Sparks Short Courses

Sparks Short Courses (a.k.a., "Sparks") are small-group, low-unit pass/fail courses for first-year undergraduates. The goal of each Spark is to share a spark -- a spark of insight, a spark of creativity, a spark of inspiration -- that speaks to the heart of a field or research area in which the faculty instructor is engaged. Sparks are intended to help undergraduates early in their Caltech experience to connect individually with faculty and to experience the same thrill of discovery that drew faculty into their own fields of interest.

Since enrollment in each Spark is limited, early registration is recommended.

Enrollment in Sparks Short Courses is limited to First-Year Undergraduates. Other students must contact instructors for permission.

Units for the course: 0.5-0.5-1

Grading Scheme: Pass/fail

Days/times: TBA

Room: TBA

Whales are exceptional organisms. To understand them and put them in context requires that we examine them from the perspective of every branch of science, engineering and conservation science (not to mention the humanities). Whales dive to precisely the depths where the density of krill is highest and perform multiple lunges, taking on roughly 1/3 of their body volume in water that they then filter. How do they achieve this in the black 2 silence of the ocean? Do whales have belly buttons and if so, why? Do they have the genes responsible for producing enamel even though they lack teeth, if so, why? How does the amplitude of the swimming motion of a whale depend upon its size and how is speed of the swimming related to the amplitude and frequency of motion? Given that 3 million whales were removed from the oceans in the 20th century, how much less whale poop does that correspond to and how does it compare to the entirety of fertilizer used in all the worldʼs farms? This course will use the whale as a vehicle to examine many of the great themes of modern science.

This course will involve a combination of reading, laboratory experiments using DNA sequencing to explore whale evolution and illegal hunting and several field trips to watch whales in the wild. This course could accommodate up to 15 students. We will meet weekly for an hour of discussion followed by reading and laboratory assignments as well as several field trips.