A weeklong, all-day summer science camp designed for young students aged 11 to 14, the Sensing Our World 2010: Global Health Summer Science Camp from July 12 to 16 admitted 40 students, double the number of last years’ participants. Sponsored by the Siemens Foundation, Northern Indiana Science, Mathematics & Engineering Consortium (NISMEC), and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), the camp awarded six scholarships with support from the College of Science and the Department of Biological Sciences.
The camp focused on global health issues this year. Students learned about the potential for large-scale epidemics of infectious diseases like pneumococcal pneumonia and avian flu, as well as the growing awareness of the importance of addressing the healthcare needs of the developing world. Camp activities included meeting with Notre Dame scientists to learn about their research and visits to various academic departments and research labs on campus.
Monday’s presenters, who represented QuarkNet and NDeRC, discussed the Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach (BOSCO) Uganda Relief Project with students. The students mapped water sources, across the entire campus, from which they obtained samples and ran various tests. In the afternoon, the students created their own Wiki pages with maps, photos, and commentary about findings from their research.
