Description:
Is there evidence of life on Mars? Are we alone in the universe? Students will first investigate our solar system to discover places to look for life. Next they will look farther into space and explore other star systems to determine the probabilities of finding earthlike planets. Activities will include modeling planetary surfaces, analyzing the requirements for life, processing digital images, and learning micro-photography. All students will be trained in basic sky watching with binoculars and small telescopes.

Program Information:
coed • current 7th-8th graders (09/10 school year) • residential or commuter
Residential students are housed on the campus of Binghamton University.
Students may choose one-week or two-week institutes.
Session A: July 25-31, 2010
Session B: Aug 1-7, 2010 Fee: $835 (1 week) or $1570 (2 weeks)
Commuter Option: $475 per week

Additional Information:
For its 18th summer, Kopernik Observatory & Science Center in Vestal, New York is offering week-long science programs for grades 1-2, grades 3-4, grades 5-6, grades 7-8, and grades 9-12: Link 1 Astronomy (Grades 9-12 in School Year 08/09)
Link 2 Space Science (Grades 7 & 8 in School Year 09/10)
Link 3 Earth Science (Grades 5 & 6 in School Year 09/10)
Link 4 Junior Astronomers (Grades 3 & 4 in School Year 09/10)
Link 5 Young Scientists (Grades 1 & 2 in School Year 09/10) For further information on these programs, visit: http://www.kopernik.org/summer_science/index.htm