UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

A.C. Moore Herbarium

The University's A.C. Moore Herbarium, one of the oldest and largest collections in the Southeast with more than 100,000 pressed plant specimens, is a repository for nearly every botanical species found in South Carolina. Located on the second floor of the Coker Life Sciences Building, the herbarium provides free plant identification services and offers free seminars for schools, other organizations, and the public. Call the herbarium in the College of Arts and Sciences at 803-777-8196 or visit the herbarium Web site.

AP Statistics Report

Each spring, the Department of Statistics hosts an Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Practice Exam for high school students and often offers a three-week AP training course in the summer to better prepare AP high school statistics teachers. For more information contact Brian Habing at 803-777-3578 or go to the Web site.

Belser Arboretum

USC Columbia's seven-acre arboretum, located just east of campus, provides a natural setting for hundreds of students to experience hands-on scientific inquiry, while teachers receive training and curriculum development in teaching biology. Call John Nelson from the College of Arts and Sciences at 803-777-8196 for more information.

CAPA—Computer Assisted Personalized Approach to Learning

A Web-based project of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, CAPA (Computer Assisted Personalized Approach to Learning) offers online assistance with problem solving and content mastery to high school and college students taking college-level chemistry courses. For more information, call 803-777-2916 or go to http://felix.chem.sc.edu/capa/.

Chemistry Outreach Program

Begun in 2000, the program uses Ph.D. students from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to perform experiments for students at Columbia-area elementary, middle, and high schools. By interacting with K-12 students and demonstrating both the everyday relevance of chemistry and the “wow” effect of experiments, USC students hope to enourage an interest in the sciences. For more information, Dr. Linda Shimizu at 803-777-2066 or shimizul@mail.chem.sc.edu

Coastal Ecology, Center for—USC Beaufort

Through the center, USC Beaufort has forged partnerships with Beaufort-area schools and organizations to promote conservation and coastal ecology education. The center's mission is to teach university, secondary, and other students, including the public, about coastal ecological diversity. The center provides field and outreach programs to enrich the lives of students and foster stewardship of the coastal habitats. For more information, call 843-521-4134.

Mathematics Contest

More than 300 S.C. high school students participate every year in USC's Math Contest, which offers a four-year USC scholarship to the winner. For more information about the contest, go to www.math.sc.edu/contest/.

Melton Memorial Observatory

Built in 1928 and featuring a 16-inch diameter telescope, Melton Observatory offers tours and visits for K-12 science classes and public viewing on clear Monday evenings. Faculty and students from the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences operate the observatory and offer lectures and telescope demonstrations at Columbia-area schools. Call 803-777-4180 for more information.

Midway Physics Day

Nearly 4,000 students from more than 60 S.C. schools come to the State Fair every year to get a fun lesson in the physics of amusement rides with help from USC physics faculty and students in the College of Arts and Sciences. The event is coordinated by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the State Fair provides free entry and free rides to participating students and their chaperones. The students then complete a guidebook of physics activities and experiments on rides such as the Ferris wheel and roller coaster, using estimation, home-made instruments, and electronic devices. Members of the Society of Physics Students and professors act as mentors, helping high school students with the dizzying array of calculations and answering their questions. To learn more about Midway Physics Day, call Rudy Jones at 803-777-6714; Dave Tedeschi at 803-777-1132; or go to http://solomon.physics.sc.edu/~tedeschi/midway/bigtop.html.

Ocean Sciences Bowl

This academic competition is intended to increase knowledge of the oceans on the part of high school students and their teachers and parents, as well as to raise the visibility and public understanding of the national investment in ocean-related research. The South Carolina-Georgia Regional Competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl is hosted and organized by USC's Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences. For more information, call 803-777-3927 or visit the Baruch Institute's Web site at: www.baruch.sc.edu.

Partners for Minorities in Engineering and Computer Sciences (PMECS)

This partnership between educators and businesses provides gifted minority students with cultural and academic activities and role models in engineering and computer science. Through a series of technical workshops, students are exposed to the sciences, which helps enhance their academic skills. Rising high school freshmen spend four days and three nights on the University of South Carolina campus, and returning students (grades 10th–12th) spend six days and five nights on campus. College of Engineering and Computing personnel assist with the workshops. June 21-26, 2009. E-mail donn@cec.sc.edu.

Project REAL—Raider Engineering and Academic Leadership

Project REAL, or Raider Engineering and Academic Leadership, is a partnership between Keenan High School and USC to actively engage students in math and science courses and increase their performance in math, science, engineering, and technology-related fields at the post-secondary level. For more information, contact Roger Dougal, First Robotics, at 803-777-7890.

Ruth Patrick Science Education Center—USC Aiken

The Ruth Patrick Science Education Center is a cooperative effort by USC Aiken, industry, and public school districts in the central Savannah River area. In addition to University-level research and educational programs, the center provides permanent programs for enhancing science and mathematics education in the elementary and secondary schools of the area. Its hands-on approach to teaching is designed to help people experience the beauty, order, and power of science and mathematics, as well as the interest and fun of discovery. The center sponsors a variety of programs for K-12 students and for the general public. The Dupont Planetarium is open for public showings every first and third Friday and Saturday of the month. Family Earth and Sky Nights open the planetarium and the observatory to the public for special educational and viewing programs. Science Education Enrichment Day (SEED) is a cooperative effort among public schools, USC Aiken, the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, and the community that allows students to take a self-guided, hands-on tour through a variety of motivating science activity stations. Throughout the year, the center offers a full schedule of exhibits and events for the public and for area educators and students. For more information, call 803-641-3313, or visit the center's Web site at rpsec.usca.edu.

Science Education, Center for

USC's Center for Science Education in the College of Arts and Sciences is involved in several school programs, including:

• elementary school science teacher coaching, which develops and improves strategies for teaching science using an inquiry-based approach
• the Junior Science Symposium, which the center organizes and judges for the U.S. Department of Defense
• other science fairs, for which the center staff provides judging
• workshops for teachers, in which center staff assist teachers with S.C. science standards for education

For more about the center, go to www.cosm.sc.edu/cse/.

Science Road Shows

USC departments of chemistry, physics, and geology take their knowledge on the road several times every academic year in the form of traveling science shows at S.C. K-12 schools. The shows are intended to spark scientific interest through demonstrations and hands-on activities. Call the College of Arts and Science at 803-777-7161.

South Carolina Academy of Science, The Center for the

The center works to improve the quality of science in the state and provide opportunities for students and teachers of science and math to participate in enrichment activities. The center serves the S.C. Junior Academy of Science (grades 9-12) and the Middle/Elementary School Academy of Science (grades 4-8) and works with eight S.C. regional fairs of the International Science and Engineering Fairs. Contact the College of Arts and Sciences at 803-777-9672.

South Carolina Earth Physics Project

Begun and maintained by a USC geological sciences professor, the Earth Physics Project uses real-time earthquake data as a teaching tool in high school physics, physical science, and earth science. For more information, call the geological sciences department in the College of Arts and Sciences at 803-777-4535.

Summer Program for Research Interns

This program encourages bright, academically talented students to pursue careers in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology. Outstanding rising high school seniors from the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) and schools throughout South Carolina conduct original research under the supervision of Carolina scientists and are registered for a three-credit college research internship course. Upon conclusion of the research, participants will present a poster at the capstone event. They will also submit a formal abstract and present their work at the annual GSSM Research Colloquium. The abstracts are published in the GSSM Abstract Book and can be submitted to the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science for competition. June 8-July 18, 2008.
NOTE: Students who participate in this summer program have already been selected through nominations, invitations, and/or auditions. Position yourself for selection in 2009 by visiting the SPRI Web site