Advanced STEM - The Eudaimonia Program
The Eudaimonia program at Qualia serves a population of gifted, highly motivated learners who crave extraordinary challenge and autonomy in science and mathematics. We seek to reinvent math and science instruction, combining the best parts of university learning with the academic supports that allow gifted students to truly flourish.
A School-Within-A-School
To the Greeks, the “good life” was defined by eudaimonia, the apex of human flourishing.
The Eudaimonia “school-within-a school” model pushes the boundaries of a traditionally progressive program, offering a unique curriculum tailored to the student’s passions.
Traditional math and science programs often fail the highly gifted and motivated student. A “one-size-fits-all” curriculum simply doesn’t work when learners have different backgrounds and strengths. At worst, the pace mismatch inspires classroom boredom; at best, students are accelerated to simply learn more facts, complete more problems, or race ahead to the next unit. These students need and deserve a richer, more authentic experience of science and mathematics.
In Eudaimonia, students are able to tackle real scientific work while leaving space to pursue advanced STEM topics not usually included in the high school curriculum–from linear algebra to fractal math to nanotechnology to machine learning and beyond.
The Eudaimonia Model
Asynchronous milestone learning
Eudaimonia students are motivated learners, who can work independently rather than waiting for the class to catch up. Students move through a structured curriculum at their own pace, with a qualified teacher always on hand to scaffold necessary skills and provide direction.
The Eudaimonia Model
Lab work with individual mentorship
The heart of science learning happens in the lab, but standard “cookie-cutter” labs are designed more to train technicians than working scientists. Instead, Eudaimonia students work closely with a mentor teacher to create a long-term laboratory project in their field of study, perform exploratory and formal science experiments, and analyze their results. Students finish the year with a final report that summarizes their results in the larger context of modern research and serves as an impressive supplement to any college application.
The Eudaimonia Model
Connections to working scientists & engineers
To fully realize their projects, Eudaimonia students collaborate and consult with professors, working scientists, and engineers and use university lab equipment, while receiving background support from an Qualia faculty liaison.
The Eudaimonia Model
Problem-solving roundtable
Although Eudaimonia students learn content at their own pace, they also experience collaborative problem-solving and working as a team. In weekly sessions, students come together with peers and teachers to tackle extra-challenging problems from the AMC and AIME competition math exams, discuss journal articles, or solve engineering challenges. Qualia faculty serve as Socratic facilitators, pushing students to get “in the mess” of problem-solving without fear of foundering.
