Supercharge your skills this summer.
Prepare for an exciting summer of discovery at Cornell Bowers! Whether you're diving into information science, computer science, statistics or data science, our summer courses offer an unparalleled opportunity to challenge yourself academically.
With access to Cornell courses taught by our world-class instructors, high school and college students can explore cutting-edge concepts and gain valuable skills. Join us!
Browse Courses:
Understanding and using the superpowers of AI
Dive into the transformative world of artificial intelligence! Available to high school and college students, this online course teaches students from any background how AI works and how to use it effectively.
2026 Computer Science Courses
Focuses on basic programming concepts and problem analysis and decomposition
Overview: Designed for students who intend to take CS 1110 or CS 1112 and wish to get a head start. The programming concepts to be studied include control flow, function, and list. An appropriate high-level programming language is used.
Instruction Mode: In-Person
Unravels some of the mysteries going on inside software used for art and music
Overview: Over the centuries, artists in a wide variety of media have employed many approaches to the creative process, ranging from the philosophical to the mechanical to the virtual. This course looks at ways of breaking things apart and sampling and ways of putting things together and resynthesizing, and explores ideas for creation. This course does not teach software packages for creating art and music. The course complements ART 2701 and MUSIC 1421. (MT)
Instruction Mode: In-Person
Provides an introduction to the science of the mind
Overview: Everyone knows what it's like to think and perceive, but this subjective experience provides little insight into how minds emerge from physical entities like brains. To address this issue, cognitive science integrates work from at least five disciplines: Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Philosophy. This course introduces students to the insights these disciplines offer into the workings of the mind by exploring visual perception, attention, memory, learning, problem solving, language, and consciousness.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous
Examines network structures and how they matter in everyday life
Overview: The course examines how each of the computing, economic, sociological and natural worlds are connected and how the structure of these connections affects each of these worlds. Tools of graph theory and game theory are taught and then used to analyze networks. Topics covered include the web, the small world phenomenon, markets, neural networks, contagion, search and the evolution of networks.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous
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Introduction to the design of systems programs, with emphasis on multiprogrammed operating systems
Overview: Topics include concurrency, synchronization, deadlocks, memory management, protection, input-output methods, networking, file systems and security. The impact of network and distributed computing environments on operating systems is also discussed.
Instruction Mode: In-Person
Develops techniques used in the design and analysis of algorithms, with an emphasis on problems arising in computing applications
Overview: Example applications are drawn from systems and networks, artificial intelligence, computer vision, data mining, and computational biology. This course covers four major algorithm design techniques (greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, and network flow), undecidability and NP-completeness, and algorithmic techniques for intractable problems (including identification of structured special cases , approximation algorithms, local search heuristics, and online algorithms).
Instruction Mode: In-Person
2026 Information Science Courses
An introduction to programming taught in Python emphasizing sizing practical code design skills and data processing
Overview: Topics will include functions, conditionals, loops, basic data structures, and writing to and from files. In addition to writing code, the class will focus on skills critical to AI-enabled development, such as writing specifications, reading code, and reflecting on design choices. Students will bAn introduction to programming taught in Python emphasizing sizing practical code design skills and data processing. e prepared to take further programming-intensive INFO classes.
Instruction Mode: Online
Examines network structures and how they matter in everyday life
Overview: The course examines how each of the computing, economic, sociological and natural worlds are connected and how the structure of these connections affects each of these worlds. Tools of graph theory and game theory are taught and then used to analyze networks. Topics covered include the web, the small world phenomenon, markets, neural networks, contagion, search and the evolution of networks.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous
Examines several approaches to understanding technology and its role in human behavior and society
Overview: Introduces students to the Communication and Information Technologies focus area of the communication department and the Human Systems track for information science. Topics include psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication; how design plays a role in the way we interface with technology and collaborate with each other; and the ways in which communication technology is situated inside social and institutional structures and cultural formations.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous
Focusing on using data to identify patterns, evaluating the strength and significance of relationships, and generating predictions using data
Overview: Topics covered include the core principles of statistical programming (such as data frames, Python/R packages, reproducible workflows, and version control), univariate and multivariate statistical analysis of small and medium-size datasets, regression methods, hypothesis testing, probability models, basic supervised and unsupervised machine learning, data visualization, and network analysis. Students will learn how to use data to make effective arguments in a way that promotes the ethical usage of data. Students who complete the course will be able to produce meaningful, data-driven analyses of real-world problems and will be prepared to begin more advanced work in data-intensive domains.
Instruction Mode: In Person
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Addresses the contemporary socio- technological challenges and debates about digital media and information technologies and their impact on society
Overview: This course covers a broad spectrum of topics spanning digital technologies, social behaviors, and society. We will critically evaluate research evidence and its relevance to various social contexts and practices, diverse users and uses of social media, ethical and policy implications, trade-offs of potential solutions, and the impact of socio-technological shifts on individuals and communities. Our overarching goal is to challenge commonplace assumptions about these tools and phenomena; and to ask deeper questions about their profound impact on society.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous
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Introduces theories and applications of communicating with data, with an emphasis on visualizations
Overview: Data scientists often present information to disseminate their findings. To support this approach, we will focus on the what, why, and how of data visualization. What focuses on specific types of visualizations for a particular purpose, as well as tools for constructing these plots. In how we will focus on the process of generating a data visualization from pre-processing the raw data, mapping attributes of the data to plot aesthetics, strategically determining how to define the visual encoding of the data for maximal accessibility, and finalizing the visualization to consider the importance of visual appeal. In why we discuss the theory tying together the how and the what, and consider empirical evidence of best-practices in data communication.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous
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Examines moral and ethical issues in communication, new media, and technology
Overview: Using theories and research in moral philosophy and psychology, we examine how people perceive and reason about ethical issues presented by media and technology, and how moral action is influenced by cognitive, emotional, and ethical belief systems. Issues of autonomy, transparency, harm, privacy, manipulation, justice, democracy, equality, and care are discussed. We analyze the consistency between personal and professional ethics, the importance of moral character and agency, and the translation of moral thought to ethical action, and address the development of professional and personal ethical codes of conduct and research for communication professionals in the areas of new media and technology.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Synchronous
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A gateway for students of any major or background to delve into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence
Overview: Students will learn how modern AI systems work, demystifying the large language models behind chatbots, image generators, and more. They will also develop a critical lens for evaluating AI's societal impact, examining issues ranging from privacy and creative authorship to bias and labor. Finally, the course will teach students how to use AI effectively with hands-on activities and projects. Students will learn to responsibly integrate AI into their studying and research workflows, and build custom software tools using AI-powered coding agents. By the end of the course, they will be well-equipped to engage with AI confidently, critically, and responsibly.
Please Note: This course appears under INFO 4940: Special Topics in Information Science to reflect its status as a new and innovative addition to the curriculum.
Instruction Mode: Online
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Examines moral and ethical issues in communication, new media, and technology
Overview: Using theories and research in moral philosophy and psychology, we examine how people perceive and reason about ethical issues presented by media and technology, and how moral action is influenced by cognitive, emotional, and ethical belief systems. Issues of autonomy, transparency, harm, privacy, manipulation, justice, democracy, equality, and care are discussed. We analyze the consistency between personal and professional ethics, the importance of moral character and agency, and the translation of moral thought to ethical action, and address the development of professional and personal ethical codes of conduct and research for communication professionals in the areas of new media and technology.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Synchronous
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2026 Statistic and Data Science Courses
Covers essential tools for data collection and analysis in the modern age of big data
Overview: Students will learn foundational topics in statistics, including the notions of sampling, data summarization and visualization, and statistical inference. Students will also learn basics of R programming required for exploratory data analysis. In addition, modern techniques for simulation based statistical inference will be covered to complement classical statistical inference.
Instruction Mode: Online
Covers data exploration and display, data gathering methods, probability, and statistical inference methods through contingency tables and linear regression
Overview: Statistics is about understanding the world through data. We are surrounded by data, so there is a lot to understand. The emphasis is on thinking scientifically, understanding what is commonly done with data (and doing some of it for yourself), and laying a foundation for further study. Students learn to use statistical software and simulation tools to discover fundamental results. They use computers regularly; the test includes both multimedia materials and a software package. This course does not focus on data from any particular discipline, but will use real-world examples from a wide variety of disciplines and current events.
Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Asynchronous