The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources is hosting six summer academies for high school students to explore major and career opportunities July 13-16, 2014.
The six academies include Culinary Science, Stats & Sports, Forestry, The Weather, Sciences of Life and Stem by Stem. These specific areas were chosen to help students discover all the options CAFNR has to offer when it comes to majors and careers.
Each academy is $200, and full and partial scholarships are available. The academies are open to 10th, 11th and 12th grade students. Each Academy is limited to 20 students.
Students attending the academies will stay in MU residence halls and eat at the MU dining halls. The academy will also include a campus tour to ensure a full campus experience.
“These academies are important because it provides an early opportunity for students to explore opportunities,” said Cecilia Leslie, CAFNR Director of Student Recruitment. “This is a great way for high school students to get a feel for college life and explore majors and careers.”
Applications for the academies are now open, and are due no later than May 1.
The Culinary Science Academy, led by Eliza Tse, Ph.D., professor, and Leslie Jett, Ph.D., executive chef and assistant teaching professor, is designed for culinary enthusiasts and aspiring food scientists wanting to learn the art and science behind culinary creations. Students will work in MU’s state-of-the-art facility with award-winning professional chef instructors and resident food scientists. Mizzou chef coats are included!
The Stats & Sports Academy, led by Nicholas Watanabe, Ph.D., assistant teaching professor, is designed for students who find math fascinating and want to apply it to real-life challenges in the sport industry. Students will work with business analytics to examine the performance of sport teams on and off the field. Included in this academy will be specific instruction on how to model and predict both player performance and fan attendance at baseball games across the country. High school students with ACT math sub score of 28 or higher will be eligible for the academy.
The Forestry Academy is led by Hank Stelzer, Ph.D., associate teaching professor and State Forestry Extension Specialist. At this academy, students will learn how what happens below ground impacts what grows above, how to geocache, and how tree rings are used to age historic buildings and track climate change. They will learn about Missouri’s forest products industry from watching how trees are sustainably harvested using modern equipment to how barrels are made. After this academy, students will be able to tell an oak from a maple, climb a tree like a professional, and understand how scientists monitor urban waterways.
The Weather Academy, led by Patrick Market, Ph.D., professor, is designed for students who have an interest in the physical sciences, especially those pertaining to weather and climate. We are bombarded with storm chasers on TV and climate change in the news, but where does the media hype end and the real facts of the science begin? To answer that question, students will be exposed to the entire weather enterprise, from how weather observations are gathered to how weather and climate forecasts are produced and communicated to the public. Field trips to KOMU-TV, the Missouri Climate Center, Sanborn Field and others will round out exercises in our state-of-the-art Weather Analysis and Visualization (WAV) Lab and experiments with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model.
The Sciences of Life Academy is led by Mario Pennella, Ph.D., assistant teaching professor. This mind-enriching program is for students with a passion for science and exploring life science research with faculty. Students will be introduced to potential career opportunities in research, law, medicine, agriculture and veterinary medicine.
The Stem-by-Stem Academy is led by Mary Ann Gowdy, Ph.D., assistant teaching professor, and Tim Moloney, landscape design instructor. Our world is depending on young scientists to use their talents and passion to feed the world, to fuel a sustainable economy, to preserve Earth’s natural resources and to design beautiful outdoor living environments. Working side by side with faculty in laboratories and outdoor plots, students will learn how research is conducted and how solutions to environmental concerns are found.