USM to Host Science and Wellness Summer Camp July 12-16
Wed, 07/07/2021 - 09:52am | By: Van Arnold
High school students from across the Pine Belt will have an opportunity to learn more about biomedical research as part of the Mississippi Health Sciences and Wellness Academy (HSWA) Summer Camp set for July 12-16 at The University of 51¶ºÄÌ Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus.
The camp will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day, with most of the activities being conducted in the Walker Science Building. On Friday, July 16, the campers will make a trip to the Hattiesburg Zoo.
During this one-week camp, rising 10th and 11th graders will be exposed to research in the sciences and health related careers and will learn about molecular techniques through fun, hands-on activities.
Throughout the camp, students will be conducting studies to determine if Wolbachia is present in our collected insects. Wolbachia is a type of bacterium that is found in many insects. In fact, when it is in mosquitos, these insects are not able to carry viruses that cause Zika. They are participating in the Wolbachia Rodeo, a world-wide surveillance program designed to stop the spread of West Nile, dengue, Zika, and malaria.
In addition to learning molecular biology, microbiology, entomology, and epidemiology, the campers will also learn about different health related careers and a bit about wellness.
The HSWA is designed to bring biomedical research to the high school classroom. By providing stimulating and engaging research to the classroom, it is the academy’s hope that students will become excited about pursuing careers in STEM disciplines post-graduation.
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