National Youth Science Camp: About the Program

The NYSC Academic Program

Lecturer Al Bartlett, a widely-recognized speaker on population growth and energy resources, speaks in his lecture, "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy"
At the heart of the NYSC experience is a fantastic academic program which has been refined and improved over our forty-year history. Every year a roster of dozens of researchers and teachers arrives to share its depth and breadth of knowledge with the delegates. Many science camp alumni have gone on to become researchers in fields they first gained interest in at the NYSC, in fact.

A key to the program is that our presenters do more than just lecture--many spend several days in the camp, giving smaller informal in-depth sessions for those who want to pursue a topic further, and delegates have many opportunities to sit down with our guests and chat, one-on-one. It's a fantastic opportunity to begin creating professional connections in the field, as well as personal friendships with established scientists.

Lecturer Alan Daly's fast-paced lecture gives a front-line view of field research and water conservation efforts
Academic sessions at NYSC take place in three types of sessions: Lectures are 60-90 minute presentations (including time for questions from the delegates) presented to the entire camp community. There are roughly 25 of these during the usual camp year. Some recent lectures include:

Nanobiotechnology: Detecting DNA and Proteins Using Tiny Metal Particles
Exploring Mars: Life, Climate, Geology and Humans
Fuel Cells and Emerging Hydrogen Technology
Reproductive Techniques for Management and Conservation of Endangered Species
Forensic Anthropology and Death Investigation: You’ve Only Got Bones
Pathogens and Hosts: Role of Microgravity and Spaceflight in Modeling Infectious Disease
A Comparative View of the Social and Political Role of Females in Nonhuman Primate Societies

Dr. Craig Cary guides a delegate through PCR gene isolation and cloning in a directed study.
A Directed Study usually consists of about ten students and a presenter, and consists of three 90-minute sessions. Several times during the camp, a list of nine to twelve options is made available and a lottery is held for delegates to choose which session they will participate in. These sessions often involve a larger project, or trips to nearby locations to study a specific ecological area or make use of a scientific facility. Some recent directed studies have been:

Human Hand Anatomy and Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release - Dr. Rick Walker, a private surgeon and alumnus of the NYSC program himself, guides a group of delegates through the dissection of actual human hands in an analysis of the logical layout, redundancy, and dual functionality of physiological structures.
Renewable Energy: What It is and How It Works - Jeff Gilbert, Principal Partner of Chesapeake Wind and Solar, LLC, introduces the actual technology and science underlying one of the more popular buzzwords of modern environmentalism. The delegates build passive solar devices and get the inside scoop on the pros and cons of hydro, geothermal, tidal, and solar energy technology.
Investigating Astronomical Data from the Green Bank Radio Telescope - Dr. Ron Maddalena and Dr. Karen O'Neil visit from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV to share with delegates exactly what radio astronomy is all about. The delegates get to work with and analyze actual data from the radio telescopes at NRAO, and use the data to create images of various astronomical objects.

One delegate shares some of the findings of his scientific research
Finally, there are Seminars, including delegate-led seminars and lectures. Many of these are non-scientific and informal; staff members often take this time to lead sessions on ceramics, or how to read music, or tips and tricks for getting into foreign exhcange and study abroad programs, or even just informal question-and-answer sessions on dorm life, career opportunities for med students or engineers, or other topics. Special sessions are available for delegates to share scientific research with the camp community, or simply to share other talents... in past years delegates have taught each other how to do jazz improvisation, do traditional Chinese ribbon dances, or simply how to juggle.