On-Campus Experiences

Rising Scholars

Held on our beautiful campus in Abilene, Texas, students enroll in one course during their Rising Scholars on Campus experience. Through hands-on learning, taught by some of ACU’s most popular faculty, students walk away with one hour of college credit, an amazing learning experience and a glimpse of college life at ACU.
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Held on our beautiful campus in Abilene, Texas, students enroll in one course during their Rising Scholars on Campus experience. Through hands-on learning, taught by some of ACU’s most popular faculty, students walk away with one hour of college credit, an amazing learning experience and a glimpse of college life at ACU.

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KEY DATES

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Session 1

June 25 - July 1, 2023

Session 2

July 9 - July 15, 2023

Session 1: June 25 - July 1, 2023

PHYS 140 (1 hour credit)
Introduction to Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing
Faculty: Dr. Rusty Towell

The Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab at ACU invites advanced STEM students to join the NEXT team for a week of instruction and hands-on experience in our research facilities. The mission of ACU’s NEXT Lab is to provide global solutions to the world’s need for energy, water and medical isotopes by advancing the technology of molten salt reactors while educating future leaders in nuclear science and engineering.

 

CHEM 140 (1 hour credit)
The Chemistry of Color
Faculty: Dr. Cynthia Powell

Color is integral to diverse fields: art and design, medicine, business marketing and the physical and biological sciences. In this hands-on, laboratory-based seminar course, students explore how color is produced with pigments and light through guided experiments. A chemistry background is not necessary; students with many different interests enjoy working with faculty and peers to discover how color can be used to identify, classify and enhance in surprising and delightful ways.

BIBL 140 (1 hour credit)
Jesus and the Marginalized: Service in an Urban Setting
Faculty: Robert Lopez De Castilla

This immersive class experience explores Jesus’ model of service by studying his commitment to the poor and powerless. Students will investigate themes of service in the classroom and encounter marginalized people groups in Abilene. Through connections with local churches, nonprofits and community leaders, students will walk away with new insights and tangible experiences of service.

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Session 2: July 9-15, 2023

ENGL 140 (1 hour credit)
The Book Was Better
Faculty: Dr. Todd Womble

In this course, we read a handful of short texts and then watch their film adaptations, all for the purpose of investigating the complicated process of adaptation. At the center of this course are a few questions: What is the relationship between a text and its adaptation? How does one impact the other, and how do we approach each as a reader and a viewer? And, finally, why is the book almost always better than the film?

ENTR 140 (1 hour credit)
Startup Sprint in Entrepreneurship
Faculty: Jim Litton

Students spend the week practicing entrepreneurship by identifying a problem, developing a sustainable solution and pitching it to a judging panel at the end of the week. Along the way, they work with all of the entrepreneurship faculty and hear from current students, young entrepreneurship alumni and leaders from the college and local community. The course ends with a live pitch event in downtown Abilene where a group of experienced entrepreneurs and professionals provide feedback and award cash prizes to the top teams.

JMC 140 (1 hour credit)
Darkroom to Digital – An Adventure in Photography
Faculty: Matt Maxwell

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” With these words, our universe became visible and the art of photography was made possible. Join us as we discover the genesis of photography through light and lens, the thrill of watching an image appear on paper in the darkroom and shoot the night sky with the latest in digital camera technology. Whether you have photographic understanding or none at all, this experiential class is memorable and the knowledge you take with you lasts a lifetime.

DET 140 (1 hour credit)
Virtual Reality Game Development
Faculty: Rich Tanner

Explore existing VR games and experiences and create VR games with the Unity game engine! Students learn to create simple 3D game art in Blender and build worlds and write the code needed to create original VR experiences. No previous art or programming experience required.

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Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the Rising Scholars application process or the individual programs available. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you begin your college adventure with ACU.

 

 

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