By MONICA KELLY

mak012@latech.edu

 

Summer is typically a period of knowledge drought.

Students choose to park in front of televisions with snack foods and soda to learn about “Tom and Jerry,” rather than long division.

The Louisiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, counteracts this summer drought by holding science-based summer camps and creating clubs to nurture brainpower year-round.

GEAR UP’s Explorers Club Conference, in conjunction with its yearly retreat, will meet to discuss the camps and their impact on the year tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Tech.

The conference will extend through the weekend.

Glenn Beer is the director of the Science and Technology Education Center, which includes the IDEA Place, NASA Education Center and Planetarium, and he is also a key catalyst of the early awareness program.

Beer said the conference is a big deal and hosting the event for the entire state says a lot about Tech.

“We hold the conference to see what kind of connections have been made throughout the year to the summer camps,” Beer said.

“We want to counter the summer learning loss by getting students involved in science-based activities, while simultaneously discussing possible career paths.”

Beer said the camps are aimed toward enriching the academic achievement of low-income students and to amplify the number of students who enroll and thrive in post-secondary education programs.

“During the camps the students create Explorers Clubs that they utilize throughout the year,” Beer said.

“These clubs encourage the students to complete ‘Rewards for Success’ applications to ensure financial resources and access to post-secondary education.”

At the conference, participants from Louisiana schools will discuss the success of the clubs at the schools and how it has changed the students’ perspectives on school and on a meaningful future.

According to the LA GEAR UP Summer Learning Camp report, preliminary data has indicated that the camps have not only elevated academic achievement of participating students, but has also heightened the student’s expectations for college.

The report also gave a listing of participating universities that hold summer camps.

Tech is the site for first-time campers only.

According to the report, “If you like designing new things, you’ll love the engineering exploration, where you will use engineering principles to build a new structure. [Tech’s] field trip will take us to Shreveport’s SciPort Discovery Center and the IMAX Theater.”

Beer said the field trips and exciting activities are useful initiatives in trying to make learning and college “cool.”

In the Spring/Summer 2005 issue of “Louisiana Tech Magazine,” Beer was quoted as saying, “What makes something cool? You make what’s cool, cool — it’s up to you what’s cool.

“So other students at school are going to be watching you and wondering why you are changed? That’s your opportunity to tell them that you have a plan for college.”

Noel Camell, a freshman nutrition and dietetics major, said these camps and clubs have done a number of great things in her hometown.

“We have many low-income families who generally might not have been able to afford college,” Camell said.

“Not only have these students made it to college because of this program, but they are succeeding and loving what they are doing.”

Beer said he hopes the program will continue to have as much success in the future as it has generated in the past.

He also hopes to continue to create bright futures for its participants and keep Tech on the map as one of the top institutions in the state.