Students in a UNM-LA summer program. Photo by Nancy Coombs/UNM-LA
UNM-LA NEWS
The UNM-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) Community Education annual Summer Program for Youth (SPY) will take place on the UNM-LA campus July 15 – 26.
SPY, formerly known as Children’s College, offers week-long camps providing hands-on activities in thematically oriented classes with an emphasis on Science, Math, Art and Technology for students in grades 1-10.
Classes for grades 1-3 and grades 4-6 are scheduled July 15-19. During the second week, July 22-26, there are classes for grades 4-6 and for teens, grades 7-10.
Adventures at the University, for grades 1-3, focuses on a different topic each day, and meets in the morning from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
The students in grades 4 – 6 may choose morning (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) or afternoon (1 – 4 p.m.) sessions during both weeks of SPY, with a choice of topics for each session. Classes include: the Science in Science Fiction, Fun Science Labs, Chemistry in the Kitchen, Engineering Circuits, Robotics, Minecraft Architecture, Game Design, or Coding, Microbits, and 3D Printing.
For the teen group, grades 7-10, morning and afternoon sessions are available the week of July 22-26. Students can choose the Science of Art, Forensics, Future Doctors and Nurses, the Science in Science Fiction, Fun Science Labs, Minecraft, Game Design, or Coding, Microbits and 3D Printing.
UNM-LA is pleased to offer two classes for teens taught by UNM-LA Instructors. In the Science of Art, taught by Barbara Yarnell, students will discuss the science behind the various art materials they use. Students will create their own mask with polymer clay, Raku beads, foam core and wire. They will create a bowl from paper and paint it. Finally, students will glaze and fire a pot, learning about the science of glazing and firing using the Raku firing method.
In Future Doctors and Nurses, taught by UNM-LA instructor Melanie Colgan, students will study basic first aid and how different human body systems work. Along with hands-on activities, studentswill explore questions such as, “Why do I get a brain freeze when I drink a milkshake too fast?” or “Why do old people grow hair in their ears?”
Merrick & Company, a local Engineering, Architecture, & Geospatial Solutions company, has been a long-time sponsor of the Summer Program for Youth. This year they have donated funds for the purchase of camp t-shirts for all students.
Last year, UNM implemented a new Minors on Campus policy which emphasizes student safety. This system requires that parents or guardians are present to sign students in and out of class. This year, to facilitate the process for parents of students who take both morning and afternoon sessions, UNM-LA will offer an enrichment session during the noon break so parents will not have to return to campus during the lunch period.
Registration for SPY is available online at http://losalamos.unm.edu/spy2019.html. For further information contact Mike Katko, UNM-LA Continuing Education Program Coordinator, 505.662.0346 or email mikekatko1@unm.edu.
UNM-Los Alamos is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs, and lifelong learning opportunities. More information about UNM-LA is available at losalamos.unm.edu.