3D Printing, Business Law and Bird Banding for Summer Quarter

by Evergreen Communications Office
May 6, 2014

Robotics, languages, hard science and humanities are some of the 125 courses offering one to 16 college credits on offer in two summer sessions at The Evergreen State College this year.  With enrollment opening May 19, these courses are open to the public as well as students, and offer a full range of academic options.    

“Summer quarter is a great opportunity to make some progress toward a degree or just follow up on something that interests you,” said Sarah Ryan, dean of evening and weekend studies at Evergreen.  “There’s a lot of flexibility in the length of classes, as well as chances to attend on weekdays, evenings and weekends.” 

One of the quarter’s course stand-outs will be a new class on printing and robotics, where students will learn how to use Android devices to control physical devices through wireless communication, and 3D printers to produce real objects.

Evergreen’s new 3D printers, nicknamed Karl and Hermann, are a recent gift from Evergreen alum Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, which designs, builds and sells compact 3D printers to manufacturers, artists, schools and entrepreneurs. 

A business law course, taught on weekends in June and July, will review intellectual property in business, the employer-employee relationship, contracts, and how to apply current law to popular conflicts.

In the natural realm, “Summer Ornithology: Birds in the Hand,” is a course that has been taught more than 30 years at Evergreen, adding more than 24,000 banded birds to ornithology’s data base.  Taught entirely in the field in Oregon, students net, band and release several hundred birds of about 25 species, while working on field identification and behavioral observations.

Summer quarter classes are offered at Evergreen’s Olympia and Tacoma campuses.  Faculty and advisers will be on hand Wednesday, May 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Constantino Recreation Center at the Olympia campus.  Registration opens May 19, and the full summer session runs June 23 to September 7.  For all course offerings and additional information, go to http://www.evergreen.edu/summer/.