GlaxoSmithKline's Science in the Summer
2010 Overview

 

GlaxoSmithKline's Science in the Summer (SIS) is an enrichment program for children, administered by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. SIS provides a week of science education activities at a community site, usually a public library. This year, SIS will be available at 28 sites in nine counties.

SIS provides hands-on activities as well as demonstrations of science experiments, with a theme that focuses on a single science subject. The 2010 theme is "Water and Our Oceans," and its activities will introduce children to the science of oceanography.

Eligibility to participate
 

SIS offers opportunities for three age levels:

  • Level I classes are for children entering grades 2 and 3.
  • Level II classes are for children entering grades 4 and 5.
  • Level III classes are for children entering grades 6, 7 and 8.
SIS offers a one-week experience for Level I (mornings only) and Level II (afternoons only).

For Level III, SIS offers a two-day-only program that may be scheduled in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the location.

Participation is free, but spaces are limited. Parents must register their children through an online registration system, using any computer with an Internet connection. Registrations will be accepted in the order they are received until all spaces are filled. Parents must complete and sign a release form before their children can participate.

Please review the 2010 SIS Schedule for a complete list of program sites, dates, registration dates and other information. You can also find the registration link on the schedule page!

2010 Theme: "Water and Our Oceans"
 

SIS classes are led by a certified teacher, assisted by high school science students. They are designed to spark children's interest in science knowledge and show how science concepts relate to everyday life.

Level I and Level II classes will explore the secrets of ocean life and aquatic habitats. They will learn about waterways such as rivers, ponds, lakes and streams with scientific concepts that include the water cycle, sinking and floating.

Level III classes will explore how the processes and health of Earth's oceans can be impacted by human activity. They will work together to learn how the health of an aquatic ecosystem can be measured and investigate how hydrologists and oceanographers work to ensure that the oceans remain healthy. In addition, children in Level III classes will complete lab-based science activities aboard the DESTINY Traveling Science Learning Program mobile laboratories, two customized buses that are outfitted as science labs.

SIS History
 

  GlaxoSmithKline developed the original Science in the Summer program in 1986, serving children in Philadelphia, Penn. The goal of this program was to prevent the "summer slide," which can happen when children do not participate in any academic activities during the summer. When the "summer slide" occurs, children do not make any academic progress — and they may even lose some of the progress they made during the previous school year. Science in the Summer prevents the "summer slide" by engaging children in science education.

In 2008, GSK expanded the program into North Carolina and chose Morehead Planetarium and Science Center to administer the program here. During its first year in North Carolina, Science in the Summer offered free classes at 10 sites. It doubled in size for its second year. In 2010, GSK awarded a $700,000 grant to Morehead to expand the program in North Carolina over the next two years.