Explore Life Science
Summer Camp for rising 11th through 12th graders
July 22-26, 2024 (rising 11th-12th grade)
This camp is for rising 11th and 12th graders who are interested in exploring the how life on earth (or other planets) works—from the molecular level to the ecosystem level! This camp will cover some basics (e.g., physics and chemistry) as well as cutting-edge, interdisciplinary fields (bioinformatics, the viruses of bacteria, protein separations, ecology of birds, gene regulation, nanomedicine).
For example, campers will:
- Isolate and manipulate DNA
- Solve the mystery of dying fish and pollution.
- Learn how CO2 levels are affecting oceans and climate.
- Learn how plants defend themselves from predators of all sizes
- Learn how babies learn to talk
Cost: $1000
Camp fees cover faculty instructional time, equipment, supplies, room and board, resident assistants and program assistants. If your child will need a scholarship to participate, please so indicate on the registration form. Families are responsible for transportation to/from the Virginia Tech campus.
Registration is now closed: all camps are full.
Day 1
- Check in and move into dorm 1:30-2:30 pm
- Orientation, ice-breakers, and team-building with RAs and PAs
- Fruit flies and neuroscience
- Dinner
- Team games near residence hall
- Team meeting
- Free time in dorm or quad
- Lights out at 11pm
Day 2
- Breakfast
- Food microbiology, part 1
- How babies learn language
- Lunch
- Climate change and oceans
- Your amazing brain
- Dinner
- Career workshop and networking session
- Team meeting
- Free time in residence hall or quad
- Lights out at 11pm
Day 3
- Breakfast
- Groundwater
- Phages, part 1
- Lunch
- Food microbiology, part 2 (results)
- Nanomedicine
- Dinner
- Breakzone
- Team meeting
- Lights out at 11pm
Day 4
- Breakfast
- Bioinformatics
- Disease tracking
- Lunch
- Phages, part 2 (results)
- Psychology games
- Dinner
- Team meeting
- Free time in residence hall or quad
- Lights out at 11pm
Day 5
- Breakfast
- Isolating DNA and other chemical mixtures
- Best strategies for applying to college and getting the most out of college
- Check out of camp and dorm
- Optional, post-camp session with VT admissions