Gifted Atlanta

UGA has opened registration for the next two Duke TIP Scholar Weekend at UGA: Feb. 4-5, and March 18-19, 2017. Students in grades 8 to 11 can spend the weekend on the UGA campus studying an academic topic of their choice.

Classes for the February weekend include topics in engineering, the history and culture of Appalachia, music, psychology, politics, and more. March topics include climate change, entrepreneurship, music journalism, a Rube Goldberg challenge, and — I’d like to know more about this one — something called “Star Wars Mock Trial.”

The weekend program costs $450 for students staying in a hotel on campus, or $400 for students who want to commute to the program each day. Financial aid is available.

To participate, a student must either:

• Be registered with the Duke TIP Talent Search program; or
• Obtain confirmation of gifted status from the Duke TIP headquarters

Registration is open for both weekends now. Popular classes will fill quickly.

This Saturday, January 7, the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America present Mathemati-Con, a day of brain-stretching and entertaining math activities.

Mathemati-Con is best suited for middle-school and high-school students who have an affinity for math.

Highlights of the day include:

• “Weird Ways to Multiply.” There are many unusual ways to multiply numbers. Can you figure out why these unconventional methods work?
• “Mathemagician” Arthur Benjamin
• Local and national math competitions (the competitors have already been selected, but you can watch them battle it out)

Mathemati-Con will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Marriott Marquis Atlanta hotels. Admission is free and no advance registration is necessary.

Georgia Tech’s BioIgnite program is offering a “day camp” in genetic engineering for students in grades 6 to 8.

Students will be introduced to basic principles of genetics and DNA, and will learn how to build a plasmid like scientists do.

The one-day class will be offered twice in the spring semester:

• January 21, 2017, in conjunction with Georgia Tech’s K.I.D.S. (Kids Interested in Discovering Science) Club
• March 11, 2017

Registration is $50 per student.

BioIgnite is aimed at getting kids interested in biotechnology at a young age. It offers one-day camps during the school year, and week-long camps during the summer.

Museum of Design Atlanta in Midtown will offer a series of camps for children ages 5 to 12 during the upcoming winter break.

The camps are sold a la carte, and each camp is a one-day session that runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Younger children, ages 5 to 7, will explore littleBits, LEGOs, Hexbugs, and Minecraft. Older campers, ages 8 to 12, will work with Arduino, Minecraft, Cloudbits and Bitcraft.

The cost for each day of camp is $55 for members, $65 for non-members.

Emory Math Circle is now accepting registrations for its spring 2017 session. The program, which you can think of as a high-level math lovers’ club, is open to students in grades 6 to 12. Students are divided into four groups, based on their grade level and math experience.

The program meets on Saturday afternoons on the Emory campus. Groups are taught by Ph.D. students from the Emory Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

The next session of Math Circle will begin on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Registration is open now, with new students accepted on a rolling basis, as space allows.

Registration is now open for a lunar astronomy workshop to be held at Tellus Museum on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, from 7 to 10 p.m. Participants will be able to learn about our moon through activities in the gallery, planetarium, and observatory (weather permitting).

The program is open to children ages 8 and up, and all kids must be accompanied by an adult. Spaces are limited.

The University of West Georgia presents “Spooky Science,” a hands-on workshop for children ages 8 to 12. Kids will make vampire veins, dry ice potions, Frankenstein hands, and ghost poop.

This one-time workshop will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the university campus in Carrollton. Registration is $38.

STREM HQ is now registering children ages 7 and up for its evening classes in engineering, robotics, programming, and multimedia design.

Students will progress through these hands-on programs at their own pace. STREM HQ provides the necessary equipment for kids to get acquainted with LEGO robotics, Arduino electronics kits, Adobe Toolset, and JAVA.

Classes are held on weeknights at campuses in Marietta and Alpharetta. Additional lab time is available at no additional charge on Fridays.

Middle-school students are invited to challenge their math and analytical thinking skills by taking the AMC 8 at Emory University this fall.

The AMC 8 is a 25-question exam, given in a low-stress environment, that requires both math and problem-solving skills. The Emory University Math and Computer Science Department will offer the exam on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016 to students in eighth grade or below.

Emory is providing the exam at no cost; however, to extend the opportunity to as many students as possible, the university requests that parents first check with their child’s school to see if the exam is offered there before registering for the Emory exam.

To be guaranteed a spot, you must register by Oct. 16, 2016.