Navarathri, which is celebrated throughout India, falls in September or October. On the first three days, people pray (祈祷) to the goddess Durga, the protector who destroys all evil. The next three days they pray to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Then, also for three days, they look to Saraswathi, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. The tenth and final day of the festival is for the goddess Durga. On this day many years ago, Durga killed the evil buffalo-headed monster, Mahishasura.

    My daughter and I took out the models of the gods and goddesses that we had stored away last year. Soon the room was littered with all kinds of dolls. We usually buy at least one new doll every year. On the tenth day, the dolls are carefully put away. If a doll is too damaged to be shown, it is never thrown away. Instead, it is put deep into the seas.

    In our hallway six long wooden steps are set up. First, we spread a thick white cloth over the steps. Now it's time to put the dolls on the steps carefully. Every year, the gollu is different. Sometimes — as the collection grows — there is no space to fit all of the dolls on the steps. Smaller dolls can also be placed on the floor.

    Every night there are prayers, music, dancing, and a large meal for many people. In northern India, the children sing songs while doing the dandiya raas, a traditional dance. Every dancer also has two wooden sticks — called dandiya — that he or she uses to make a sound in time to the lovely music. Dancing the dandiya raas helps people think of the true meaning of Navarathri — togetherness, laughter, and fun!

    Have you ever wondered what the longest word in the English language is? Believe it or not, there's no simple answer to the question. You might think it would be as easy as opening a dictionary and looking for the longest word. However, it's far more complicated (复杂的) than that.

    Over time, many people have suggested many different words for the title of the longest word in English. How can that be? That's because the first thing that people have different opinions on is what should be considered a word. Some of the words were simply made up to be the longest! For example, there is one really famous long word that most kids know. It comes from Disney's movie Mary Poppins: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, which means wonderful. But since that 34-letter word was made up simply to be sung as a song in a movie, should it count?

    How about long words that actually describe something in the world? Scientists have come up with several possible choices. The name of a virus(病毒) totals 1,185 letters. There's also a protein(蛋白质) whose name totals 1, 909 letters. Should these win the title? "Not so fast!" say some people. Are these words ever actually used? Can they even be pronounced? And are they meaningful just because they are made up to be long?

    If you're wondering about some long words in common English, here are some examples. Those words include uncharacteristically (20 letters), deinstitutionalization(22 letters) and counterrevolutionaries (also 22 letters) Or perhaps the word "smiles" is the longest word in English. Sure, it has only six letters, but there is a "mile between the first and the last letters!

    In this Pennsylvania city, Pittsburgh is shrinking but getting wealthier. Since 2000, its population has declined by 95,000 while its income per capita (人均) has shot up 24 percent. The trend is taking hold in many other cities, like Buffalo in New York, Providence in Rhode Island and New Orleans.

    Some of these areas have created more high-paying jobs in energy, health care or education. Others have managed to reshape their producing industry for a new economy. Higher-paying jobs have a greater effect because they create demand for additional services. "The story in Pittsburgh is very positive, and other areas are looking at it as an example of the transformation that might be possible,” said Guhan Venkatu, who wrote an economic history of the area called “Rust and Renewal” for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

    Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have helped bring tech jobs and innovation(革新) to the area by sponsoring tech centers that help graduates start companies without moving to Silicon Valley or San Francisco. This has helped keep Pittsburgh's educated young population growing even as the entire population in the city has dropped.

    Pittsburgh has more STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs than other shrinking cities, about 80, 000 or 7% of all jobs. STEM jobs add productivity and income growth to the area. Manufacturers of high-tech medical equipment in the Pittsburgh area also have doubled employment in the last 10 years.

    However, some experts question whether growing income per capita can really make up for a declining population. According to Patrick Adler, a researcher at the University of Toronto, population loss does matter if it means lower-skilled workers have fled because of a lack of opportunity. What's more, high-paying jobs in education and health care can disappear if the population declines too greatly. So it'd be wise to find ways to increase the population.

    We have many trips for you to explore the world your way. Our travel ideas are as diverse as the world itself and are designed to let you experience it. Please start with the following four trips.

Athens and Crete Explorer

London for Families

Australia & New Zealand

Classic Egypt

Columbia Engineering's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE) is a selective pre-college program for high school students and recent graduates. SHAPE is tailored for students with a gift for STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each 3-week session offers college-level, project-based courses in engineering taught by celebrated professors at the university. 

SHAPE gives students a more realistic picture of what it means to be an engineer and its professional development components help students develop the skills they need to get there.

Courses

SHAPE features creative problem-solving courses and exposes students to innovative engineering techniques and knowledge presented by professors. Please note that SHAPE does not provide college credit. 

Students gain access to the famous MakerSpace and state-of-the-art research laboratories after completing the safety training and will only do so under close guidance. 

SHAPE also provides students with workshops to explore career fields, professional development, and guidance on sharpening one's college application from admissions officers. Students in the program will be visiting companies and organizations that show the classroom content in practice. 

Application

Students are selected based on the following criteria: 

⒈Strong academic record 

⒉Personal statement to demonstrate excitement and interest in STEM through engagement in challenging courses, activities, projects, etc. 

⒊Enthusiastic letter of recommendation submitted by a math or science teacher 

⒋Creative responses to two required questions and one of the three optional questions 

We encourage all students to apply by the priority deadline of June 15, 2023, so there is no application fee. After the priority deadline, a $50 application fee is required. 

SHAPE is dedicated to supporting students and their families in need of financial assistance. We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships, which cover the full cost of SHAPE. To be considered for a need-based scholarship, families will need to provide a recent pay receipt and complete a Family Income and Expense Worksheet.

Email: shape@columbia.edu for more information.