Winter Term 2019 Updates
Students in the Serving Austin Winter Term course are holding a book drive.
INTERNSHIPS
Junior and Senior students are gaining real-world experience with Winter Term internships. Lauren Milliner is one such student. Lauren is interested in studying neuroscience or biochemistry in college, with the goal of becoming a surgeon. During her first week of partnering at St. David's North Medical Center Hospital with both a neurosurgeon and general surgeon, Lauren observed brain, gall bladder, spinal, and melanoma surgeries. While doing rounds of the operating rooms, Lauren encountered a doctor preparing a kidney for transplantation.
“It was really cool to see the organ outside of the body and to see the process of how they take the kidney from one person to another.”
During the craniotomy, doctors were implanting a device with electrodes to correct a deformity of the brain.
“I was in awe. The sight of brain surgery was breathtaking and beautiful,” said Milliner. “So far this experience has been very reassuring of my goal to become a surgeon.”
Students are currently interning at diverse organizations, such as Hack Studios, Tri-Star Farm, Austin Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, IBM, and BEEVET Animal Hospital, in Austin, and as far away as Massachusetts, New York and China.
MINI-COURSES:
Jessica Shafran, Communications Department reporter-at-large, sat in on several courses to experience first-hand what students are learning:
Mini-Course Up Close: "How to Get to Mars" 
Mr. Glenn's class is on a mission: what it will take to get humans to Mars, and what we will do once we get there. Given a budget of $125 million and a list of materials (aluminum foil, styrofoam bowls, balloons, etc.), students designed and built protective landers for delivering a payload (a water balloon) to the Martian surface. Yesterday, they tested their landers outside by releasing them from heights of one to 10 meters, and for some, it was MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Read about Mars missions direct from NASA.
Mini-Course Up Close: “Fake News: How to Stay Informed”
Students in Mr. Chace's class learn what constitutes "fake" news by viewing media through a critical lens. Each class surveys the day's news, reading no fewer than six articles, including non-traditional media (YouTube, news websites, blogs, vlogs, and news commentators), to evaluate how to recognize biases and determine whether the reporting is fair and balanced. In Monday's class, students read coverage of one story from three different sources and had to categorize the bias.
Mini-Course Up Close: "Gaming the Napoleonic Wars"
Taught by Dr. Morgan and Mr. Morse, students are exploring the warfare of the Napoleonic period by designing realistic board game simulations of a specific battle. Incorporating history, probability and geography, students' games emulate the ballet-like strategy of Napoleon Bonaparte. After finishing their game, classmates will evaluate each other's military prowess by listening to a presentation and testing each game. Read about how games are being incorporated in the curriculum at Texas Lutheran University.
ECUADOR:
Students continued their English lessons with Santa Maria del Fiat students. They joined a kindergarten class where they taught names of animals by acting them out. They also played a racing game with the children. One of their classes brought them bread after our students talked about the delicious food and the amazing bread they'd eaten. While we have been trying to give and serve them, they have shown us what it means to be generous.
FRANCE:
GALVESTON:
To better understand the unique physical properties of sharks, students conducted shark dissections. It was clear that each student deepened their appreciation for the Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) they dissected. Students also ventured out on one of the Texas A&M research vessels for a cruise through Galveston Bay where they sampled the ocean floor. After visiting the "Selma" shipwreck they headed back to port, spotting a few dolphin on the way in. The students saw first-hand the importance of the oyster reef to many organisms that depend on the structure for habitat.
GREECE:
From the Bronze Age through the Classical period, and Mycenae to Epidauros, students are experiencing the ancient world. They toured Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, the medieval site of Mystras, located above the city of Sparta. They have alread been to Delphi and the Monastery of St. Loukas, both holy sites, but from different worlds. Their journey to Meteora took them far enough north to see the home of the Olympian gods!
GUATEMALA:
Students on the service trip to Guatemala have begun their construction and community improvement projects in partnership with International Samaritan, a non-profit organization. Its mission is to alleviate poverty in “garbage dump communities” across the globe and raise awareness about the living conditions of the poor in the developing world. Students are staying at a retreat center near Guatemala City.
SPAIN:
When they were not in classes at Highlands, students toured Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, which is in the heart of Madrid. Students learned about the history of the city, and visited many historical landmarks (including the world's oldest restaurant!), and visited Prado, Madrid's most famous museum. They saw many works by artists such as Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco. After the museum, they went to the Parque de El Retiro, a beautiful park in the middle of the city.
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