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Learn more about Davidson Institute for profoundly gifted children
The Davidson Institute serves profoundly gifted children and teens and their families. “Profoundly gifted” is a term for those who score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ tests. These students typically learn at several grade levels ahead of their age peers, and may not have their educational needs met even through standard gifted education programs. (See the Davidson website for a more detailed definition and description.)
The Davidson Young Scholars program provides advice and resources to help families understand and meet the needs of their profoundly gifted children, both in school and in the home. The program is free to those who are accepted.
Davidson will host a live Q&A session about the application process for its Young Scholars program on Monday, April 8, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific). Registration for the event is required. If you can’t attend at the scheduled time, a recording will be available; however, you must register ahead of time to get access to the video recording.
Other opportunities Davidson offers include summer programs, online classes, scholarship competitions and a residential school.
Atlanta Science Festival returns
The annual Atlanta Science Festival starts this Saturday, March 9, and continues through March 23 with a wide variety of events for kids, teens and adults, including many hands-on activities.
The festival will kick off with Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day, a collection of exhibits on the Georgia Tech campus, this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It continues for two weeks, with dozens of events in a variety of scientific disciplines. As usual, the festival will culminate in the Exploration Expo, a free event with more than 100 informative and interactive booths, Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Piedmont Park.
The festival website allows you to search all events by date, topic, target age group, or area of town (by ZIP code).
Many events have limited space and require you to register ahead, so the sooner you make plans, the better.
Spring break and summer programs at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech has opened registration for its spring break camp and a slate of summer programs that include day camps and residential programs.
Spring Break STEAM Adventure. This one-week camp for students in grades 6-8 will be held April 1-5. The program meets daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with aftercare available until 5 p.m. at no extra cost. Each weekday will have a main theme, with topics including forensic science, computer science, and math. You can register for individual days or for the whole week. Register at the STEAM Workshops page — scroll down a bit until you see “Spring into STEAM.”
Summer P.E.A.K.S. A series of one-week and two-week day camps for students in grades 2-12. Camps meet daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Camp topics are STEAM-related and include engineering, coding, LEGO robotics, computational science, music production and energy. See the full list of camps on the summer registration page.
FBI InfraGard Cyber Security Camp. Cybersecurity experts from the FBI, Georgia Tech and private companies will introuduce cybersecurity skills and techniques to 9th-12th graders. Camp meets daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 10-14. The application deadline is March 21 at 5 p.m. To find details, go to the summer learning page and scroll down to find Georgia Tech Cyber Security Camp.
First Generation College Institute. A four-day residential program for 8th to 12th graders, June 20-23. This is an introduction to scholarships, financial aid, campus life, etc., with some STEM learning sessions during the weekend. The program is for prospective first-generation college students. Cost is $25, which includes housing and all meals. Registration deadline is April 12 at 5 p.m. To register, go to the summer learning page, scroll down to the Residential Sessions section and look for 2024 First Generation College Institute.
GT G.I.R.L.S. Institute. A five-day residential program, June 24-28, for girls in grades 9-11. Programming combines hands-on experiments and exploring the Tech campus. Application deadline is April 12 at 5 p.m. For more information, go to the summer learning page, scroll down to the Residential Sessions section and look for G.T. G.I.R.L.S.
GT Robotics Institute. A five-day residential camp, June 22-26, for students in grades 9-11. Students will build and program autonomous robots to drive on a racetrack that they design and build. Application deadline is April 12 at 5 p.m. For more information, go to the summer learning page, scroll down to the Residential Sessions section and look for GT CEISMC Robotics Institute.
Georgia Tech has need-based scholarships available for in-person programs. If a student qualifies for free or reduced price lunch at their school, they are likely eligible for a BOOST Scholarship.
Georgia Tech March 16 workshops for grades 2-12
Registration is open for Georgia Tech’s K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshop classes for Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Georgia Tech campus.
K.I.D.S. Club is open to students in grades 2 through 5. STEAM Workshops are for students in grades 6 through 12. Workshops cover a variety of topics including civil engineering, biochemical engineering, animation, architecture and physics.
Cost to attend is $65 per student. Need-based scholarships, funded by the Georgia Department of Education, are available to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school. Visit the CEISMC BOOST Scholarship page to learn more about scholarship eligibility and submit an application.
Additional K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshops are planned for April 13, 2024.
One-day “Hackathon” challenges teens to design simple software applications
The University of West Georgia invites teens to its 2024 “Hackathon” software design event, taking place on Saturday, March 9, at the college’s campus in Carrollton.
Participants will work in small teams to design simple applications that address a given community challenge. Students can come with friends and plan to work together as a team, or register alone and find teammates at the event.
Teams will use either Scratch or MIT APP Inventor, two simple coding platforms, to create their applications. However, the event organizers emphasize that participants don’t need to have prior coding experience, as they will be able to learn from more experienced participants or from mentors who will be available to assist them. Additionally, not all team members need to focus on coding — some may work on other aspects of design, implementation and promotion.
Hackathon is open to students ages 13 to 18 who are in middle school or high school.
Registration is $30, plus a $3 processing fee. Students who need financial help can apply for a scholarship that pays the registration cost.
Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 16-19
This year’s Great Backyard Bird Count will start on Friday, Feb. 16, and continue through Monday, Feb. 19. This worldwide citizen science project, which started in 1998, is a cooperative effort among the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Birds Canada.
To participate, you’ll watch the birds in your back yard, at a local park, or maybe around your school playground for as little as 15 minutes on any of the four days. You can count on more than one day, or watch longer if you want. After counting the birds, you send in your data, either by using an app you download to your phone, or by entering your counts on the eBird website.
Not only can you collect data for these projects, but you can also view the data being collected all over the world — a great opportunity to see scientific research in action.
STEM Gems Summit introduces girls to women in STEM professions
Girls interested in STEM fields can learn from women who have built successful STEM careers at the STEM Gems Summit on March 16, 2024 at Spelman College. This event will feature a panel of women who work in fields such as neuroscience, information technology, biomedical engineering, astrophysics and biotechnology. Featured speakers will talk about the work they do and the journey they took to get to their current positions.
STEM Gems is the brainchild of scientist Stephany Espy, who seeks to encourage girls to pursue STEM careers by connecting them with female mentors.
Georgia Tech February workshops for grades 2-12
Registration is open for Georgia Tech’s K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshop classes for Saturday, February 17, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Georgia Tech campus.
K.I.D.S. Club is open to students in grades 2 through 5. STEAM Workshops are for students in grades 6 through 12. Workshops cover a variety of topics including oceans, coding, polymers, robotics and biology.
Cost to attend is $65 per student. Need-based scholarships, funded by the Georgia Department of Education, are available to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school. Visit the CEISMC BOOST Scholarship page to learn more about scholarship eligibility and submit an application.
Additional K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshops dates for the spring season are planned for March 16 and April 13, 2024.
Emory Math Circle registering for spring 2024
The Math Circle program at Emory University is now registering for its spring 2024 classes, which will begin at the end of January.
Math Circle is an enrichment program for middle-school and high-school kids who enjoy mathematics and want to explore topics beyond what’s taught in their regular math class at school.
Classes meet twice a month on Saturdays. Students can register for either in person or Zoom-based classes.
You can get more information and register at the Math Circle website.
Emory Math Circle is free to attend, but the program operates with the help of donations, and they suggest a donation of $30 per child for those who can afford to give.
Georgia Tech January workshops for grades 2-12
Georgia Tech has opened registration for the first round of K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshop classes for 2024, to be held on Saturday, January 13, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Georgia Tech campus.
K.I.D.S. Club is open to students in grades 2 through 5. STEAM Workshops are for students in grades 6 through 12. Workshops cover a variety of topics including sound, coding, polymers, robotics, evolution and earth science.
Cost to attend is $65 per student. Need-based scholarships, funded by the Georgia Department of Education, are available to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school. Visit the CEISMC BOOST Scholarship page to learn more about scholarship eligibility and submit an application.
Additional K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshops dates for the spring season are February 17, March 16 and April 13, 2024.
Gifted Atlanta 