Instead of spending their summer vacation playing video games, swimming and playing with friends – several young scholars from around the state will be expanding their minds.

Approximately 40 rising eighth-graders and 35 rising ninth-graders will move in to the Honors Hall at West Virginia University for 10-days, or more, of math and science projects at the Governors School for Math and Science.

“We are trying to identify young students who are doing well in areas of math and science, and encourage them to continue their education and go into these careers,” said Keith Garbutt, dean of students for the camp. “Research shows that many students will move away from these because they are not as ‘cool,’ and we want them to understand these are wonderful and fun careers.”

The academically talented students will participate in a variety of research projects designed around this year’s theme “Seas?the Moment!” The projects will focus on oceanography and marine biology, many of which will address what is happening with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

For example, ideas for projects include those designed around alternative energy, economic disasters and animals.

“We are using more current stuff than we have in the past to freshen things up and make the projects more interactive for students,” said Chelsea Richmond, student coordinator of the Governor’s School for Math and Science.

At least one student from all 55 counties in West Virginia will attend the camp. The students will be split into two sessions; the first session will be July 7-16 and the second will be July 18-30.

“Not every county has some sort of gifted or advanced program, so for a lot of these students it is the first time they are being recognized for their academic excellence,” Richmond said. “It is also really advanced math and science. Not only can these students take that information back to school and apply it to their studies, but they also can use it as motivation to continue to excel.”

For the first half of camp, students will each have a morning science class and an afternoon math class. During the second half, they will participate in research groups and work towards a final project.

Students are also taught to work in teams and with a variety of partners. The program is designed around the “jigsaw model” of cooperative learning. Each student has different classmates for their science and math classes, who are different from their research partners and different from their mentor groups.

However, not all their time will be spent in the classroom.

The students will also take trips to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, where they will travel in their research groups and hear from presenters about caring for the animals, and Kennywood Amusement Park.

Nightly activities are also planned for the students, including miniature golf, swimming, movies, bowling, trips to the Student Recreation Center and an outdoor concert.

Other activities include a quiz bowl, lectures by WVU faculty, a dance and ice cream social.

For more information on the program, visit http://www.wvgovschools.org/GSMS/index.html

The 2010 GSMS Participants (as of June 30) are:

Rising 8th graders

• Melody Asantewaa, Marshall County
• Nathaniel Barr, Taylor County
• Nicholas Beaty, Pleasants County
• Kimberly Boito, Tyler County
• Nichole Bottenfield, Roane County
• Tanner Carr, Hardy County
• Stephen Chen, Monongalia County
• Steven Clark, Mingo County
• Jamie Cook, Wyoming County
• DeAudra Daniels, Wood County
• Jamie Danley, Mercer County
• Adila Fathalah, Kanawha County
• Genevieve Fields, Jackson County
• Logan Flint, Fayette County
• William Frazier, Cabell County
• Taylor Ganoe, Hampshire County
• Katherine Gnegy, Wood County
• Christopher Goad, Calhoun County
• Paraag Gupta, Hancock County
• Jakob Heilman, Brooke County
• Caleb Houdyschell, Wayne County
• Savannah Keffer, Greenbrier County
• Lindsey Keplinger, Ritchie County
• Sina Lewis, Marion County
• Tyler Mayne, Preston County
• Helen Melnick, Tucker County
• Sarah Moinuddeen, Wood County
• Dalton Okel, Marion County
• Seth Porter, Ohio County
• Sierra Ramey, Putnam County
• Jamie Rose, Raleigh County
• Austin Schimmel, Upshur County
• Elijah Schultz, Putnam County
• Margaret Shiflet, Monroe County
• Wesley Skidmore, Braxton County
• Hana Ulman, Berkeley County
• Aishwarya Vijay, Monongalia County
• Hayden Warnock, Kanawha County
• Maxwell Winebrenner, Greenbrier County
• Anna Wirth, Mineral County
• India Yates, Mineral County
• John Younis, Jefferson County

Rising 9th graders

• Caroline Adams, Tucker County
• Daniel Adkins, Summers County
• Melissa Ashman, Roane County
• Jesse Borrell, Nicholas County
• Levi Canterbury, Monroe County
• Aaruran Chandrase, Wetzel County
• Michaela Cloutier, Marion County
• Ishika Desai, Monongalia County
• Britney Estep, Roane County
• Nicklas Gallagher, Monongalia County
• Dustin Gibson, Upshur County
• Anna Gilpin, Berkeley County
• Joanna Graham, Wetzel County
• David Grays, Wood County
• Winford Hall, Mingo County
• Mariah Humphreys, Nicholas County
• Cameron Johnson, Mingo County
• Ronald Keyser, Wayne County
• Joseph Lupardus, Wyoming County
• Sara McQueen, Harrison County
• Sarah Miller, Wayne County
• KayCee Murray, Boone County
• Katherine Norman, Cabell County
• Alexander Reed, Ohio County
• Morgan Rice, Hancock County
• Nanda Siva, Wood County
• Frankie Spatafore, Marion County
• Tyler Steffey, Jefferson County
• Luke Stover, Raleigh County
• Ariana Taylor, Preston County
• Yashan Thakkar, Kanawha County
• Shanawar Waris, Kanawha County
• Alisandra Welch, Hancock County
• Garrett Wotring, Monongalia County

Colleen DeHart, *
Communications Specialist
WVU News and Information

-WVU-*

cd/06/30/10

CONTACT: Colleen DeHart, News and Information
304-293-5507, colleen.wright@mail.wvu.edu

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