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UGA now accepting 8th-11th graders for Duke TIP Scholar Weekends
The University of Georgia is now registering students for its Duke TIP Scholar Weekends being held on Feb. 28 to March 1 and April 18-19, 2015.
Scholar weekends are open to students in grades 8-11 who have either A) taken part in a talent search conducted by Duke TIP; or B) been identified as gifted by their school. This includes students taking accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement or IB classes.
Available topics for the weekends include oceanography, new media, robotics, international relations, and Shakespeare, just to name a few. The most popular classes will fill quickly.
Students stay on campus in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education during the weekend.
Limited financial aid may be available.
UGA-Duke TIP Academic Adventures spring programs now registering 5th and 6th graders
UGA-Duke TIP Academic Adventures for fifth and sixth grade students will be offered on the University of Georgia campus on Jan. 24, Feb. 14, and March 21, 2015. Registration for all three sessions is open now on a first come, first served basis.
To participate in this one-day program, your child must be enrolled in the Duke TIP 4th-6th Grade Talent Search.
Academic Adventures students choose a single topic to study, such as zoology, chemistry, fantasy literature, improv, social media, sharks, Bugbot design, and mini vet school. That’s just a sampling — there are dozens more courses covering topics your child is unlikely to encounter in school.
Popular courses will sell out. The cost for each one-day session is $145. Need-based scholarships may be available.
If you haven’t registered your child with Duke TIP, it’s an easy process, and it gives you access to programs like Academic Adventures as well as useful information about raising gifted children.
Get $200 off Space Camp through Monday at midnight
Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., is offering a $200 discount off programs for kids and families, now through Monday at midnight. 
The discount can be used for a week of Space Camp, Aviation Challenge, or Robotics summer camp, or for the weekend family camp versions of Space Camp or Aviation Challenge.
If it feels too early to commit to summer camp dates, don’t sweat it. Space Camp will let you register now, take the $200 discount, and select your program dates later.
This is the only sale Space Camp offers to the general public.
Family Engineering Night at Tellus this Friday
This Friday night, Nov. 14, is Family Engineering Night at Tellus Museum in Cartersville.
From 5 to 9 p.m., you can learn about robotic design and operation, with a little computer science, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering thrown in.
Then, you can use what you’ve learned to build your own robot in the LEGO Creative Build Competition. Spaces for the competition are limited, and you must pay a small fee to participate. Pre-registration is required for all competitors, by calling (770) 606-5700, ext. 431. All competitors will receive a LEGO build kit to take home.
For Star Wars fans, R2-D2 will be at the museum for photo ops.
Deadline TODAY to register for tomorrow’s digital astronomy workshop
Kids can learn to capture photographs from the Smithsonian’s robotic telescopes by taking part in the Digital Astronomy Workshop, TOMORROW, Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville.
The workshop will teach participants how to operate the telescopes, which are located in Arizona and Massachusetts, to capture images for download. As “homework,” these newly trained digital astronomers will be expected to process and share their best images with Tellus. Some of the images may be displayed at the museum.
Open to ages 8 and up. $15 for Tellus members, $30 for non-members. Call 770-606-5700, ext. 417 to register. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. today. As of 10:40 a.m., there were five spaces left.
LEGO robotics team seeking sixth-grade girls
A newly formed FIRST LEGO League Robotics team in Buckhead / Sandy Springs / Dunwoody is looking for three or four sixth-grade girls to join the team. Together, this team of girls will learn teamwork, programming, and problem solving.
Prior LEGO experience is appreciated, but not required. The team will meet once a week, on Saturdays or Sundays (depending on team members’ schedules), through November. If the team does well in its fall competition, the season could stretch into early 2015.
This particular team is sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, so team members must either be active in Girl Scouts or be willing to join Girl Scouts. (They need not join or participate in a troop, but must pay a membership fee.) Total cost for Girl Scout membership, team fees and team T-shirt will be around $90.
For more information about the team, e-mail Ann, the team leader, at District13Robotics-at-gmail-dot-com (e-mail deconstructed to prevent spam; you put it back together). She needs to turn in her roster soon, so if you think your daughter may be interested, contact her this week.
Debate teams for grades 4 and up
Ivy Bridge Academy is seeking students in grades 4-12 for its debate teams. The debate program is offered on the weekends at the established campus in Johns Creek and the newly opened school campus in Cumming.
As you’d expect, students learn how to conduct research, organize ideas, and speak confidently before an audience. The debate teams compete in two regional tournaments per semester, as well as in a national tournament in the spring.
Free admission to MODA, High Museum, more on Sept. 27
Museum Day returns on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine, this annual event provides free admission to participating museums across the country.
In the Atlanta area, you can visit the High Museum, the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Museum of Design Atlanta, the APEX Museum, the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, or the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum.
Beyond the metro area, there are a number of other museums taking part.
Three things you need to know:
1) You can’t just show up at the door and expect to walk in. You have to sign up for tickets before you go.
2) There is a limit of two free admissions per household.
3) This is a popular event. Be prepared to stand in line.
UGA-Duke TIP weekend for 8th-11th grade students
Registration is open for the UGA-Duke TIP Scholar Weekend to be held Dec. 6-7, 2014 on the University of Georgia campus. This two-day program gives students the chance to study in depth a topic that is likely outside the curriculum of their school, and to do so in a college environment with like-minded peers.
Unlike the Academic Adventures program I posted about yesterday, which requires that students be registered with the Duke-TIP Talent Search, Scholar Weekends are open to any students in grades 8 to 11 who have been gifted identified by their school. This includes any students who are enrolled in honors, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement or accelerated classes.
Topics this fall include pharmacology, fantasy literature, engineering, and several more.
Students will arrive on the UGA campus on Saturday morning, spend the day learning, stay overnight at the Georgia Center hotel on the UGA campus, and continue their studies on Sunday. Courses are taught by UGA professors, graduate students, professionals, and gifted educators.
Registration deadline is Nov. 21. Popular courses typically fill before the registration deadline. Cost is $450 if the student spends the night on campus, or $400 to attend during the day only. Financial aid may be available. Register by Oct. 23 to receive a $30 discount.
Registration open for fall sessions of UGA’s Duke TIP Academic Adventures
Current fifth and sixth graders who have participated in the Duke TIP 4th-6th Grade Talent Search can sign up now for the Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014 session of Academic Adventures at the University of Georgia.
Academic Adventures students choose a single topic to study during the full-day program on the UGA campus. There are more than a dozen subjects to choose from, including myths, sharks, biology, improv, and aircraft / spacecraft design.
Registration officially closes Oct. 17, but popular courses will fill up quickly. Cost for each day is $145. Need-based scholarships may be available.
If you haven’t registered your child with Duke TIP, it’s an easy process, and it gives you access to programs like Academic Adventures as well as useful information about raising gifted children.
Gifted Atlanta 