Gifted Atlanta

The Emory University School of Medicine is now accepting registrations for the 2012 Summer Science Academy, open to students who will be in high school in the 2012-13 school year.

The academy, which is operated by the Office of Multicultural Medical Student Affairs, is an effort to open the world of science to girls and members of minority groups, who are statistically under-represented in scientific professions. However, all students are welcome, without regard for gender,  race or ethnicity.

The two-week program offers lectures, labs and field experiences in scientific areas including chemistry, biology, genetics and human disease. Students can attend a day program or choose a residential program and live on the Emory University campus.

The deadline to apply for the residential program is March 9. Applicants will be selected based on their interest level, grades and letters of recommendation.

For the day program, registration is first-come, first-served.

Financial assistance may be available.

For kids interested in the science of protecting public health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering three camps this summer:

Disease Detective Camp is a one-week camp for rising  high-school juniors and seniors.

Junior Disease Detective Camp is a 3-day camp for rising 7th and 8th graders.

Epi Intense is a 3-day camp for rising juniors and seniors.

In all CDC camps, students learn about the work done at the CDC to protect public health. Disease Detective Camp (and its junior version) take a broad view of the Center’s overall work, while Epi Intense focuses in on epidemiology, the science of collecting and analyzing public health data.

Applications are due April 6. The programs are free, but admission is not guaranteed, as the application process is competitive.

How often do teen-agers get the chance to study nuclear physics at the site of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory?

More often than you might think. Every summer, high-school kids spend a week learning nuclear science in the Physics of Atomic Nuclei program at Michigan State University.

The PAN Program introduces students to concepts in astrophysics, cosmology and nuclear science and allows participants to conduct their own nuclear physics experiments.

To participate, kids must have completed one year of high-school. Applications are due April 30, and the selection process is competitive. The good news: For those accepted, the residential program is free, other than transportation to and from the campus.

The PAN Program offers a separate, week-long program for high-school science teachers, so consider passing this information along to an outstanding teacher — most likely a physics or chemistry teacher — at your child’s school.

Georgia Tech’s summer camp program has released the list of classes for summer 2012. Now operating under the name Summer PEAKS (Programs for Enrichment and Accelerated Knowledge in STEM), the Georgia Tech summer program is open to rising middle-school and high-school students.

Hands-on, interactive classes will be offered on a variety of science, technology and math topics. Each class runs for one week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. High-school sections this summer include astrobiology, finance, nanotechnology, mobile app development, architecture and more. Middle-school classes will include space exploration, LEGO Mindstorms, mobile app development and more.

Review the list with your child, pick your favorites, and stand by — the application will be posted in “late February,” according to the web site.

PEAKS is operated by CEISMC, the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing. CEISMC provides enrichment opportunities in math, science, technology and engineering. In addition to its summer programs, CEISMC offers classes during the school year through its K.I.D.S. Club.

Rising juniors and seniors can get a taste of college life by attending the Pre-College Summer Program at the University of Georgia. This two-week program will take place on the campus in Athens, July 13-28, 2012. Pre-College students are taught by UGA faculty and staff, and have the option of eating in the campus dining halls and living in a college dormitory. (A commuter option is available, so living on campus is not a requirement.)

The program information states that they offer a variety of liberal arts and science courses; however, this year’s course selection isn’t posted yet.

If you apply before April 27, they’ll waive the $50 application fee. Final application deadline is June 8. The application includes two essays, so give your student some time to put it together if they’re interested.

Need-based financial aid is available.

Current high-school juniors with an interest in biomedical research can apply now for the Winship Summer Scholars Research Program, to be held at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute.

Students who are accepted into the program will first learn about the science of cancer in a classroom setting. Then, each student will be paired with a research scientist or clinical oncologist who is actively engaged in research at the Emory University School of Medicine. These mentors will guide the students as they work in biomedical research labs on the Emory campus.

Program dates are June 4 – July 16, 2012. The application requires a transcript and letters of recommendation. Application deadline is Feb. 10, 2012.

Note: This program is open only to students attending high schools in the greater Atlanta area.

High-school students of all experience levels are invited to attend the Georgia Debate Institute, a residential camp which will be held from June 17-30, 2012 at the University of Georgia.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The application deadline is May 1, 2012. If you get your application and deposit in before April 1, you’ll receive a $200 discount off the $1,600 price tag, which includes housing and meals.

Kennesaw State University is now taking applications for the 2012 session of its Summer University. This summer program, held on the KSU campus, is open to students currently in kindergarten through 11th grade (rising 1st – 12th graders when summer arrives). Classes run the gamut from the artsy to the academic, with several weeks of LEGO robotics courses among the mix.

The summer is broken into seven, one-week sessions, running from early June until the end of July. Each week costs $229 to $299.

The mad scramble to figure out summer schedules has begun. While a number of the camps listed on the Summer Programs page of this site aren’t registering for 2012 yet, two that have begun accepting applications are Emory University’s Pre-College Program and the Emory National Debate Institute.

Pre-College is for rising high-school juniors and seniors. The program offers two-week, non-credit sessions, as well as six-week sessions that can earn college credit in such courses as writing, math, economics, foreign language and more. Students can commute to the campus or can live in a residence hall. (All of the two-week sessions have a residential option; only one of the two six-week sessions allows students to live on campus.) Admission to the program is on a rolling basis, so applying early is encouraged. The final application deadline is May 15. Need-based financial aid is available; the deadline to apply for aid is April 1.

The Emory National Debate Institute has two-week, four-week and six-week programs for high-school students, available on a residential or commuter basis. The application deadline is April 1, but as with Pre-College, spaces are filled as applications are received, so some programs could close earlier. ENDI also offers a program for middle-school students through Pace Academy’s summer camps. (However, Pace’s summer information isn’t up yet.)

Consider it the Black Friday kick-off for space and flight fanatics.

You could save a bundle on Space Camp or Aviation Challenge summer programs in Huntsville, Ala., if you’re one of the first to register at midnight Thursday night.

The first eight customers will receive a remarkable price of $499 for a week of either of the camps; after that, a less impressive discount rate of $749 will continue through Monday night. The regular price for these adventure camps can be as high as $899 for prime summer sessions.

Remember, Space Camp is on Central Time, so midnight there is 1 a.m. here.