immerse collaborate engage 2016
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the purpose is clear Unbounded Days draws upon The Webb Schools’ enduring purpose of inspiring students to boldly reach for a greater sense of who they are and what they can achieve. Through immersive, collaborative, relevant, and deeply engaging journeys that connect the classroom and the broader world, students expand their understanding of what it means to think, create, and reflect. They learn that their possibilities and their minds are truly unbounded. When Robert A. Hefner III ’53 made his generous gift to the schools, he made special provisions to enable us to learn directly from extraordinary individuals. In this spirit, Unbounded Days has been created. Unbounded Days has grown not only from Mr. Hefner’s personal thirst for creativity and love of exploration, but also out of his deep admiration for one of his former Webb teachers, Dr. Ray Alf, who first showed him how to think beyond what he could see.
Unbounded Days is supported by the
Robert A. Hefner III ’53 Endowment for Excellence in Science
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course list
Unbounded Days will take place from Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 2016. All courses will meet Monday, February, 29 through Wednesday, March 2. Find listed below under 4- or 5-Day Courses those that will utilize Saturday, February 27, and Sunday, February 28, to create more extensive educational journeys. Unless otherwise indicated in the course description, there is no additional fee.
3-Day Courses
4- or 5-Day Courses
Adventure & Art with the Elements Amazing LA Animatronics Biology of Bigfoot Catalina Island History, Science, & Culture Coming to our Senses Cultural History of Central CA Exploring Careers Learn Arabic Learn to Sail Mind in Motion Notes from LA’s Cultural Underground Passport to China & Beyond San Diego: City on the Border Space Exploration Webb’s Vermeer Writer’s Retreat
California Coast Bike Tour Good for the Body & Soul Life in California’s Rift Valley Marine Biology & Ecotourism Modern Orchestral Improvisation Molecular Gastronomy Psychoacoustic Art Rock Climbing & Canyoneering SoCal — So Fit Walk Out the Back Door Winter Surf Pilgrimage
adventure & art with the elements Melanie Bauman and Sarah Lantz
Cultures around the world have long been inspired by the power of the natural world. Explore this power through encounters with each of the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Begin with a professional paddle boarding lesson and experience the calm and serenity of paddle boarding on the open ocean. Build and create a bonfire using simple tools. Stay overnight in Joshua Tree National Park and hike the desert terrain while taking in the natural wonder of rock formations. Tour an active windmill farm in Palm Springs, learning how wind power is gaining in popularity and importance in providing energy across Southern California. Use all four elements during a hands-on glassblowing lesson. Create an artistic representation of your adventure with the four elements by bringing this unique journey together through the delicate, amazing art of glassblowing.
Course fee: $100
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amazing LA Rick Duque and Don Lofgren
Spend three days of exploration in Los Angeles learning more about its attractions and history. Day one: Hike to the Hollywood sign and visit the world famous Griffith Park Observatory, learn about the city’s history while overlooking it and tour a world famous place often used as a set for major motion pictures. Day two: Explore Hollywood by competing in a fantastic race competition where students separate into groups and then “race” through the city trying to solve puzzles quickly to finish in first place. You really have to explore LA as you compete. Day 3: Visit two unique museums in west Los Angeles, the Museum of Jurassic Technology and the Petersen Automotive Museum, each with its own special charms that add to the culture of the city. Use public transportation for all travel and dine at iconic Los Angeles bistros on days one and two.
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animatronics
Tim Coates and Chris Paragamian
This course guarantees a perfect blend of technology and art. Design and re-create a famous movie scene with animatronic characters, lighting, graphic design, and audio that is programmed and synchronized to deliver a memorable performance. Take a day trip to meet and learn from a legendary animatronics artist who has installations at Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, and countless other amusement parks around the world. Do not be concerned if you have never built a robot or written code. This workshop requires absolutely no experience, just a willingness to explore robotics, technology, engineering, the arts, and most of all your creativity. If you enjoy movies and tinkering, this is sure to be a wonderful experience.
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biology of bigfoot Ben Farrell and Margareta Farrell
Across time and all over the world, whispers have reached us, whispers of a massive creature living in the forests and mountains around us— always close but also just out of reach. Call it Sasquatch, Yeti, Skunk Ape or Bigfoot. The search for this legendary creature transcends national boundaries, cultures and unites us with our distant past. Explore the fossil record for support of its existence. Study the evolution of our common ancestors, looking for possible links to large ape species that have lived around the world. Explore its migration patterns, the environment where a large primate could thrive and the characteristics that would allow it to be elusive. Study artifacts, stories, pictures and videos of sightings around the world. Learn to scientifically assess a sighting and how to take plaster molds (for when we find footprints!). Camp overnight in a local area where sightings have been reported. Our hands on research allows us to test the veracity of these claims. Who knows? Will we be the ones to finally prove the existence of Bigfoot?
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california coast bike tour
Brian Caldwell, Jim Dahler and Geoff Owers
This five-day adventure involves biking along the beautiful, ragged, inspiring California coast. Enjoy shorter rides on the first and last transportation days. Longer rides during the middle three days vary between 20 to 50 miles per day depending on ability level and weather. Take in coastal sights and historical landmarks available along the way. The bike tour has frequent stops for sightseeing and photography, not to mention meals and rest. In a series of day rides throughout the region, the trip passes by sea lion and seal habitats, pine and redwood forests, cattle and sheep ranches, coastal farming communities, amazingly beautiful beaches, Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Missions, along with whale and big sea bird migrations. Come explore the history and culture of the California coast from a most unique vantage point: the seat of your bicycle. Cycling experience and a bicycle are required for this course. Course fee: $150
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catalina island history, science & culture
Michelle Gerken and John Lawrence
Twenty-two miles off the coast of California sits Catalina Island, a travel destination known for its rich history and beautiful natural environment. Adventure across the ocean channel to Catalina looking for dolphins and whales, explore the underwater world off the shoreline while snorkeling, investigate the amazing geology, and discover the history and culture of the island. Be prepared for an unbounded adventure including camping, scenic hiking, snorkeling, science and history‌ What a combo! Oh yes, great tacos too! A good attitude for adventure and an interest in the history and science of a local icon—Catalina Island, the Crown jewel of the Channel Islands of Southern California—is all you need.
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Course fee: $150
coming to our senses Jonathan Capone and Linda Silva
Do you know the value of “resting in awareness”? This involves using your senses to be present. In this adventure, use the fundamentals of T’ai Chi practice, along with both walking and seated meditation, to improve concentration and performance. Explore mindfulness through a photography activity and engage in meditation and T’ai Chi with a professional health and wellness guru. Hike in the San Gabriel Mountains, experience the Turrell Skyspace at Pomona College, and enjoy sushi preparation in the tradition of slow food. Visit the grounds and galleries of the Getty Center in Los Angeles to investigate mindfulness as a visual arts practice. Spend a day at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center. Emerge from our course clearer in mind and equipped with invaluable new skills to navigate the ups and downs, stresses and excitements of daily life.
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cultural history of central ca Claire Abisalih and Jessica Fisher
From endless fields of lettuce and strawberries to an ocean jutted with cliffs and redwoods, Central California’s landscape is vast and varied, its history rich and complicated. Immerse yourself in the culture of Central California, namely Salinas, Monterey, and Carmel. Move from the valley to the sea, exploring John Steinbeck’s hometown of Salinas and visiting a farm in the area called America’s “salad bowl.” Based for two nights in Monterey, we will tide pool, kayak, visit Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Looking at the region through a variety of lenses, including marine science and ecology, labor history, literary studies and art, we will ask: Why did John Steinbeck see this area as the “valley of the world”? How does this region compare to Southern California? What stories emerge from a close study of the land? We will find answers through visits to museums and major cultural sites, field study and a fair amount of adventure!
Course fee: $150
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exploring careers
Anne Stewart, Javier Valera and Laura Wensley
Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Try on a potential career and see if it fits. Students have the opportunity to explore a chosen career field by interacting with and volunteering for talented professionals. Real-world experience helps students get a glimpse into what it means to be a successful professional in a field of interest and some insight as to their affinity with the job. Potential fields include artists, animators, judges, doctors, architects, engineers, investment bankers, journalists, teachers, actors, veterinarians, etc. Indicate your area of interest and choose from several different shadowing opportunities. Alongside the opportunity to visit and learn from professionals in a variety of environments, students also attend workshops on leadership and presentation skills for the workplace and beyond.
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good for the body & soul Sonsoles Cardalliaguet
Would you like to learn how to energize your mind and body? Come develop some of the tools necessary to live a balanced and healthy life. This course focuses on yoga, nutrition and the benefits of relaxation and self care. Learn how to feed your mind and body through an immersion into yoga, healthy eating and other forms of relaxation and mindfulness. Highlights include hands on classes in yoga, cooking and essential oils, visits to local restaurants and yoga studios and conversations with experts in these fields. Develop a toolbox of healthy habits and practices that will serve you well after the conclusion of our time together. Knowledge helps you lead a healthy life!
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learn arabic Bana Dahi
Arabic ranks sixth in the world’s league table of languages, with an estimated 186 million native speakers. There are many different Arabic dialects that Arabs use to communicate on a daily basis; however, Modern Standard Arabic, a common language between all Arabs, is used in books, newspapers, on television and radio, in mosques and churches and in conversation between educated Arabs from different countries. Learn how to write and read simple, survival words and sentences in Modern Standard Arabic, and compare local dialects: Syrian, Lebanese and Egyptian. Visit the Los Angeles Museum of Art, cook some traditional dishes from the Middle East and gain exposure to the history and culture of that region of the world, including music, dances, literature and movies.
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learn to sail Brian Ogden, Will Walker and Una Walker
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats” - The Wind in the Willows. Head down to Dana Point Harbor for three days of messing about in boats, to not only learn the basics of how to sail, but also how important a part sailing has played in the history of California. Instruction, both on shore and in 14’ Capri sailboats, takes you from complete novice to skippering your own craft through the waters of Dana Point Harbor, and potentially the Pacific Ocean. On the second day, an afternoon cruise on the 82 ft. schooner Curlew gives us a feeling for big boat sailing. As we sit around our fire for two nights of camping on Doheny State Beach, we share experiences from our days on the water as well as readings from Richard Henry Dana’s Two
Years Before the Mast, which gives you an insight into the days when sailing was the key that unlocked the coast of California.
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life in california’s rift valley Jessie Atterholt and Andy Farke
California is continually torn apart and reshaped by geological forces, creating some of the most unique landscapes and ecosystems on the planet. Explore the past, present, and future of the Salton Trough in and around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Late winter is the best time of year to encounter this desert, home to numerous fossil remains, modern bighorn sheep, palm oases, and gorgeous wildflowers. Collect fossils for the park and learn how our region has changed during the past six million years. Explore the geological history of the area through three nights of camping, hikes and fossil-prospecting field trips. Encounter modern wildlife (including lizards, bighorn sheep, and the desert pupfish, found only in the Anza-Borrego area). Visit the Salton Sea, a rapidly vanishing body of saltwater created by accident over 100 years ago, and explore how humans and wildlife alike impact and engage with a changing environment.
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marine biology & ecotourism Kevin Quick and Andrés Roblero Villalobos
Calling all marine enthusiasts, environmentalists, lovers of Southern California and budding entrepreneurs! This course explores the intersection of marine biology, conservation, tourism and business. Travel from La Jolla to Santa Barbara snorkeling, tidepooling, going behind the scenes of leading aquariums and exploring some of Southern California’s richest marine locations. Visit Joshua Tree to participate in conservation efforts in the desert and compare its landscape to the coastline. Through our explorations we learn about ecotourism, a model of responsible travel that aims to conserve and celebrate the environment. We put our business and environmentalist skills to the test as we aim to view, survey and create an ecotourism project that pertains to the marine life we encounter. Who knows, our “pitch” for an eco-friendly tourism project might help launch a new business!
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mind in motion
Stefanie Plumley and Michael Szanyi
In this three day immersion into the worlds of dance, mime, puppetry and motion of all sorts, students explore how movement can convey an idea, theme, or story. Performers and choreographers from the Los Angeles area teach master classes designed to expose students to the unique ways that physical action can help one to learn and express a concept. Each class is accompanied by a choreography session where students are expertly guided on how to create their own composition. Ideally, students will recognize that the various skills we are learning have all sorts of uses: they can serve students in the theater and dance world as well as enhance their learning and presentation skills. Students learn from professionals and each other, experience dance and movement in a variety of forms, and finally create a collective movement composition to share with the community.
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modern orchestral improvisation Tom Jurczak
Dive into LA’s modern music scene by forging Webb’s own cutting edge performance group. This course aims to build a small chamber group that develops one or more short compositions through the use of themes and improvisation. The goal is to blend the instrumentation of the group to create unique passages and sounds without creating a definite orchestral score for the compositions. Attend concerts and work with professional musicians, including bass player Ivan Johnson. The group relies on each member’s ability as a musician to ensure that we incorporate all instruments into the pieces both as harmony and in the melody and lead roles. Students should be proficient on their instrument with a good sense of intonation and rhythm.
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molecular gastronomy Sally Mingarelli and Theresa Smith
Molecular Gastronomy is the trend in cooking that utilizes crazy chemical processes to prepare food. Examples include creating fake caviar using a chemical reaction, 3-D printing to make intricate plating designs for desserts, vacuum sealing meats and slow cooking them in water baths for 24-48 hours, and using liquid nitrogen for rapid freezing. As we travel from the lab to professional restaurant kitchens, you get a crash course in modern cooking techniques, debate with professional chefs about the relationship between traditional and modern cooking, and embrace the creativity and artistry involved in preparing a fine meal. Our class culminates in our own multi-course feast. Come explore the intersection of chemistry and cooking in the world of fine dining.
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notes from LA’s cultural underground
Jon Fidani and Wendy Maxon
Love all things oddball and offbeat? During three days of travels to eccentric places in the Los Angeles area, explore a number of lesser known subcultures and journey to where the unconventional meets the sublime. Travel to the award winning gift shop WACKO and its adjacent La Luz de Jesus Art Gallery, as well as the Barnsdall Art Park and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Drive up to San Luis Obispo to stay overnight at the landmark Madonna Inn and spend the evening imagining and working on reflective projects, addressing several of the cultural (and counter-cultural) themes and approaches experienced thus far. Visit the Thinkspace Gallery in Long Beach, the Steve Allen Theater and the Time Travel Mart/826 LA in downtown LA along with other possible side trips. Get ready to delve deep into LA’s Cultural Underground. Because your Unbounded Days should be as unique as you are.
Course fee: $100
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passport to china & beyond Yao Hong and Michael Kozden
Pack your bags for a trip to exotic lands beyond the borders of Webb! Participants experience and come to a greater understanding of different cultures while engaging in a variety of activities and explorations into L.A.’s ethnic communities. Embark on a day journey to the not too distant kingdoms of Monterey Park, Rowland Heights, Chinatown, and even Little Tokyo and Olvera Street. Visit temples, participate in a fun scavenger hunt in various markets, express yourself musically with karoake, and enjoy a lot of awesome food. Create calligraphy and learn Chinese painting with an expert, perform Tai Chi Chuan, cook delicious dumplings, play traditional Chinese games, and watch a martial arts movie on campus. The City of Angels offers a world of culinary delights, cultural treasures, and fascinating diversity that can be found nowhere else in the world. Join us on a voyage to China and beyond in our very own backyard.
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psychoacoustic art Mark Dzula and Ardina Greco
Artists intent on breaking down barriers often turn to sound installation in order to excite contexts and engage ears, minds, and hearts. This course takes art beyond the eyes by exploring the psychoacoustic properties of sound. That is, how does sound move you? We will travel to experience sound art in locations as distinct as deserts and museums. We scavenge, experiment, and tinker to give voice to our artistic impulses. Participants ultimately construct an art installation in Fawcett Library. This course is ideal for poets, secret DJs, and inventors. No expertise is needed beyond an unbounded curiosity.
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rock climbing & canyoneering Lisa Blomberg and Will Allan
Are you ready for a thrilling adventure? On this four-day, three-night camping trip, we explore the topography of the Southwest through guided rock climbing and canyoneering. Rock climbing is an outdoor sport that involves climbing vertical rock walls with the aid of harnesses, ropes and belays. Canyoneering is traveling in canyons using a variety of techniques including rock scrambling, climbing, abseiling (rappelling on rope), and sometimes, even swimming. You learn all of the skills you need from experts who guide us through amazing rock formations and underground pools that were formed millions of years ago! No experience necessary but all participants must be able to swim.
Course fee: $150
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san diego: city on the border Suzi Linsley and Stephanie Nicolard
San Diego is an incredibly rich city, unique in its position so close to the border between the United States and Mexico. Experience San Diego as a space of cultural and environmental exchange and immerse yourself in the city’s dynamic border culture. Spend two nights in the city touring galleries, monuments, and public spaces that celebrate and promote Chicano art and history. Talk to scholars and experts developing solutions to help the U.S. and Mexico collaborate on environmental policy and experience first hand a crossing of borders as you observe the yearly migration of grey whales from their feeding grounds in Alaska to their breeding grounds in Baja. Eat great food, visit beaches and downtown areas, both new parts of the city and old neighborhoods. Enjoy the opportunity to study and experience what it means to be a city on the border.
Course fee: $150
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SoCal - so fit Howie Kalter and Ken Rosenfeld
Exercise and diet trends come and go but good health habits are here to stay. Learn how to take advantage of our amazing Southern California surroundings to get and stay fit and healthy. Experience different physical activities including yoga, Soul Cycle, and a double-boarding experience which involves surfing and snowboarding in a single day. Also included are discussions and educational exercises about the value of recovery and sleep, injury awareness and prevention, nutrition, and distinguishing healthy trends from harmful fads. With extensive explorations of urban, beach, and mountain areas in Southern California, SoCal — So Fit encourages and inspires students to take advantage of everything Southern California has to offer and to do so in a manner that focuses on health, fitness, and understanding the nutrition necessary to fuel a healthy and active lifestyle. Course fee: $100
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space exploration Christina Duron and Nina Gilbert
Cast your eyes and your mind upward as we see first hand the cutting-edge technologies of modern day space exploration. Scientists have already gotten to Mars and Pluto. Now we will develop our skills and ingenuity for the next-generation journey. On our exclusive tour of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), we visit the Space Flight Operations and Spacecraft Assembly Facilities. Tour SpaceX, a company that is revolutionizing space technology to enable people to live on other planets, and see the Space Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center. Look into space at Griffith Observatory and Webb’s own Hefner Observatory. Finally, inspired by the innovative approaches of research facilities and spaceship manufacturers, teams of students challenge themselves to land their own “spaceship” safely.
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walk out the back door Andy Dahlstrom and Greg Gerken
It’s a simple, adventurous goal: walk from Webb to the top of Mt. Baldy, the biggest peak on the skyline behind campus. The beauty and wildness of the San Gabriel Wilderness starts at the edge of Webb’s campus. Walk through it—camping, cooking, mapping, and drawing. This outing also provides a break from our regular technologies—cars and cell phones won’t be joining us (until our pick-up on the last day). Instead, compass and map use will be taught, and our legs will carry us—mostly uphill—to a 10,000’ summit. This is a four-day, three-night camping trip. Gear is important for comfort and safety, so there is a required pack check before departure. And then, our imitation of John Muir exploring the Sierras will start.
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Webb’s vermeer Andrew Hamilton and Christina Mesiti
Have you ever visited an art gallery and wondered how artists produce such vivid and life-like paintings? Have you ever wanted the chance to try to make one of your own? Many great artists have used lenses and mirrors to guide their work, allowing for strikingly realistic detail. This course combines artistic and scientific techniques to explore a recent proposal that one master painter, Johannes Vermeer, used a camera lucida to produce his most beautiful work. Students will build a camera lucida and learn to make and use oil paints in order to create a wide spectrum of color combinations. We will visit a local art museum for inspiration before arranging a scene and using our cameras lucidas to guide us through the creation of a painting that even a Dutch master could love. Come explore this fascinating intersection of art and science!
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winter surf pilgrimage Peter Bartlett and Amanda Valenzuela
Among the many images and icons that Hollywood circulates of Southern Californian culture, the surfer may be one of the least understood and most important. Far from “beach bums,” surfers (and their intimate relationship with our fragile marine ecosystems) are fueling conservation and climate change awareness efforts worldwide. In this 5-day hands-on course, students suit up to explore the cultural and environmental history of Southern California’s surfing culture, while confronting the ecological issues that could threaten its future. Students spend 4 days surfing, including two overnights in Malibu and Santa Barbara, film their journey as they surf iconic beaches from Ventura to San Onofre, visit famous eateries, experience the historic California Surf Museum, camp, and engage with a shaper at work. All levels of surfing experience are welcome. Course fee: $150
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writer’s retreat Elizabeth Cantwell and Brian Rogers
Join us for this three-day creative writing intensive, where we’ll use the insides of our minds to explore the outer limits of our worlds. We’ll take our inspiration from day trips to locations in the greater Los Angeles area (hiking trails, the Hollywood sign) and Joshua Tree (a sound bath at the Integratron), where we’ll engage in writing exercises and conversations about the making of poems and stories. We’ll also have a guest writer lead us in workshops, be introduced to short fiction and film through daily readings and an evening screening, and our experience will culminate with a community reading. The course allows plenty of time to write, reflect and explore, and introduces us to some incredible Los Angeles scenes to inspire our work.
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