New programs for middle-schoolers at GT KIDS Club
The K.I.D.S. Club program at Georgia Tech has introduced three new middle-school classes for the spring semester: regenerative medicine, neuro-engineering, and biomedical imaging.
Like all K.I.D.S. Club classes, each of these will be taught on a single Saturday morning, on the Georgia Tech campus. Class fees are $50 per child, per class. Spaces are limited.
Contest seeks artistic interpretations of ocean pollution
Middle- and high-school students are invited to take part in the 2016 Ocean Awareness Student Contest, which challenges young people to learn about the oceans and create a work of art that shows what the health of Earth’s oceans means to them.
Students may enter in one or more of four contest categories: visual art, poetry, prose, or film. All entries are due by June 13, 2016. Winners will be awarded cash prizes of up to $1,500.
Full contest details are available from the sponsoring organization, From The Bow Seat.
VOX seeks teens for hands-on investigative journalism program
VOX, a local media organization by and for teens, is accepting applications for VOX Investigates, an intense, investigative journalism internship.
Selected teen journalists will work with a group of mentors and community partners to deeply explore the topic of dating violence and healthy relationships and their impact on teens. They will research and report on the subject by talking to local teens, then publish stories in a variety of formats.
The program will run from January 9 to May 7, 2016. Download the VOX Investigates PDF for more information about requirements and how to apply. The deadline to apply is this Saturday, December 19.
MODA offers half-day camps during winter break
Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) will offer a series of one-day camps at its Midtown campus over winter break. Cost is $50 per day. Camps begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m.
The camp schedule is as follows:
Dec. 21: Designing with Minecraft (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 22: Introduction to Arduino (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 23: littleBits, LEGO Bricks, & Bugs (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 28: Designing with Minecraft (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 29: littleBits, LEGO Bricks, & Bugs (ages 8 to 12)
Dec. 30: Designing with Minecraft (ages 5 to 7)
Citizen scientists wanted for Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count
Looking for something to do over the long break from school? Spend a day outdoors as part of the National Audubon Society’s 116th annual Christmas Bird Count.
Volunteer bird watchers — experts and amateurs — will try to identify and count every bird they see. It’s a fun ornithological scavenger hunt that provides data to help scientists measure the health of our ecosystem.
The Georgia Ornithological Society is organizing more than two dozen Christmas Bird Count events in Georgia, including four around metro Atlanta, between now and January 5, 2016.
If you’re traveling over the holidays, there’s probably an event going on wherever you’ll be. You can check by visiting the Christmas Bird Count page of the National Audubon Society.
Young scientists may also enjoy seeing the data that’s been gathered in the past 115 years, available on Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count page.
Georgia Tech engineering event for 9th and 10th-grade girls
Registration is open now for the second annual Students Exploring Engineering event, sponsored by the Women in Engineering group at Georgia Tech.
The one-day event for high-school freshman and sophomore girls will be held January 21, 2016, on the Georgia Tech campus. Participating students will be introduced to a variety of engineering disciplines, visit a faculty lab or engage in an interactive project, and tour the campus. Admissions staff from Georgia Tech will be on hand to discuss the academic requirements for admission to Tech.
The program is limited to 100 students. A $25 fee includes breakfast and lunch.
Women in Engineering, founded in 1994, seeks to increase the number of women students who pursue engineering degrees and careers.
Enrollment open for Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search
Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) is now enrolling students in its 7th Grade Talent Search.
To enroll, your child must have a qualifying score on an accepted test, such as the CogAT, CRCT or ITBS. The deadline to register is Dec. 9, 2015.
Students accepted by the Talent Search may choose to take the SAT or ACT as seventh graders. For kids who typically score in the 99th percentile of the standardized tests they’re given in school, taking these tests designed for high-school upperclassmen can provide a better gauge of where they stand academically.
When you become part of the TIP program, you’ll also receive information about meeting your child’s academic needs, and get access to TIP-sponsored programs, including summer programs on the Duke campus.
Get a discount off Space Camp when you register next weekend
Space Camp‘s annual Black Friday sale is back. From Friday, Nov. 27 through Monday, Nov. 30, you can save $200 off programs for kids and families. 
The discount can be used for a week of Space Camp or Aviation Challenge summer camp, or for the weekend family camp versions of Space Camp or Aviation Challenge.
If you’re not ready to commit to specific dates for summer camp, that’s okay. Space Camp will let you register now, take the $200 discount, and select your program dates later.
This is the only sale Space Camp offers to the general public.
MODA classes in robotics, 3-D printing, electronics and more
The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) has rolled out its selection of fall classes, for kids in preschool through high school.
The museum’s one-day classes range from the most basic tinkering with design, to LEGO robotics, littleBits circuitry, Arduino interactive design, and 3-D printing.
To learn more or register, go to the MODA website and look in the left-side navigation menu, under PROGRAMS.
Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship offers free application advice
I posted earlier this month about the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship, which gives as much as $40,000 per year to help top-notch high school seniors pay for college. If you’re considering applying, the foundation will host a webinar this Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015, at 7 p.m.
Foundation staff, along with current and past scholarship recipients, will give advice on how to prepare a strong application.
The webinar is free, but you must register in advance to participate.
Gifted Atlanta 