Contact: Karie Patton
Two Mississippi State summer camps will encourage students in grades seven through 12 to blend academics and creativity in a variety of enrichment activities.
Both the June 11-24 "Manned Mission to Mars: The Millennium Project" and July's "On Stage" camps are part of the university's 18th annual Summer Scholars Program sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education and counselor education academic program.
Designed to emphasize the enjoyment of science and the fun of inquiry, "Manned Mission" enlists students to develop flight and exploratory plans to the Red Planet. Among a host of activities, participants will work on scale-model landscapes of proposed Mars landing and colony sites and experiment with rocket flight using modified commercial rockets to test concepts.
Science campers also will study introductory astronomy and spend time in a portable planetarium to learn how to find their way around the night sky.
The second summer offering, "On Stage," involves two interconnected sections: a July 9-15 Writer's Camp and a Production Camp from the 16th to the 29th. This long-popular learning experience calls on participants to create, develop and star in an original theatrical production.
In the first section, writers will collaborate on a story line, develop characters and suggest musical numbers to fit the story and set design. During Production Camp, they make the transition to actors and use their talents in music, dance and drama through intensive classes during the first week.
In On Stage's final week, the future Jodie Fosters and Robert Redfords will prepare the script for its premiere performance. (Summer Scholars desiring only to participate in Production Camp should register separately for this offering.)
The production debuts in the McComas Hall theater at 7 p.m. on July 28 and 1:30 p.m. on the 29th.
For more information on MSU Summer Scholars, telephone Joe Ray Underwood at (662) 325-3426.