Virtual Sigma Daily Schedule 2020

We see the development of a schedule for Virtual Sigma as one of the major challenges in adapting to the online experience. Our goal is carry over the academic and non-academic program diversity, while being mindful of logistics such as time-zones and avoiding too much continuous screen time for campers: After all, it is the summer!

So, our philosophy this year is to have a limited number of essential activities that are part of a pre-determined schedule, and then have many other informal and flexible academic and non-academic opportunities.

Like in the in-person program, Virtual Sigma 2020 will begin on Sunday with a get-to-know-each other and Sigma Quest. The activities will begin at noon, EST, and conclude with the Opening Ceremony, expected to end at 4 pm EST. 

The schedule for Monday - Friday is (all times given in Eastern Standard Time, UTC-5):

9.30 AM – 10:00 AM: Team Time

An opportunity for campers and counselors to spend time together, and to discuss just about anything: To plan the day, decide which activities to attend, and just to catch up.

10.00 AM – 11:30 AM: SemiLab

A semilab is a week-long exploration of a fascinating science topic through experiments and demonstrations (and the theory behind it, of course). It is your chance to work with a real scientist, and to feel like one. You can choose to explore fire chemistry, the art of cryptography, the study of genes, the brilliance of electromagnetism, and many other exciting topics.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lecture 

This is not just a lecture - this is an invitation to learn about and discuss a fascinating subject that may just change your perspective on science! You can choose to learn about the mathematics of shoe laces, embark on a journey from philosopher’s stone to modern science, travel inside the mitochondria, discover a world where straight lines are curved, learn about the inconceivable mystery of the Great Nothing, and more. You will be able to choose one out of 3-4 talks every day. A full list of lectures will be available in July. 

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Workshops and Art

Our traditional (but virtual) Workshops will run in parallel with our special Art Program taught by Sasha Kuznetsov!

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Sigma Tournament

The Sigma tournament is our traditional team problem-solving tournament, which features problems from Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Linguistics.

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Art, Games, Music etc. 

Games including classics like Mafia, and the second art session.