Summer Science Days is a fun, action-packed, hands-on science class for rising 5th through 8th graders. The classes will run on three consecutive mornings from 9 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Choose from one of three sessions: July 8-10, July 15-17, or July 22-24. The classes are open to individual children or youth groups (church, scouts, neighborhood, etc), but all must be accompanied by their own adult chaperones.
- Each Tuesday, in the lab called From Frankenstein to Fruit Flies! students will explore the world of mutant organisms. Students will build DNA models and learn how errors in the genetic code arise and lead to new traits or diseases. Students will observe normal and mutant organisms and determine how mutant traits shed light on the functions of normal genes.
- Each Wednesday in a lab called Edible Science: play with your food! students will discover some strange and wonderful chemical and physical properties of food in a fun lab. Students will make milk kaleidoscopes, create and launch an edible rocket and projectile toothpaste, fly eggs, throw eggs, and learn what makes a cake light and fluffy. Disclaimer: Mealtime will never be the same!
- Each Thursday, in a lab called Become a Crime Scene Investigator! students will solve a crime using modern molecular techniques. They will take and analyze fingerprints from themselves and from evidence; they will isolate DNA from themselves (Parental Waiver Required) or from strawberries (if waiver is not signed); and they will use state-of-the art equipment to analyze DNA crime scene data and solve the crime!
All classes will be taught by Dr. Heidi Jordan and/or Dr. Victoria Corbin, director of the Clemson University Life Sciences Outreach Center. Classes will be held in G-26 Jordan Hall, Clemson University. Early bird fees (if paid by June 18) are $45/participant for the three-day session. Fees after June 18 are $55/participant. Chaperones are welcome to participate and should count themselves as participants when they register. Non-participating chaperones are free. The deadline to register is July 1. For more information and to register, click here.
