Gifted Atlanta

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.

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

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.

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.

As previously reported in this space, Duke TIP has been discontinued. In its place is Duke University Pre-College, which is now accepting applications for summer 2021 programs, to be offered online only.

The courses are open to students who are currently in high school. Class topics include criminal law, econometrics, Mars, politics and photojournalism. Courses run for two or three weeks, depending on the topic.

Unlike the Duke TIP summer programs of the past, the Pre-College summer programs aren’t restricted to students who have participated in a Duke TIP Talent Search, in which 7th-grade students take the SAT or ACT. Instead, applicants will be asked to provide a transcript, resume and essay.

In lieu of its usual residential summer program, Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth (PTY) is offering an online summer academy for rising 8th through 12th graders.

PTY Online Academy is open to students who have scored in the top 5 percent (approximately) on a standardized test. Courses are two weeks long and include biochemistry, rhetoric, psychology, astronomy, and moral leadership, among others.

Classes will meet daily online from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, with additional individual or group assignments in the afternoons. Social opportunities are offered in the evenings.

Registration for July sessions is taking place now. Program fee is $550 per two-week course. Financial assistance may be available.

Girls’ under-representation in STEM careers has led to the formation of numerous programs and organizations to encourage girls’ interest in STEM.

Two such groups are offering online camps:

• PROJECT SCIENTIST. This California-based organization ordinarily holds camps for girls on university campuses. This summer, they’re providing week-long camps online, starting at the end of June. Topics include robotics, DNA, energy, and more. Open to ages 4-12. Each weekly session costs $325, which includes 3 hours of programming each day and a virtual lab kit for conducting hands-on experiments. (Use discount code PS2020-20OFF to get $20 off.) Financial aid is available. Scholarship applications must be submitted by June 7.

• STEM GEMS. This Atlanta-based group is focused on giving girls female role models who work in STEM careers, so that girls can envision and plan for their futures as STEM professionals. This four-day online camp is open to girls who are entering 6th through 9th grades. Cost is $250, which includes a copy of founder Stephanie Espy’s book, STEM Gems.

The DeKalb County School District has long provided a week-long enrichment program called Serendipity to its gifted elementary-age students. This year, Serendipity will be a live, virtual program, June 15-19, 2020.

Enrichment activities will include art, Spanish language, drama, and physical education.

Serendipity is open to rising 1st through 6th graders who are enrolled in a DeKalb County public school.

Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., is now accepting applications to its June 2020 Bulldog Pharmacy Camp.

The one-week residential camp is open to current high-school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students will learn about pharmacy school and careers, participate in hands-on compounding demonstrations, and experience campus life.

Application deadline is Feb. 1, 2020. A limited number of scholarships are available.

Thank you to GiftedAtlanta.com reader Cindy D. for telling me about this!