Summer camp hooks kids on college, UAF

Submitted by Sonja Bickford
Phone: (907) 474-6714
05/03/06

FAIRBANKS, Alaska--With television shows depicting high-tech methods investigators use to solve murders, it’s no wonder a class on forensics being offered to high school students this summer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is among the most popular.

"Forensics and computer programming classes are very popular, and they fill up fast,"? said UAF’s Jeff Drake. "Kids these days are very interested in technology."?

Drake is the associate director of the Alaska Summer Research Academy, a unique outreach program at UAF that offers students in grades 8 through 12 a chance to experience college and learn about an array of subjects they might want to pursue when they graduate from high school. For the university, the hope is that when the time comes, these students will choose UAF.

"The idea is to hook them on college while they are thinking about where they want to go in life,"? said Drake. "It’s also a showcase for UAF, for us to show students and their parents that we have world-class programs here, and to encourage students to consider UAF as a place to continue their education."?

This year, students can select from among 16 diverse subjects, from testing blood and DNA in the forensics class to learning how to pilot a flight simulator in the aviation course, or studying marine biology at the university’s Kasitsna Bay Laboratory near Homer. Engineering, web development, wildlife biology, robotics, and fisheries also are offered.

"The academy started out as a pure science camp in 2001 and the following year we expanded it to include civil and electrical engineering,"? explained Drake. "Last year we added some liberal arts subjects, like film making and law."?

Classes are added based on demand and the willingness of faculty from around campus to teach them. "It’s a labor of love,"? said Drake.

Most of the classes are taught on the UAF campus. But three are taught outside Fairbanks. Filmmaking and geophysics will be taught this summer in Denali National Park. And the marine biology course is taught at the UAF Kasitsna Bay Marine Lab.

The Alaska Summer Research Academy began with just 20 students in 2001. Last year 90 students enrolled, and this year Drake expects to exceed that number.

"This is the time applications roll in, and we are looking to fill up fast,"? Drake said.

The academy is offered by the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in cooperation with academic units on the UAF campus.

Scholarships are available to help students cover enrollment costs. For example, the Alaska Sea Grant Program is sponsoring one scholarship for a rural student interested in the marine biology course.

Drake said the academy has helped students make career choices and recruited students to UAF.

"We know that their exposure to our professors has had an impact on them; that they are familiar with UAF,"? said Drake. "About 75 percent of them enroll at UAF as university students, and I believe their summer experience played an important role in that decision."?

For more about the Alaska Summer Research Academy, call (907) 474-1867.

CONTACT: Jeff Drake, associate director, UAF Alaska Summer Research Academy, (907) 474-7010 or via e-mail at jeff.drake@gi.alaska.edu. Sonja Bickford, public relations officer, College of Natural Science and Mathematics, (907) 474-6714, s.bickford@uaf.edu.