A new website pulls together a wide range of opportunities at no cost to students this summer, including pop-up classes, workshops, visits from guest speakers and even a lecture on the hit musical Hamilton.

“We kept hearing about students who’d lost their internships or research positions or whose plans could no longer happen,” said Danielle Wood, associate dean and director of Summer Session. “We wanted to help somehow.”

These non-credit, virtual sessions from departments and organizations across campus are free and open to all matriculated Stanford students. Wood said that what started as an effort to put all the offerings into one place ended up leading to new programs.

“There were so many organizations and people who jumped in – Stanford Arts, the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, BEAM Career Education, CCARE [Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education], Continuing Studies, the Cantor, the Office for Religious Life and faculty members like Allyson Hobbs, Ge Wang, Tina Seelig, Tom Byers and others,” she said.

With the pandemic upending many students’ summer plans, these programs offer a great way to hone skills, pick up new ones and stay connected. They also offer flexibility for those who may be taking for-credit courses or working this summer.

“Whether they have an hour or a month, we wanted to encourage Stanford students to feel connected this summer and have something they can engage with in a meaningful way,” Wood said.

Several registration deadlines are fast approaching, so students interested in participating are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. Among the notable options is a pop-up class called The Daily Photograph: Developing Your Creative Intuition. In this five-week experience, students take a photograph every day. No supplies are required beyond each student’s camera of choice – whether an SLR or a mobile phone. The pop-up also includes an office hour every Friday and a private online gallery in order to facilitate interaction among the community. Enrollment is first-come, first-served and capped at 40 students.

Hacking 4 Recovery is a team-based entrepreneurial intensive class that teaches students about the post-pandemic economy. Students will learn start-up techniques, develop business models and build innovations for a recovering economy. Three sessions, each lasting five days, are offered between late June and mid-August.

Learn to handle difficulty and cultivate resilience in Compassion and the Capacity to Thrive in Trying Times. In this pop-up class, students will learn scientifically proven methods to increase compassion, reduce anxiety, build resilience and awaken new ways to thrive in challenging times. This class is free and offered by CCARE. There are two sessions happening July 2 and 9.

Did you enjoy Hamilton? The award-winning play is the subject of the lecture “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: Hamilton and the Re-Staging of America’s Past”. Allyson Hobbs, associate professor of history, will discuss how Hamilton has redefined the American musical, particularly in terms of sound, casting and storytelling, on July 9.

Students looking for options to set at their own pace might consider one of the “self-driving” experiences. Artful Design, for example, is a multi-format weekly series encompassing design, music, coding and critical making with helpings of history and philosophy. Each week, participants will explore a topic or prompt, have a conversation and attempt a collaborative activity. The series is hosted by Ge Wang, associate professor of music, and takes place every Wednesday at 1 p.m. on Zoom.

For a full list of summer programs, see the 4thQuarter website.