Five New Inspire Classes Made Their Debut This Summer
Every summer, Inspire gives rising high school students the opportunity to explore college-level subjects through hands-on learning, collaboration, and mentorship from University of Virginia faculty and industry professionals.
This summer marked an exciting milestone for the program as five brand-new courses joined the Inspire lineup. From designing buildings and exploring the human brain to learning about artificial intelligence, nursing, and biomedical engineering, students had the opportunity to dive into emerging fields while developing practical skills and discovering potential career paths.
Here’s a look back at the five new classes that made their Inspire debut this summer.
Exploring the Built Environment: Real Estate, Design, and Construction
Students in Exploring the Built Environment: Real Estate, Design, and Construction learned what it takes to bring a building from concept to construction by designing a small retail pavilion for the Inova campus.
Working in teams, they developed their projects from scratch, creating designs, estimating construction costs, developing project schedules, and producing 3D models while exploring careers in architecture, construction management, real estate development, and civil engineering. The course concluded with presentations to industry professionals, giving students the opportunity to showcase their work and receive feedback on their designs.
“The main project students worked on was designing a small retail pavilion here at the Inova campus where UVA Fairfax is located. We asked them to design it from scratch. We gave them a few parameters, and they also did some estimating and scheduling—figuring out how much it was going to cost to build and how long it was going to take to build. It was really exciting to see them work in groups and put that together. Most students didn’t have a ton of background or prior exposure to this, but they really dove into it and came up with some really cool ideas.” – Exploring the Built Environment Faculty, Matt O’Malley
Science of the Mind: From Brain Cells to Brainwaves
Students took an inside look at one of the body’s most fascinating organs through Science of the Mind: From Braincells to Brainwaves. Throughout the course, they explored how the brain functions, how scientists study the nervous system, and how neuroscience connects to everyday life.
Hands-on experiences, including sheep brain dissections, EEG demonstrations, and interactive activities, gave students the opportunity to experience neuroscience beyond the classroom while developing a deeper understanding of how the brain shapes behavior, learning, and health.
“My favorite part of the program was the sheep brain dissection. It was cool to see what the inside of a brain looks like and compare it to a human brain. It’s an experience you can’t get in school, and it was a unique and great learning opportunity.” – Inspire Neuroscience student
From Curiosity to Care: Inside Nursing and Healthcare Professions
Students interested in healthcare stepped into the world of nursing through hands-on learning experiences that introduced them to patient care, clinical skills, and the many career opportunities within today’s healthcare system.
By participating in simulations, exploring healthcare technology, and learning directly from experienced professionals, students gained a better understanding of what it means to provide compassionate, patient-centered care while building teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills.
“The class was designed to help students understand that there are a lot of different health care careers that exist. So we focused on the two largest clinical areas: nursing and allied health professions, which are basically all positions that aren’t nurses, doctors or nurse practitioners, such as physical therapists, MRI technicians, radiation therapists and pharmacists.” – From Curiosity to Care Faculty, Nate Mart
AI Literacy Bootcamp: From Machine Learning to Generative AI
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the world, and students in AI Literacy Bootcamp explored both the technology behind AI and its growing impact across industries.
Throughout the course, students learned the fundamentals of machine learning, generative AI, and prompt engineering while discussing ethical considerations and participating in hands-on activities that demonstrated how these technologies are shaping the future.
“Students gain a comprehensive understanding of artificial intelligence from both technical and ethical perspectives. Through hands-on activities using beginner-friendly no-code platforms, they build and test their own AI models while exploring how AI systems learn from data. By the end of the week, students have practical AI skills, critical thinking tools to evaluate AI systems, and confidence to navigate an AI-powered future.” – AI Literacy Bootcamp Faculty, Mai Dahshan
Engineering for Human Health: A Dive into Biomedical Engineering
Students discovered how engineers are helping solve some of healthcare’s biggest challenges through Engineering for Human Health: A Dive into Biomedical Engineering. By studying diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer, students explored how biomedical engineers use coding, computational modeling, and research to design new therapeutic approaches.
Working collaboratively, students practiced defining real-world medical problems, researching possible solutions, and communicating their ideas while gaining firsthand experience in one of engineering’s fastest-growing fields.
“In this class, I learned the basics of coding in NetLogo, and I also learned a lot about the biological mechanics of cancer, which was really interesting to me because I haven’t taken AP Biology yet. It almost felt like a pre-AP Biology course, which I thought was really interesting. Learning how to integrate biology and chemistry into the engineering process, which I always thought would be very confusing, was also really cool. I think the professors did a great job explaining the engineering process through the steps we completed throughout the program.” – Biomedical Engineering Student
A Summer of New Possibilities
The addition of these five new courses expanded the range of experiences available through Inspire and gave students new opportunities to explore college majors, discover future careers, and build confidence through hands-on learning.
Whether they were designing buildings, studying the brain, caring for patients, experimenting with artificial intelligence, or engineering solutions to improve human health, students spent the summer tackling real-world challenges while learning from experts in their fields.
As Inspire continues to grow, these new classes reflect the program’s commitment to offering innovative learning experiences that help students discover what’s possible—both in college and beyond.