UC Summer Program Has Middle Schoolers "Gearing Up" for College Date: July 26, 2000 By: Dawn Fuller Phone: (513) 556-1823 Archive: General News Dozens of seventh and eighth graders from Cincinnati Public's Burton and Parham schools are looking forward to spending two weeks at an academic summer camp at the University of Cincinnati. The program was created specifically for these 50 youngsters as a part of the GEAR UP collaboration, a program designed to keep students on track to college. The UC University College Summer 2000 Academic Camp will take place July 31-Aug. 4 and Aug. 7-11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at University College on UC's main campus. GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, a national $120 million initiative the U.S. Department of Education launched last August for children who have not yet reached high school. GEAR UP partnerships across the country focus on students who have fallen behind on achievement scores. The collaborations develop programs to increase student achievement and to generate interest in college. UC faculty developed the academy to help students strengthen their reading, writing and studying skills, in addition to biology, chemistry and group learning. Students will write their own book, create a web site, perform lab experiments and design their own T- shirts as part of the summer camp. They'll get a tour of the campus, a residence hall and the African American Cultural and Research Center. A game of bowling, billiards or ping pong in the Tangeman University Center (TUC) game room is also planned for the students. "We want to mix academics with some of the activities on campus to give students a real taste of college life," says Missy Laine, assistant language arts professor and coordinator of University College Summer 2000 Academic Camp. Laine and assistant language arts professor Jonathan Alexander created the reading and writing curriculum for the program. The academy will end with a graduation ceremony Friday, Aug. 11, 1:15-2 p.m. in Room 2109, French Hall. Parents of the students are invited to attend the ceremony. The Cincinnati GEAR UP partnership, a $1.8 million, five-year initiative, includes UC, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Wilberforce University, the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and the Greater Cincinnati Tech Prep Consortium. Photo Opportunities: Thursday, Aug. 3, 10:30-11:30 a.m. 12:30-2 p.m. Students will create their own "tie-dye" style T-shirts as they witness chromatography in action in Room 6201, French Hall. "We'll use magic markers to draw on the T-shirts and then separate the compounds in the marker by using rubbing alcohol," says Jon Breiner, UC assistant professor of math and applied science. Thursday, Aug. 10 10:15-11:15 a.m. 12:45-1:45 p.m. A Cincinnati Park District naturalist at Burnet Woods will give students a tour of the pond and the life that dwells in the water, as students reflect on the importance of a pollution-free environment. The students will meet at the nature preserve before taking the walk to the pond. The tour is part of the students' biology experience developed by Mary Fox, UC associate professor of math and applied science.