Connellsville students participate in science camp
Connellsville Junior High student Sarah McCune sifts through a sample of water from Slate Run Creek, while Colette Secrest examines her sample with a microscope during a science camp held at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
Connellsville Junior High student Jacob Teets discovers the qualities of polymers as he plays with the "slime" he made in the Science of Toys segment of the Summer Science and Math Experience at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
?Students entering Connellsville Junior High West and East schools this fall recently participated in a weeklong residency camp to help prepare them for academics in science.
The event, held at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, is part of the Summer Science and Math Experience program.
According to Susan Isola, director of media relations at UPG, this is the third year for the program that helps boost an interest in the sciences.
The students used inquiry-based hands-on learning techniques to explore biology, chemistry, computer science, math and other area related to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
鈥淭he program is designed to help students going into the ninth grade to experience the wonders and excitement of science,鈥� she said.
Students from the Connellsville schools participated in workshops that involved building computers, stream eco-system analysis, DNA collection and processing, healthy snacking, science toys exploration, chemistry demonstrations, math activities and a field trip to the nuclear reactor at Penn State University.
The camp provides opportunities for students in Westmoreland and Fayette county school districts. The program is broken into several camps, usually 12-18 students, to allow for more hands-on activities and individualized attention, Isola said.
Funding for the program was provided by the McFeely-Rogers Foundation, Eberly Foundation, Grable Foundation, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, and Chevron Community Fund (held at the Community Foundation of Fayette County).