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Summers are for hands-on science by Kathy Gatten College of Health Professions Janice Hundley noticed in 1991 that her children were getting very limited hands-on science experience in school. As chairman of the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences in MUSC’s College of Health Professions, she particularly wanted her children to be comfortable in a science lab. So she began talking with fellow faculty members. She discovered that there was a serious science void in their children’s schools, and this sparked an idea. They had the expertise and the facilities—why not offer summer science camps? So, in 1993, the MUSC Young Scientist Club was organized and the first “Mom, I Want to be a Scientist” camp was offered.  Third through seventh graders were chosen to fill the available slots because, according to Hundley, “their minds are like sponges at those ages.”  The camp ran five half-days, each with a different theme, ranging from hematology and chemistry to immunology and microbiology. The camp grew in popularity and soon expanded to include a second week, “Mom, I Really Want to be a Scientist.”  “Quite a few children have attended both camps, and some even have attended more than once,” says Hundley, who remembers Ben Adams in particular. “He not only participated in the camps, but returned when he was in high school to assist us. We recently learned that he received the prestigious Morehead scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina. Of course, we would like to think we had something to do with that.” New this year will be a girls-only science camp in July.  “Schools have come a long way in the last 10 years in providing greater hands-on opportunities in science and in promoting and encouraging girls’ interest in science.  This special camp will serve to enhance and reinforce these efforts in an all-girl environment,” Hundley explains. Camps offered this summer will include sessions that have become favorites: It’s Not Magic! It’s Chemistry—Children perform chemical experiments to discover the answers to the questions: What foods and drinks are acidic? Is there sugar or starch in pasta? Is there iron in your box of Cheerios? Baseballs, Frisbees, and Other Cells in Your Blood —Learning how to identify blood cells and how they keep you healthy is the theme for this day. By the end of the morning, the children are ready for a cell scavenger hunt using their own microscope. Lethal Weapons—Children learn about antigen and antibody reactions through experiments and then dress up in costume and perform a skit demonstrating what they have learned. For more information about MUSC Young Scientist Club’s summer camp offerings, please contact the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at (843) 792-3169. Brochures are available.