Dear Editor:

For three and a half weeks this summer, I attended the National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) at Camp  Pocahontas near Bartow. This was a life-changing experience for me. While at camp, I had the chance to meet many nationally renowned scientists, as well as make 130 new friends from across the United States, South America and Germany.

During one of the Directed Studies, I had the opportunity to study Non-Euclidian Geometry. Initially, this was not one of my top three choices; however, it ended up being quite fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about geometry in different planes and drawing triangles with angles that didn’t add up to 180 degrees. In another Directed Study (The Physics of Medieval Siege Weapons) we had two competing teams each building a trebuchet out of limited building materials in only two days. Victory required teamwork, ingenuity, applying of engineering principles and a whole roll of Duct Tape.

During camp there was an outdoor program in addition to the academic focus. As part of that program, I went kayaking, something I’ve always wanted to do. Having the chance to escape into nature was a good balance to the academics. I had planned on learning how to kayak during college, but now that I know how (thanks to the NYSC) I can skip the beginner’s lesson and attempt some more technical runs. I still need to work on flipping upright in a submerged kayak, however. I also thoroughly enjoyed mountain biking. I’ve done a lot of this at home, but it was still great to get away into the West Virginia wilderness where it was just me, my friends and the trees.

Another awesome aspect of camp was the trip to Washington, DC. Exploring the Smithsonian Institute with a small group of science-oriented friends made the experience even better. Seeing the Library of Congress—unfortunately there was no Nicholas Cage—and eating lunch in the Russell Senate Office Building hosted by Senior Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), were also very meaningful experiences to me.

This camp has helped me build my network with the top science students and professionals in the U.S. and across the world. I hope to maintain these friendships and share my passion and excitement to pursue my scientific studies as I enter college this fall.

Thanks to the opportunity to attend the NYSC, I now have many stories to tell my family, friends and anyone else who will listen—all beginning with “So this one time at Science Camp...”. As a Delegate from Colorado, I’d like to thank all the benefactors of the National Youth Science Foundation for making this amazing opportunity a possibility for me, as well as the other delegates and I encourage contributions to make this opportunity available for more upcoming scientists and mathematicians.

Sincerely,

Andy Jones
Fort Collins, CO


Dear Editor:

I would like to thank the people of West Virginia for their support of the National Youth Science Camp, which I attended this summer as a delegate from Tennessee. This life-changing experience is undoubtedly worth much greater attention than it receives.

Every morning I woke up among the country’s—no, the worlds’—best and brightest students, but we were not competing for grades. Yes, we were there to learn, but we learned in an environment of exploration, collaboration and openness. From Frisbee physics—which was surprisingly complex—to dissecting hands, we all found ourselves pushed a bit outside our comfort zones, yet completely thrilled by the experience.

I cannot adequately express my thanks for the NYSC, the  “staph” members who work there and the contributors who made my 25-day stay in West Virginia possible. The National Youth Science Camp is a rare gem for the State of West Virginia and for the nation.

Ethan Green
Springfield, TN