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Summer research program at Georgia Tech for APS students
The College of Sciences at Georgia Tech is recruiting high-school students who attend Atlanta Public Schools for a new summer research program in the natural sciences.
The Summer Research Academy will match each student with a Georgia Tech laboratory in their field of interest within the sphere of natural sciences (think chemistry, biology, physics — disciplines that explore the natural world). Students will spend seven weeks completing a research project from start to finish, including reading scientific literature, planning experiments, analyzing the data they collect, and presenting their findings.
The program is open to students who will be at least 16 years old when the program begins in June. No prior research experience is required. Georgia Tech is especially interested in including students from groups that historically have been underrepresented in science and technology fields.
The Summer Research Academy is being funded by the College of Sciences, and therefore is free for participants. The application requires two essays, a high-school transcript, and two references. The deadline to apply is March 13.
UWG introduces Georgia Scholars’ Institute for rising high-school juniors and seniors
The Honors College at the University of West Georgia is starting a new summer program for rising high-school juniors and seniors.
The Georgia Scholars’ Institute (GSI) is a four-week program for high-achieving students. Participants will take two honors classes, with the opportunity to earn six hours of credit toward both their high-school diploma and their college degree through Georgia’s dual enrollment program.
GSI students will live in The Oaks, a residence hall that houses UWG’s Honors Living-Learning Community. They also will take part in non-academic activities planned for them by the program.
Students who enroll at GSI through dual enrollment will not have to pay tuition, but will pay $1,500 for room and board. A limited number of scholarships to cover these costs may be available.
The application deadline is April 1, 2022. Applicants must provide a high-school transcript and ACT or SAT scores*, along with other documentation.
* If your child hasn’t taken the ACT or SAT, regular registration for the March 12 SAT test date is open through this Friday, February 11; late registration for that test date will continue until March 1.
Academic summer camps for grades 6-12 at University of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia will offer academic camps on its Carrollton campus this summer for students rising to grades 6 through 12. This is a shift for UWG, which previously offered camps for elementary school children. The Department of Continuing Education told me the new camps will have more of an academic focus and will be taught by UWG faculty and staff.
Camps will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with early drop-off and late pick-up available.
Registration hasn’t opened yet. However, UWG has set up a poll at the webpage linked above, where you can indicate which topics would interest your child. Choices include forensic science, archaeology, drawing, photography, Esports, entrepreneurship and several others. UWG even has an open answer form where you can tell them what additional topics would appeal to your child. The final camp lineup will be based on the responses they receive.
Clemson University introduces astronomy camp for middle- and high-school students
Clemson University plans to open a new camp this summer for students interested in space and astronomy. The Clemson Space Camps will be hosted at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in western North Carolina and will be run collaboratively by staff from both Clemson and PARI.
The PARI facility has research-grade optical and radio telescopes, and PARI’s skies meet the gold-level rating standard of the International Dark Sky Association, making it an outstanding place to view outer space.
Campers will conduct independent and group research under the guidance of astronomers and scientists. They’ll also take a field trip to the main Clemson University campus to tour the labs of some of the university’s astrophysics faculty. The camps also include activities such as campfires, hiking and tubing.
Middle-school students (ages 11-14) are offered a one-week residential camp; high-schoolers (14-17) can attend a two-week residential camp. Registration is open now.
Summer programs at Vanderbilt for rising 7th to 12th graders
The Vanderbilt Program for Talented Youth has published the list of available courses for its 2022 Vanderbilt Summer Academy (VSA) and summer mentor immersion program.
VSA is a residential program for rising 7th to 12th graders with one-week and two-week options. It’s academically rigorous, and applicants are asked to show they can handle advanced work.
Class choices for summer 2022 will include marine biology, rhetoric, astrophysics, poetry, legal studies, mathematics, and many others. Students enroll in only one course from among the choices.
Priority registration for VSA will open January 6 and close January 13. Registration to fill open slots that haven’t been taken by priority applicants will continue after that.
Vanderbilt also has posted the courses of study for its 2022 mentor immersion program, a three-month program for rising 11th and 12 graders. Students select a single course of study. They attend four hours per week of small group meetings — all held virtually — with a mentor in their field of study. They then have additional independent research outside of classes. Priority registration for the mentor immersion program will be open from January 6 until January 27. Registration for remaining slots will continue after that time.
Need-based financial aid is available for these programs.
Applications open for UGA summer VetCAMP
The University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine is now accepting applications for the summer 2022 session of VetCAMP, scheduled for June 12-17, 2022.
VetCAMP is a one-week, residential program for current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with an interest in veterinary medicine. Students learn about what it’s like to attend veterinary school and see whether they have the skills to become successful veterinarians.
The application and all supporting materials must be submitted by January 24, 2022.
Need-based financial aid is available.
Kids’ summer camps in the west metro
The University of West Georgia plans to hold its Wolves Exploration Camp for elementary-school children in person at its Carrollton and Newnan campuses this summer.
Carrollton sessions, open to rising kindergartners through 2nd graders:
- Space Jam, June 7-11
- Growing Up Wild, June 14-18
- Art Exploration, June 21-25
- Bugging Out, June 28 – July 2
- Going Green, July 12-16
- Jurassic World, July 19-23
Newnan sessions, open to rising 2nd – 4th graders:
- Great American Theme Park, June 21-24
- Flight School, June 28 – July 1
- Wild World of Sports, July 12-15
Spring and summer programs at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech has announced it will hold virtual and in-person programs for middle- and high-school students this summer.
Summer STEAM Whistle Workshops will be offered as an online-only option. These are one-week courses during June and July for students who will be rising into grades 6 through 12. Middle-school courses vary, but have an emphasis on coding and robotics. Only one course, an introduction to app and game development, is offered for high school students.
The Summer P.E.A.K.S. program is scheduled to be held in person. Programs for students rising to grades 6 through 8 include robotics, engineering and biology. For students entering grades 9 through 12, courses include meteorology, energy, coding and app development.
Meanwhile, CEISMC is registering kids for its one-day, online K.I.D.S. Club classes, for students in 4th and 5th grades, and its online STEAM workshops, for students in middle and high school. All of these online workshops are scheduled for April 17.
Clemson Summer Scholars programs online or on campus
Clemson University’s Summer Scholars program is a series of week-long sessions for students who will be rising to grades 7 through 12. For 2021, the program will offer three weeks through a virtual format, four weeks as a residential program on the Clemson campus, and a final week that can be taken either in person or online.
Students select one topic to study for the week. Topics offered include genetics, forensic science, nursing, music production, and a lot more, with an emphasis on STEM. Instructors are Clemson faculty members — professors, lecturers, or instructors of record. (Graduate students sometimes assist, but are not the primary teachers.)
Residential tuition is $1,200 per week, with a $150 discount (to $1,050) if you register by April 1. This includes housing and meals for the week.
Tuition for virtual classes is $600 per week.
Online clearinghouse helps you find summer programs that fit you
American colleges and universities offer hundreds of summer programs for middle- and high-school students. And with many academic summer programs offering online options for 2021, kids have a wealth of options for summer enrichment courses regardless of their geographic location.
Summer Study in the USA is a non-profit, non-commercial site that pulls information from more than 100 universities. Their search tool can help you identify programs — online or residential — suited to your child’s grade level and area of interest.
In addition to its searchable database, Summer Study in the USA is hosting several live, virtual fairs where you can visit the “booths” of programs that interest you and chat with their representatives. The next two fairs are February 3 and 20. Advance registration for the fairs is required.
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