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Contact: Jennifer Anderson (andersonj@alpha.nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
2/9/2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES- It will soon be time for future astronauts and scientists to gather at Northwestern State University for Camp Discovery 2001, A Martian Odyssey.
The Space Science Group implemented Camp Discovery, which is in its tenth year, at Northwestern State University to instill an enthusiasm for science in middle school and high school students.
Dr., Austin Temple, Northwestern's dean of the College of Science and Technology, accredits the longevity of Camp Discovery to its unique programming.
"Camp Discovery has been a staying institution and has staying power because it has something unique that parents and campers appreciate," Temple said. "They learn science in the most practical way, through hands-on experience.
Camp Discovery's curriculum is built around a simulated space
mission, which is conducted in the space shuttle, space station
and mission control simulators located at NSU.
There is a different simulated mission each year. Along with a
new mission, the students conduct different scientific investigations
during their other activities.
This summer, campers will be taken on a Martian odyssey, on which they will travel to a Martian base, launch a rover, and investigate the results of a meteorite that has hit the red planet. Each squadron will write and perform parts of the mission, making it unique for each group.
Camp Discovery's Martian Odyssey is based on facts about Mars and microgravity gathered by NASA over the past 40 years. NASA video is combined with authentic dialog and movements to enhance the realistic nature of the mission events.
Coordinators say that students learn that there are real-life
benefits for learning and applying science, and they get to experience
science first hand.
According to Laura Ponder, the mission director, the participants learn more than basic science.
"They are going to learn how to work as a team," she said. "They will learn that they can accomplish more by working together."
A few of the topics explored during the camps are astronomy, aviation, robotics, living and working in space, model rocketry, neutral buoyancy and teambuilding.
This is the second year for First Camp Discovery, a camp at which parents can attend along with their children ages 8-10. Both children and parents will train like astronauts, learn scientific principles, and use them to conduct their mission.
There will be five sessions of Camp Discovery this summer. Basic camp is for students age 10 14. Dates for basic camps are June 17-21, June 24-28, and July 15-19. The high school session, for 9-12 grade students, is July 8-12. The dates for First Camp are July 5-7.
For more information about Camp Discovery, call the Space Sciences Group at (318) 357-5186 or (800) 259-9555 or via e-mail at ssg@nsula.edu. The Space Science group's Web address is www.spacesciencegroup.nsula.edu.