Summer Camp Programs for Gifted Children in Michigan

Office of Gifted And Talented Education-MSU, Michigan:
The Office of Gifted and Talented Education has been providing programming for academically able students for over 20 years. We offer academic year and summer programming for middle and high school students (grades 7 - 12). Our purpose is to provide high-quality programs for bright students that they will not find at their home schools. We collaborate with numerous department and colleges on the MSU campus to ensure that students work with highly regarded faculty and outstanding facilities.

MST at MSU:
MST at MSU is a 2 week residential program for middle school students, currently in grades 7 - 9. Each day students attend two academic lecture/labs followed by a Special Clinic.

Academic courses include Nuclear Astrophysics, Public Health/Pre-Med, Evolution in Action, Astronomy, Genetics & Biotechnology, Digital Photography and Filmmaking, Mathematical Explorations, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Physiology. Special Clinics include Basketball, Creative Writing, Flash I: Motion Graphics & Animation, Flash II: Interaction and Games, Soccer, and Visual Arts.

Evenings include use of the campus facilities such as computer labs, the intramural sports center, planetarium, library, etc. Over the weekend, students attend in team building field games, have a dance on Saturday night, and swimming at the East Lansing Aquatic Center on Sunday afternoon. Classes are limited to 15 students with instruction provided by a MSU professor assisted by an area high school teacher.

CSI: The Forensic Science Program at MSU:
The CSI program is a one week residential program for students in grades 7 - 9. Instruction is provided by Michigan State Police, the FBI, MSU Forensic Science professors, and the MSU campus police. Experts in each area of forensic science provide lively lectures, followed by crime scene work in one of three crime scenes or in the crime lab.

Topics covered include: evidence collection, crime scene documentation, blood spatter analysis, ballistics, drug analysis, law, and arson. We are reducing the entomology and anthropology portions and giving more time for hands on labs and evidence collection/analysis of the crime. We also include lessons on pathology, questioned documents, and trace evidence.

Evening activities include a "career night" where students can learn what they would need to do in high school/ college to work in the field and use of campus facilities such as the IM swimming pool and computer labs.

China Adventure:
This program runs on even years. Students reside on the MSU campus the first week then travel to China for two weeks. The residential portion of the program provides lesson in Mandarin Chinese, lectures on Chinese politics, religion, arts and humanities. A variety of MSU professors provide the lecture and labs throughout the day. Evenings are spent watching Chinese film, using MSU facilities, or participating in local cultural events. Travel in China will include Beijing, Jinan, Xi'an, Suzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai.

High Achievers:
High Achievers is a four-week program which allows students to either reside on the MSU campus or commute daily to morning classes held Monday - Thursday. These honors level courses are instructed by award winning MSU Professors. Each course is 3 credits and are transferable to other colleges or universities. The courses are:

Introduction to Microeconomics (EC 201), Introduction to Philosophy (PHL 200), Biotechnology (CSS 491), Myth, Self and Religion (REL 205), Questions, Issues and Debates in Global Studies: Exploring Africa Through the Arts and Humanities (GSAH 200).

Residential students reside in Philips Hall with 24/7 supervision. Every effort is made to introduce students to campus life with daily activities along with study time at the library. Weekends are spent attending campus or local events. Students can leave campus on weekends with authorized guardians or adults.