I: July 1 – 6 and II: July 8 - 13
The Ohio Department of Education, Division of Special Education has chosen Wittenberg to offer two 6-day residential programs.
Who Can Attend
SHI is open to Ohio residents entering grades 10 and 11 and identified as “gifted learners” according to Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-15. (Check with your school’s guidance office concerning this qualification.) Beyond these formal criteria, Wittenberg seeks young men and women interested in both the “what” and the “why” of our session topics. Students must provide evidence of superior academic achievement or potential as well as the personal maturity and motivation required for a challenging experience. We require the recommendation of a teacher or administrator who knows the student well. Students may attend one session or both sessions.
Residential Program Fee
Funding from the Ohio Department of Education covers all tuition for this program. The only charge for each session is $250 toward room and board.
Financial Aid We are committed to including qualified youngsters regardless of economic circumstances. In keeping with this commitment, we have set aside funds for need-based partial and full scholarships. The Application for Financial Assistance is included with the SHI Application.
Application Procedure
Completed applications and nomination forms are due by April 13. We will consider applications received after that date only if space is available. We will notify applicants by April 27.
• Download Application 
Facilities
Participants, counselors and the Assistant Director will be housed in Polis House, an air-conditioned residence hall. Meals will be served cafeteria style in the Student Center Dining Room. Most classes and labs will be held in the air-conditioned Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center. Indoor and outdoor recreation will use the campus swimming pool, tennis courts and other open spaces. Other campus faciltities will be used as appropriate.
Contact
For more information, please contact Dr. Elma Lee Moore, Dean, School
of Community Education at 937 327-7050 or email emoore@wittenberg.edu.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Session One Prince or Frog/Lady or Tiger: Teen Dating in America, July 1 - 6
At first glance the topic of dating may appear frivolous. It is, however, an aspect of the larger process of family formation that is a central concern of every culture. We will explore the topic in the manner of professional social and behavioral scientists, using observational, self-reporting, and ethnographic techniques. Although we will consider global and historical comparisons, our focus will be on the contemporary U.S. and the adolescent life stage.
Our study will consider the pairing process within the context of psychological and social developments taking place within this life stage. These include individuation, separation from parents, gender socialization, and relational social competence. We will consider the powerful social and cultural forces, including peer groups and popular media, that shape our images of self and others and our expectations of “romance.”
Finally, we will apply our academic understanding to the practical consideration of forging healthy relationships and avoiding harmful ones. We will consider the dynamics of manipulation, control, and outright abuse and the importance of assessing patterns in the experience of prospective partners. The goal of the program is a more mature understanding of the dynamics that underlie dating in our society and a foundation for assessing one’s own healthy participation.
Faculty
Dr. Alan McEvoy (Ph.D., Western Michigan University), Professor and Acting Chair of Sociology. His research into problems of violence and victimization, particularly among schoolchildren, has brought national recognition. He teaches courses in criminology, human services, and the sociology of education.
Dr. Katherine Rowell (Ph.D., The Ohio State University), Professor of Sociology—Sinclair Community College and adjunct in Sociology at Wittenberg. Chosen as Outstanding Community College Professor of the Year in 2005, she is director of both the Honors Program and the Center for Applied Social Issues at Sinclair. Her Wittenberg courses in Gender and Society and in Women and Poverty are highly popular. She has also participated in Fulbright study in Botswana, Swaziland, and South Africa.
Dr. Mary Jo Zembar (Ph.D., University of Houston), Professor and Chair of Psychology. Recipient of the ODK Award for Teaching Excellence, she carries out research on children’s issues that include the effects of divorce, school failure, and family influences on delinquency. She teaches courses on child, adolescent, and adult development and developmental psychopathology. She has taught in several SHI programs.Session Two Computer Modeling: Fast Track to Scientific Discovery July 8 – 13
Developments in computing power and communications enable scientists to access extensive data resources and to model complex natural systems in ways not imagined just a few years ago. In this highly hands-on program, students will learn to use data analysis and modeling software that, while highly sophisticated, is relatively easy to use. We will pursue applications in astronomy, chemistry, and molecular biology.
Astronomy Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and other databases, we will engage in an introduction to gathering and analyzing data from online sources. We will then proceed to use mined SDSS data to verify a fundamental discovery of the last century—the expansion of the universe. We will also visit the University’s Weaver Observatory for the collection of real-time data.
Biology We will use Protein Explorer software to observe the three-dimensional structure of hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein. Other software will enable us to model the influence of environmental conditions on the oxygen-carrying capacity of this protein and to compare it with similar proteins in other non-human organisms.
Chemistry Using CAChe (Computer-Aided Chemistry) software, we will build molecules and analyze chemical features, such as their shape, that strongly influence their action within micro-processes. We will also introduce software that models complex reactions, enabling chemists to observe factors that change the rate at which products appear, leading to such applications as the spread of a disease within a given population.
Our final group projects in modeling will serve to bring these approaches together.
Faculty
Dr. David Finster (Ph.D. University of Virginia), Professor of Chemistry. He teaches Wittenberg’s introductory sequence as well as Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and the Junior and Senior Seminars. A recipient of the ODK Award for Distinguished Teaching, he has had a continuing research interest in the most effective ways of fostering student learning in the natural sciences. A personal pride is his role as University Chemical Hygiene Officer, associated with his off-campus role as captain of the Miami Township Fire and Rescue Company. Among his other interests, Dr. Finster serves as keyboard artist in the Wittenberg faculty Beatles-style ensemble, Witt Free.
Dr. Daniel Fleisch, (Ph.D., Rice University), Associate Professor of Physics. Tireless in his commitment to sharing the wonders of astronomy, he not only teaches courses in this subject and others in the Physics program but holds numerous Observatory open houses for the community and serves as science commentator on the local NPR affiliate. His research specializations are in electromagnetism, radar and other microwave applications, and space physics. A recipient of two Wittenberg teaching awards and another from the Southwest Ohio Council on Higher Education, he has taught in both our SHI and WISE Summer programs and is leading a Summer 2007 Wittenberg program in Great Britain on the History of Science.
Dr. Margaret Goodman (Ph.D., Stanford University) Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Biochemistry/Molecular Biology program. Her research interests and teaching specializations are in molecular and cell biology and in genetics and bioinformatics. A recipient of the ODK Award for Excellence in Teaching, she has lent her considerable talents to a previous SHI and to our WISE Program; she also serves as academic team leader for our Young Women’s Summer Institute in Computational Science. Dr. Goodman’s versatility extends to music: she plays bassoon in the Wittenberg science faculty trio, Triple Bond.