June 15 through July 12
The North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation in 1984 which created Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics. SVSM was conceived as a cost-free enrichment program for academically motivated high school students potentially interested in a career in science or mathematics. SVSM would provide participants resident experiences on university campuses during the summer. The Summer Ventures program was placed under the administration of NC General Administration with coordinating and supervisory roles delegated to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.
Six campuses host the Summer Ventures Program with each site having its own director.
Summer Ventures is a four-week academic program allowing students to participate in a variety of research, demonstration, problem solving, and technical writing courses. Each student will investigate and complete an original research project. All students write a scientific paper about their investigation and give an oral report to their class.
Summer Ventures offers special instruction not available through high school classes. None of the offerings duplicate either the high school or the college curriculum. All of the classes are designed to enrich and complement college preparation. Students are expected to participate fully and perform as an independent learner.
Students should expect their professor to evaluate their work. These evaluations may be in the form of papers, projects, reports or by other means. A summary of the quality of the student's work will be provided. Students who successfully complete the program are awarded a certificate at the closing ceremony.
The courses described below are unique to the Western Summer Ventures program. Student assignments are based on the information provided in their applications. Since most of the class work requires a considerable amount of individual arrangement and preparation prior to the beginning of the program, it is not likely that students will be permitted to change any courses once they have been notified and accepted.
Students are required to attend their classes and all other academic components of the institute. In line with your academic interests, you will be assigned to one of the following research areas and work closely with a university professor and her/his staff.
Course Offerings
Course offerings are updated each year. For the Summer 2008 session, the following courses are offered:
- Archeology
- Biology and Mathematics
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Hydrology and Earth Sciences
- Mathematics and Problem Solving
The Director
The director of the Western Summer Ventures Program is Dr. Joseph Klerlein. His doctorate is in mathematics and he teaches in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Dr. Klerlein's professional experience includes leading the mathematics section of the Summer Ventures program at Western for several years. His current research interests deal with combinatorics and graph theory.