Have you always wanted a Harvard or MIT education but simply lacked the money, the time, and just about everything else to achieve one?
They say it's never too late to stop learning, and apparently a group of higher learning institutions agrees with that sentiment. Some of the most prestigious universities in the world, such as like Boston University, Massachusetts of Technology, Harvard University, Kyoto University, and Cornell University, have formed edX, a nonprofit created by founding partners Harvard and MIT with the goal of bringing higher education to students around the world with online classes in subjects including law, history, science, engineering, business, social sciences, computer science, public health, and artificial intelligence.
The best part? Classes are completely free to register, you attend virtually, and most require no prerequisites like a degree or career experience.
The lessons can be taken at any time, and students have a choice of just auditing a class or doing homework and completing exams to achieve a certificate of mastery. Imagine the tears in your mother's eyes as you present your Harvard pedigree!
Though most classes are technology-based, there are some very practical and interesting ones like Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness; The Ancient Greek Hero; and Innovation and Commercialization.
But what caught our eye (and what we registered for) is Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science. The course, led by Michael Brenner (Glover professor of applied mathematics and applied physics and Harvard College professor at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) and David Weitz (professor of physics and applied physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Department of Physics), will also have a host of acclaimed chefs who will demonstrate how science plays a part in culinary arts.
Maybe you've heard of some of the chefs? Wylie Dufresne, José Andres, Nathan Myhrvold, and Ferran Adrià are some of the chefs who will demonstrate the science behind emulsions, spherifications, and elasticity. Plus, there will be interactive laboratory experiments to be conducted in your kitchen each week.
Let's recap, shall we? A Harvard education in the science of food, with principles demonstrated by the greatest chefs in the world, with free tuition.
Classes start October 2013. Sharpen your pencils and register at edx.org. We'll save you a (virtual) seat in class.
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