F.I.T.

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the Golden Gate Area Council (GGAC) have partnered to launch an intellectually challenging, innovative, interdisciplinary program,  Finding Independent Track (F.I.T.).

Finding Independent Track (F.I.T.) 

Philosophy

Finding Independent Track (F.I.T.) is a rapid and an intense adaptive learning program for high school juniors and seniors. F.I.T. encourages an early-stage interdisciplinary mindset in high school students through awareness, real-time reflection, and contextualization of self. F.I.T. nurtures self-awareness through interactive learning, facilitated by peer-peer and student-instructor thoughtful discussions in a Socratic style, all of which are used as tools to solve complex problems within the realm of our current circumstances. Predictive models are built through critical analyses of data extracted from various sources including the Economist, National Geographic, Nature and Science magazines. Participants to perform in-depth research, and thereby generate awareness about the interconnectedness between three main topics: The Earth, The Human, and The Social and Political constructs.

 

About

F.I.T. “Finding Independent Track” is an intellectually challenging three-week college flavored summer program by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in collaboration with the Golden Gate Area Council (GGAC). The first week of the program is designed to cover prerequisites that include statistics, public speaking, and scholarship. The fast-paced second and third weeks of the program focus on tracks selected by the students. All tracks assume an interdisciplinary approach to identify potential solutions to current problems related to health, environment, and politics. The F.I.T. participants present their solutions in a written report and give an oral presentation to those invited. 

 

This intellectually rigorous interdisciplinary program brings to light the overarching global problems that impact the well-being of individuals through real-life case studies. Solutions are developed using a) contextualization, b) critical thinking, and c) student-teacher and peer-peer interactive approaches in the following tracks:

  • Data Sciences – Statistics, Programming, Medicine, Dentistry, Imaging, Public Health, Environmental Science
  • Earth Sciences – Environmental Science, Sustainability, Soil and Water Conservation, Nature, Geology, Chemistry, Material Science
  • Health Sciences – Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health, Nutrition, Physical Fitness, Diagnostic Devices
  • Political Sciences – Law, Government, International Business, Labor, American Cultures and Heritage

F.I.T. 2023

F.I.T. 2023 will expand and have returning faculty as well as new teaching assistants (TAs). Merit Badge work will also be introduced as an optional program to continue with the Scouting advancement program while expanding on the knowledge from previous education. For more information about the F.I.T. Program or to apply for the 2024 F.I.T. Program, contact Sunita Ho, Director of FIT, [email protected]

 

Application: The 2023 Program is in progress. Please check back early next year to apply for the 2024 Program.

About Sunita Ho                  

Sunita Ho is a professor at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She primarily directs a program in biomineralization studies (PiBiomS) and works on biominerals that form on earth and in the human body. This federally funded interdisciplinary program constitutes anyone interested in learning by exploring and discovering how and why minerals aggregate in human tissues in unwanted locations. As a bioengineer, interprofessional collaboration with clinicians in both Schools of Dentistry and Medicine at UCSF allows her to “engineer” novel solutions to complex problems specific to the human body. What motivates Sunita is to learn by exercising her curiosity, and discover by exploring side-by-side with her fellow colleagues, students, clinicians and scientists alike. ([email protected])