding of how nature keeps everything in balance as well as how human activities have an impact on the environment.
Prerequisite: Algebra 1.
($40 lab fee)
Ctrl + Alt + Create: The Digital Canvas of Contemporary Art (H) with Emaline
Digital art offers a new world for understanding what art is and how it can be made. In this course we will develop our art-making skills through digital media, learn the history and practical use of design, and discuss where digital works belong in the contemporary art world all while honing our technical skills. What meaning do the materials you choose to use bring to your piece? What type of 'material' are the different forms of digital art? When would it be more advantageous to create a digital work, as opposed to a sculpture or a painting? Students will practice using illustration software and familiarize themselves with programs and techniques to bring their ideas to life on the digital canvas. By studying living, practicing digital artists today and exploring many forms of creation, from text-edit glitch art to Microsoft Excel Textiles, students will acquire the tools to make collaborative digital works, as well as completing their own unique "multimedia" project! All levels of artistic experience welcome!
($80 lab fee)
When You Wish Upon a Computer: The Math of Animation (M/S) with Ben
Why do animated movies have lighting directors? Why is ray tracing such a big deal for video games? How has CGI been improving over the past 20 years? In this course we'll investigate how mathematical models can form realistic approximations of physical behavior. We'll start by simulating the interaction of light with objects in a scene so that we can "see" what is going on with our other models with shadows, mirrors, and glass. From there, we will jump into classical mechanics as a way to describe the dynamics of interactions and motion such as collisions, gravity, angular motion, and elasticity, as in humans moving around bones and joints. Finally, we'll discuss fluid models to simulate the flow of water and other mediums (think Nemo and Frozen 2) and investigate models to simulate the behavior of light in particles like sunrises, sunsets, and steam. Along the way, we'll be focusing on how to design artistic pieces that could be used as a shot in a movie or a piece of a video game and implementing our models in C++. We'll also discuss various tricks and optimizations we can make - none of our models are worth anything if they take years to render images. Previous experience with linear algebra is preferred.
Prerequisite: Algebra 2 and some programming.
($80 lab fee: computer access, software, and login)
The World at Play - The Olympics as 20th Century Lens (H) with Jess
You might have heard of Hitler’s Berlin Olympics in 1936, but how about the Bitter Lake Olympics in 1968? Do you know which Olympic Games prompted drug testing for athletes? What does it mean when a country boycotts the Olympics, and what are some of the reasons for doing so? And what happens to people who try to use international Olympic coverage to criticize the government? With the power to bring so much of the world together so regularly, many Olympic Games have acted as a crucible for world conflict and tensions as world powers carry out proxy wars on the backs of athletes. Whenever tensions are high, who shows up and who is invited to the games as well as how the judging plays out and what sports are covered by media coverage all come together to form a telling sociopolitical snapshot of the state of the world. Pulling these snapshots together forms a uniquely insightful collage of the 20th century. This course will examine these snapshots of history to form better understandings of the eras and events of the 20th century, from wars and conflicts to backflips and age or gender on passports.
Exploring the Cosmos: A History of Our Relationship with Space (H/S) with Byron
Human history is full of people looking to the stars, wondering about what was beyond that vast expanse of sky. While we have only relatively recently been able to explore beyond our planet, people throughout history have still found ways to unravel the secrets of the cosmos and the workings of the universe through ingenuity, work, and a little bit of luck. In this course, we will be investigating the work of these explorers, from the early Greek philosophers to the great minds of the modern era, and delving into both their discoveries and their ramifications going forward, building towards our present-day understanding of physics and the cosmos. From the Cosmic Egg and the Stoics to the Big Crunch and the Inflating Universe, join us for a historical study of cosmological theories.
Prerequisite: Algebra 1. Algebra 2 Recommended.
(denoted by (H)umanities (Reading or EBRW scores), (M)ath, and/or (S)cience focus for eligibility scores or work samples)