WVU Parkersburg to offer free Summer Academies for area high school students.

CONTACT:  Deborah Lockhart, Corporate and Community Education, 304-424-8271.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is offering a free series of Summer Academies for area high school students, grades 10-12.

The short-term sessions are designed for students to explore educational and career opportunities in their fields of interest, and increase their comfort level with the college environment, noted Mary Beth Busch, interim dean of the college's Corporate and Community Education.   College credit is an option, she added.

To be held on campus, classes being offered include:

Technology 101 - June 16-18; Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.   Students will learn about technology through classroom and hands-on activities.  Topics to be covered will include engineering skills and careers; the history of technology; exploration of digital circuits, magnets, transducers, sensory detectors, and communication networks; network engineering, software engineering, security and technology job opportunities.

Clues in Crime - June 16-20; Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.  This high-tech academy involvescomputer-mediated instruction, hands-on activities, and field assignments. Topics and activities include fingerprinting, evidence collection, etc.

Battle of the Geeks - June 23-27;  Monday-Friday,  8 a.m.-4 p.m.  Students will spend three days learning how to build a computer and two days competing against other teams to build the fastest computer possible.  Students will be assigned to teams.  The class will include classroom instruction, followed by hands-on instruction in the area of hardware configuration and software installation. 

Engineering & Technology Exploration - June 23-27; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.  This class will provide exposure to the fields of  engineering and engineering technology.  Students will work together and complete hands-on projects to better understand the breadth and variety of the field.

Early Childhood Education - June 25, 26, 27; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.  This academy
will include an introduction to college coursework required and participation in sampleteaching and learning activities. Participants will gain knowledge on topics such as how children learn, the five areas of development, and a variety of teaching methods.

Health Career Academy - June 30-July 3; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.  Participants will be introduced to various health careers through classroom activities and opportunities to shadow professionals at local health care institutions.

Creative Welding - Auguest 4-8;  Monday-Friday,  8 a.m.-4 p.m.  Students will create artistic metal projects.  They will learn to weldcut and bend metal into their own special design. They will learn how to safely operate an oxyacetylene torch and learn how to mig, tig, and stick weld their project together.

WVU Parkersburg's Summer Academies are funded through scholarships courtesy of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical Colleges.  The academies are professionally led by WVU Parkersburg faculty in cooperation with area experts and professionals from the Mid-Ohio Valley's business and industrial community.

Advanced registration is required and may be accomplished by contacting Deborah Lockhart at the college, 424-8271.

cd05/22/08