Archive
Math festival and math enrichment classes at Emory
Emory Math Circle is a place for kids who want to take their math to a different level.
Students in grades 6 to 12 use games, puzzles and problems to look more deeply at how math works and discover fundamental advanced math concepts.
Math Circle meets on weekends — about twice a month — on the Emory campus. Groups are taught by Ph.D. students from Emory and Georgia Tech.
The next session of Math Circle will begin in mid-September. Registration ends August 31.
Another math enrichment opportunity at Emory is a Julia Robinson Math Festival on Sept. 7, in the atrium of the Math and Science Center. At this afternoon drop-in event, students can visit multiple stations where they’ll explore math problems and concepts, with guidance from mathematicians. It’s free and open to the whole family.
National YoungArts Foundation offers life-long support for teens gifted in visual, performing, or literary arts
Being admitted to the National YoungArts program is more than an honor. It’s a passport to a lifetime of mentoring and support in the arts.
The National Arts Competition is open to artists ages 15 to 18, or in grades 10 to 12, in these artistic disciplines:
- classical music
- dance
- design arts
- film
- jazz
- photography
- theater
- visual arts
- voice
- writing
Winners will receive cash awards, take classes with accomplished artists, and benefit from a lifetime of mentoring, performance opportunities, and professional support.
The application deadline is Oct. 11, 2019. Find out more at the YoungArts competition web site and in this recent article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Can you design a better way to grow plants in space? Enter this contest.
The International Space Station isn’t the easiest place for agriculture. There’s simply not much room for a garden. Today, plants aboard the spaceship are grown in small cubes. It’s workable, but it doesn’t maximize the available space.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is working with NASA to improve gardening systems for the ISS and has opened the Growing Beyond Earth Maker Contest. The contest challenges students in high school and college, as well as professionals, to design and build better systems.
Entries will be judged by a panel of NASA scientists. Five winners will be selected from each level (high school, college, professional). Those winners will go on to have their designs tested to determine the final three winners.
Register now to start getting information and briefings. An initial webinar with information about current gardening systems aboard the ISS will be tomorrow, July 10. The final deadline for finished designs is Feb. 3, 2020.
Data science project at Emory seeks high school and college students
Ymir Vigfusson, assistant professor of computer science at Emory University, describes himself as a computer hacker. More accurately, he goes on the offensive to test the security of computer systems.
Vigfusson is the faculty advisor for the Coke Rewards Code Citizen Science Project, a research project being conducted by Ph.D. students in the Emory math department. The project combines data science, statistics, and machine learning to investigate the security risks in the generation of codes for the Coke Rewards program.
The graduate students are looking for help from students in 9th grade or higher with an interest in computer science, data science, cryptography, or related fields. Programming experience isn’t required. Students will complete a tutorial in the Python programming language, which will be used in the analysis of the codes.
The project is expected to run through September 2019. Work can be done on the Emory campus or remotely, and the hours are completely flexible.
After working on the project, students can use what they’ve learned as the basis for independent science fair projects.
It’s that time again: Firefly Watch
I’ve been noticing fireflies in the evenings the past week or two. That reminds me, it’s time again for Firefly Watch.
This is a low-commitment, fun way to involve children in citizen science. If you can spend a minimum of 10 minutes a week observing fireflies in your back yard, you can take part in this project that helps Tufts University researchers track firefly populations across North America. It’s easy to do, and the web site lets you compare your data with what observers in other regions are seeing.
Firefly Watch began in 2008 as a program of the Museum of Science in Boston. It’s now part of Mass Audubon. Participation is free.
New, private high school for self-motivated learners
Coming to the Atlanta area this fall: Sora Schools, a private high school catering to students who want to create their own educational path.
Sora Schools is for self-directed students, especially those with a passion that falls outside the bounds of traditional academics. Examples include computer science, writing or film-making.
At Sora Schools, students complete personal projects that utilize their passion and incorporate other academic elements, keeping them engaged while ensuring they’re exposed to a broad education.
School is mostly conducted online, with students meeting in person once a week in the Dunwoody area.
Spaces are available for the 2019-2020 school year.
Summer day camps at UWG
The University of West Georgia will offer a number of day camps this summer at its Carrollton and Newnan campuses.
Camps are offered for children as young as 5 (rising kindergarten) through teens. Camp themes include dinosaurs, STEM, ocean life, art and movie making.
The camps are described as fun with a touch of academic content.
Summer program in Gwinnett for elementary and middle school students
The Gwinnett Alliance for Gifted Education (GAGE) will offer two weeks of its Summer Exploration Program this summer.
The camp is open to rising 1st through 8th graders. Campers choose a morning class and an afternoon class. Topics include brain teasers, event planning, food science, criminal justice, games, and more. Each class is taught by a certified teacher.
Summer Exploration Program camps will be held June 3-7 at Partee Elementary School in Snellville, and June 10-14 at Arcado Elementary School in Lilburn. The registration deadline is May 24, 2019.
Students don’t have to be enrolled in Gwinnett County Public Schools to attend the GAGE camps.
Major birdwatching event this Saturday
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology invites anyone interested in birds or citizen science to take part in its annual Global Big Day this Saturday, May 4.
By participating, you’ll be joining tens of thousands of other birders around the world who are making note of birds they see. As with other citizen-science birding events, Global Big Day helps scientists see patterns in bird populations and migrations.
You can be part of Global Big Day by watching for birds for as little as 10 minutes, anytime during the day, at any location — although if you’re looking for a birding hot spot, the Cornell Lab can make suggestions.
Summer music camp at Clayton State
Spivey Hall at Clayton State University will offer a music camp this summer for students rising to grades 4-7.
Campers will sing in a chorus, play percussion and chimes, and learn folk dances, in addition to other social and artistic activities. Musical experience isn’t required to attend the camp, but campers should be enthusiastic about making music with others.
The camp will be held June 10-14, 2019, on the Clayton State University campus. Registration is open now. Enrollment is limited to 45 students.
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