Contact: Aga Haupt
SOG participants (l-r) Nakeshia Bryant, Abigail Prevost and Walter Tillman, with MSU's Blane Merritt (c) and Scott Maynard.
For 30 Golden Triangle middle school students, a career in science may be only a golf putt away.
They're part of a three-year-old Mississippi State University program now under way that involves middle school students in academic subjects while teaching them to play golf. Now in its third year, the two-week "Science on the Green" camp is a nationally recognized effort that focuses on the physics, mathematics and engineering aspects of the popular sport.
The program is funded by the United States Golf Association and coordinated by MSU's Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology.
"Children want to be challenged academically," said center director Sandra Harpole. "'Science on the Green' gives kids who would not have an opportunity to play golf a chance to learn the sport."
But beyond the green time, she added, there's also a serious academic goal. "We want to show them the possibilities for science and math careers at the same time," the physics professor explained.
"Science," which began Monday [June 3] and concludes June 14, includes golf sessions in the morning and hands-on learning during the afternoon.
The golf clinic is led by Blane Merritt, director of the public MSU Golf Course, and Scott Maynard, director of College of Business and Industry's professional golf management program. They are assisted by PGM majors, who team with participants to help polish golf skills.
Science on the Green campers learn such game fundamentals as driving, chipping and putting, as well as etiquette, course design and turf and environmental considerations.
"It allows our students the opportunity to give back to the community and to the game of golf in a very real way," said Maynard. "It also helps them hone their teaching skills and see the fruits of their labor."
Maynard said the students are encouraged to continue play all year long. Some of those who do have gone from never having played the game to inclusion on their high school golf team, he added.
During the afternoon science sessions, MSU mathematics and statistics instructor Martha Pratt, physics graduate student Paul Hutchison and Starkville High School physics teacher Paul Cuicchi teach students trigonometry, graphing and basic physics concepts.
"They design their own hole, lay it out using a global positioning system and then play it," Harpole said.
National media attention of Science on the Green has developed in the last few months. In addition to being featured on the Website of the American Institute of Physics and in the April issue of the American Airlines' in-flight magazine, it most recently was a featured topic on two Washington, D.C., radio stations, Harpole said.
"The national exposure is bringing publicity for MSU and publicity for what we're doing in terms of both golf and science education," Harpole said.
Students participating in the 2002 Science on the Green program include [by hometown]:
CALEDONIA--Monica Johnson, Vickie Lemmermann, Erin McGraw, Murphy Turner, and Matthew West.
COLUMBUS--Jarriott H. Bennett, Katie Coffey, Glen Halbert, Macy Hartel, Kristen McElrath, Abigail Prevost, Derek Lee Sherrod, and Robert Smith IV.
HAMILTON--Kassidy Reed.
MABEN--Nakeshia Bryant and Tarshelle Poe.
PHEBA--Lathan Hughes.
STARKVILLE--Wayne Arick, Markesha Houston and Brandon S. Lanier.
STURGIS--LaStephanie Clark and Kevin Hampton.
WEST POINT--Holly Duke, Homer Duke, Hannah House, Deionesha Lenoir, Rasheed Mitchell, Cameron Shumpert, Walter Tillman Jr., and Joshua Williams.