Three dozen high school students from 12 Appalachian states participate in a math, science, technology institute this month. (Photo submitted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities)
Three dozen high school students and 14 teachers from 12 Appalachian states spent two weeks in East Tennessee this month for a math, science, and technology camp.
The camp was hosted by two local organizations, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oak Ridge Associated Universities, as well as the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The students and teachers were able to work with mentors at ORNL during the hands-on camp, the 23rd annual High School Summer and Math-Science-Technology Institute. They also participated in East Tennessee tours and activities.
Students were nominated by their state governor, and ARC picked participants. The students were selected based on their potential to excel in math and science, continue in higher learning, and their ability to influence others in their communities, an ORAU press release said.
They were assigned projects that included supercomputers, the design of polymeric materials using computer simulation, and robotic systems engineering, among others, the release said.
The teachers, on four research teams, focused on chemical sciences, physics, and environmental and materials sciences, the release said.
The two-week science camp included a guided tour of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and visits to such sites as the Museum of Appalachia, American Museum of Science and Energy, and departments at the University of Tennessee. Participants also toured ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, the supercomputing facilities, the Center for Nanophase Materials Science, and the Graphite Reactor.
A Middle School Science Camp was also held, and research projects focused on solar energy, biofuels, and wind, the release said. Twenty-five students from 11 Appalachian states participated in that camp.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership established by Congress in 1965 to bring Appalachia into the mainstream of the American economy, the release said.
For more information on the Appalachian Regional commission, visit their website at www.arc.gov.
