Bill Nye the Science Guy doesnt have anything on the junior high school science whizzes who will be visiting the West Virginia University campus this summer.

From experimenting with wildlife habitats and water quality to studying energy planning and hydroelectric power ,* rising 8th and 9th graders attending the first annual West Virginia Governors School for Math and Science (GSMS) will get a healthy dose of science starting next week.

The first session, July 7-19, targets 9th graders; a second session, July 27-Aug. 4, is for 8th graders.

Working with the theme”community ecology,”each student will participate in small-town community planning and growth in a town called”Wiseville.”

“We hope to promote wisdom and start with something the students know about alreadythe idea of a small town,”said WVU education professor Eric Pyle, director of the GSMS .”We want to get the students started and engaged in science and mathematical research.”

Sixty students will be split into 12 five-person teams and will work with faculty members and college-level resident assistants in planning both specialized and generalized projects involving community ecology.

Among the projectswater quality, waste management and disposal, energy management, hazardous materials and sharing habitatsall aspects that are vital to the survival of a community.

The goal of the program is simple, Pyle noted.

“We want to provide a basis for solid research skills at the very minimum,”Pyle said,”and hope that some of the students will continue with the research and take more challenging courses in high school.”

To be selected for GSMS , students must have a B+ average or better or score above the 90th percentile in math and science on standardized tests. They must also show a desire for learning science and willing to accept academic challenges.

While at WVU , students will hear from Gail Charnley, a member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Societys Distinguished Lectureship, who will present”Protecting the Children: Risk Assessment, Risk Management, and Children’s Environmental Health.”

They will also visit the Student Recreation Center, Marilla Park and Laurel Caverns.

“I am pleased that the governor views education as a vital component of economic development,”Pyle said,”and am honored to be part of this program.”

Opening ceremonies for the first session will begin on Sunday (July 7) at 2 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms, followed by a town meeting at 3:30 p.m.

Ninth graders participating in the first session of the program include:

• Alyson Altizer of Delbarton

• Robert Audia of Morgantown

• Franklin Baker of Fairmont

• Jessica Ball of St. Albans

• Kurt Barry of Romney

• Kevin Beckett of Clendenin

• Jarrod Bell of Welch

• Clarence Black of Colliers

• Peter Bocchini of Grantsville

• Daniel Bollinger of Gassaway

• Alton Booth of Kermit

• Matthew Cooper of Whitesville

• Casey Corder of Charleston

• Kelley Cusick of Kenova

• Michael Deter of Weirton

• Matthew DeVore of Parkersburg

• Nicholas Dunbar of Buckhannon

• Erin Eifert of Martinsburg

• Emily Egan of Green Bank

• Matthew Fredrick of Bridgeport

• Nicole Garcia of Princeton

• Rustyn Goff of Pullman

• Alexander Goughenour of Newburg

• Lacey Grady of Fort Ashby

• Andrew Gronan of Lewisburg

• Chen Yin Guo of New Martinsville

• Michael Hartman of Clarksburg

• Joshua Hendrix of Bluefield

• Stephanie Hicks of Sistersville

• Anna Holt-Gosselin of Fairmont

• Ryan Jackson of Hamlin

• Jessica Johnson of Belington

• Kenneth Johnston of Independence

• Joshua Lawson of Cowen

• Anne Mallow of Upper Tract

• Nathaniel May of Huntington

• Sara McClymonds of Masontown

• Whitney McCoy of Pine Grove

• Jennifer McGowan of Cross Lanes

• Camara McLaughlin of Union

• Melissa Mills of Mullens

• Emily OConnell of Wheeling

• Sarah Parker of Buckhannon

• Sawan Prabhu of Morgantown

• Aaron Reardon of New Cumberland

• Bryan Reed of Weston

• Caitlyn Reedy of Moorefield

• Joshua Rohrbaugh of New Creek

• Eric Seachrist of Glen Dale

• Frank Shaw of Martinsburg

• Drew Stallings of Grafton

• Vanessa Swanner of Princeton

• Laura Tappe of Ridgeley

• Andrew Wagner of Oak Hill

• Lucia White of Weirton

• Kiley Wilfong of Williamstown

• James Williams of Romney

• Aaron Williamson of Crum

• Victoria Williamson of Williamstown

• Amanda Wriston of Oak Hill.

For more information visit http://www.wvgovschools.org/mands/index.html .

*2002 Governors School for Math and Science Daily Schedule of Events

July 5 Friday

• Resident staff arrives

July 7 Sunday

• 10:00am Students arrive and check-in at Stalnaker lobby, Brunch

• 2:00pm Opening ceremony

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00-9:00Team Building

• 10:00Quiet hour begins

• Be on your floor, in a room, with no sounds loud enough to be heard outside the room.

• 11:00Lights out

• Be in your own room with no sounds loud enough to be heard outside the room

July 8 Monday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Meeting with mentors to define probs.

• 11:15-12:3Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00pmClasses

• 3:00-5:515Activity Time

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00Science Talk from Bob Behling Geology Professor

• Subject: Antartica

July 9 Tuesday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Classes

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00pmClasses

• 3:00-5:515Activity Time

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00Bowling at the Mountain Lair, bowling, video games, and pool in the Mountainlair

July 10 Wednesday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Classes

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00pmClasses

• 3:00-5:515Activity Time

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00Recreation Center, trip to the new WVU recreation center

July 11 Thursday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Classes

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00pmClasses

• 3:00-5:515Activity Time

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00Science Talk from Gail Charnley, environmental toxicologist

July 12 Friday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Classes

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00pmClasses

• 3:00-5:515Activity Time

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00Marilla Park, pool party at Marilla Park Pool and water slides

July 13 Saturday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Evaluation of SkillsPlan Problem Attacks

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30Trip to Laurel Caverns

• 5:15-6:30Dinner, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 7:00 FUN TIME , led by RA/RDs; Movie

July 14 Sunday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30On Sunday mornings you have the option of attending worship service.

Sign-up sheets will be posted in the Stalnaker lobby.

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30Work, talk with TIGERS fellows

• 3:00Activity Time (RAs)

• 7:00Science Talk from Dr. Keith Garbutt

July 15 Monday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Group meetings, divide up tasks

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00Mixed groups to labs

• 3:00Activity Time (RAs)

• 7:00Science Talk

July 16 Tuesday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Group work in labs, classes on demand

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00Group work in labs, classes on demand

• 3:00Activity Time (RAs)

• 7:00Recreation Center, trip to the new WVU recreation center

July 17 Wednesday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Group work in labs, classes on demand

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00Group work in labs, classes on demand

• 3:00Activity Time (RAs)

• 7:00Science Talk from Jeff Peterson, Chemistry

July 18 Thursday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Final Project Planning, last minute labs

• 11:15-12:30Lunch, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 12:30-3:00Project presentation preparation

• 3:00Activity Time (RAs)

• 7:00Mixer with DJ

July 19 Friday

• 7:15-8:30amBreakfast, Stalnaker Cafeteria

• 8:30Project Set-ups; Awards, Departures

• Homeward Bound