Summer Opportunities Guide

Nebraska Scholars Academy at Hastings College

Name of Institution: Hastings College

Program Title: Nebraska Scholars Academy at Hastings College

Program Type: Summer Residential

Program Date Information: June 26-July 1, 2011

Grades/Age Levels: Students who will be in the eighth or ninth grade during the 2011-2012 school year

Description:

Magnet School of Global Studies and the Arts, Omaha, with Constance Malloy, Ph.D., Professor of English at Hastings College.

Mathematics

Uncovering the Secrets of Mathematics

In this class students will learn how mathematics is used to break secret codes by using different methods of encoding and decoding messages, from the Ceasar Cipher to Cryptograms. Students will learn about Fibonacci numbers, Lucas numbers, and patterns in Pascal’s Triangle. They will encode and decode their own messages using methods like those used by the National Security Agency. Students will investigate the number PHI and find the hidden meaning of this number throughout The DaVinci Code. Computers and graphing calculators will beused. Andrea Volf, M.A., 7-8th grade math, Lincoln Public Schools.

Computer Programming and Web Design

Students in this course will be given an introduction to what computer science really is. They’ll begin with basic Web page design using XHTML. Once they can handle setting up a page, they’ll begin to program in JavaScript within that page. Programming topics will include basic input/output, decision structures, and looping.

One large programming project will finish the course, with the students presenting this fi nal project to the class. John Schneider, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Hastings College.

Science

Food Webs

These students will investigate food webs as a conceptual model for ecological interactions, including food webs of human design, a prairie dog town, and the Platte River. They will observe prairie dog behaviors, attempt to restore the black-footed ferret in a computer model, determine the role Tyrannosaurus Rex played in Cretaceous food webs, and create their own food webs in a microcosm. For the fi eld trip to the river, students should wear old shoes or sturdy sandals (no fl ip-fl ops), and bring a towel and plenty of sunscreen. William Beachly, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Hastings College.

Genetics

In this class, students will play with the inheritance of simple and complex genetic traits. In addition to exercises that distinguish genetic make-up from physical appearance, we will talk about genes, what they are made of and how we know. Students will isolate DNA from their own cells and from other sources. With the DNA isolated, we will use PCR and electrophoresis, both techniques of modern forensics and molecular biology, to determine specifi c DNA make-up for the ability to taste a particular compound. John Bohmfalk, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Hastings College.

The Program

The Nebraska Scholars Academy offers gifted and talented students from across Nebraska the opportunity to come together, make new friends among their intellectual peers, and experience small academic classes that challenge their true potential. NSA classes are taught by Hastings College professors and experienced teachers from around the state. During their stay, our scholars get a preview of college life. They will stay in campus housing under the supervision of three NSA co-directors and eight college students, who will serve as their resident advisors and social group leaders. Leaders, teachers and students eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together in the Hastings College cafeteria. There will be several food choices for each meal, and we will work to accommodate any special dietary needs. Our Hastings College Registered Nurse and Therapist Beth Littrell will be on campus and on-call for students’ health andcounseling needs.

Admissions Criteria:

To participate, students must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Participation in a gifted program at school.
  2. Score at the 95th percentile or above in at least one area on a standardized achievement test such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, ACT, SAT, CAT, or CTBS.
  3. Two letters of nomination from school officials.
    Cost: $475.00, which includes room, board, activities, field trips, course materials

Cost:

  • $475.00, which includes room, board, activities, field trips, course materials

Application Deadline: 4-30-2011

Locations: Hastings, NE

Contact: