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June 7, 2007

Third annual ULM Explorers' Camps scheduled for June 11-16

This summer, students from grades 8-11 will participate in explorations combining science, math and technology at the ULM Explorers' Camps.

Two one-week residential camps are scheduled for June 3 – 9 and 11 – 16. Each is located on ULM's campus and will host 60 students.

The camps are offered at no cost to students who live in a designated LA GEAR UP parish. Funding, provided by a LaSIP/LAGEAR UP grant totaling $83,594, allows ULM to provide these interactive camps for a third year.

The camp will develop and promote career and educational aspirations through leadership training, personal exploration, focused tutoring assistance, and introduction to areas of study available at ULM and other Louisiana universities, said Kim Taylor, the ULM camp project director and an instructor of computer science at the university.

"A primary goal of the camp is to make students realize the benefits of early preparation for college both academically and financially,” she said.

Students will participate in four half-day explorations:

Biology: (Hoo's Eating Hoo?), in which they study the predator/prey relationship by dissecting owl pellets and constructing food chains. Kim Tolson, associate professor of biology, leads the session.

Computer Science: (What's Technology Got to Do with It?), in which they will learn to research, analyze data and present results using technology. Jose Cordova, associate professor of computer science, leads this section.

Geosciences: (Dude, Where's My Car?), in which Global Positional Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will be investigated and will include the use of hand-held GPS devices. Lisa Martin, a teacher from Franklin Parish, leads the session.

Toxicology: (What's Lurking in My Drinking Water?), in which they will discover the field of aquatic toxicology. Kevin Baer, department head of toxicology, leads this exploration. In addition to their daily lessons, students will apply what they learn during a field trip to the Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge.

April Picard, a ULM instructor of mathematics, will also conduct focused tutoring with the students based on their performance on a pre-ACT test.

Barbara Pugh, administrative assistant in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, will conduct leadership training activities.

ULM undergraduates serve as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and supervise the students when they are not with faculty.

The students have Explorers’ Clubs in their schools that are tied in with the camp. They must perform community service activities. Visit www.lagearup.org for more information.

Louisiana Tech does the statewide management for the program. Visit www.latech.edu/lagearup for more information.

LAGEAR UP parishes are shown on both Web sites.

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