Biology

Bio@Tech
Summer Program for High School Students 2008

What
During the summer of 2008 Georgia Tech School of Biology and Center for Education Integrating Science, Math and Computing offers BIO@TECH, an intensive three-week investigative biology experience for high school students with strong interests in the biological sciences. Topics included in each session will vary, and include selections from the following:

  • "Glow Germs " - creating bacterial cells that glow in the dark.
  • "CSI: GT" - DNA forensics.
  • "Power of the Plankton" - ecology of oceanic and freshwater plankton (includes field trip).
  • "Daughters of Eve" - mitochondrial DNA ancestry.
  • "Life on the Edge" - microbes found in harsh and extreme environments.
  • "Breaking the Code" - DNA sequencing and identification.
  • "Green Genes" - detecting genetically modified foods.

When and Where
Two identical three-week sessions of BIO@TECH will be offered this summer. Session I begins June 2, 2008 and runs Monday through Friday until June 20, 2008. Session II begins July 14, 2008, and runs Monday through Friday until August 1, 2008. Students participate in lectures and laboratory experiments from 9:00am until 4:00pm at Georgia Tech's School of Biology. There will be short breaks in the morning and afternoon of each session as well as a lunch break.

Instructors
BIO@TECH is taught by Georgia Tech faculty and instructors in the School of Biology, and by Patricia Mote of Chamblee High School, recipient of 2003-2004 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement. Under the direction of these faculty, students explore key breakthroughs and issues in current biology, as well as the challenges they represent to society.

Application
Applications are available from Kevin Roman at 404-385-717 or fax (404) 894-0519 and can also be downloaded and printed here(in Adobe PDF format. Get the free Acrobat Reader here if you need it)

The complete application portfolio includes:

  • An Application Form
  • A Student Essay
  • Two (2) Teacher Recommendations

(Please remember to specify whether you can attend Session I, Session II, or either of the two sessions).

Fifteen to twenty-five rising 11th and 12th graders with a strong interest in biology, chemistry, or biomedical sciences will be selected based on a review of their portfolio. Exceptional rising 10th graders will also be considered. Interested students should have completed at least algebra and one year of high school biology. Applications are encouraged particularly from students historically under-represented in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering.

Two letters of recommendation, at least one from a recent science teacher, should be written on the forms provided in the Application Packet and sent directly to the Georgia Tech Summer Biology Program address listed under APPLICATION DEADLINE.

Students accepted into the program must submit a $695.00 tuition fee and a $25.00 non-refundable application and registration fee.

* Successful completion of BIO@TECH includes mandatory attendance. Students whose behavior is deemed by the BIO@TECH instructors to be disruptive to the learning environment will be asked to leave.

Application Deadline
The deadline for receipt of completed applications AND the $25 Application Fee is April 25, 2008. Candidates should send the completed application to:

Georgia Tech BIO@TECH Program
Attn: Kevin Roman
School of Biology
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0230

Students will be notified of their acceptance into the program by May 2, 2008.

Waivers
Parents or guardians of participating students will be required to sign a liability waiver, an emergency medical release, and a photo release form. This is a formal requirement. At no time will students handle, or be exposed to, radioactive material or high-energy radiation, or noxious, toxic chemicals.

For further information contact:
Kevin Roman
(404) 385-7137 (phone)
(404) 894-0519 (fax)

BIO@TECH is sponsored by the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Biology and the Georgia Institute of Technology Center for Education Integrating Science, Math and Computing (An Equal Education and Employment Opportunity Institution)