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The goal of the STARS Summer Camp is to provide our Young Scholars the unique opportunity to attend a five day residential summer program focused on supporting their academic and social needs. Our bright students get the chance to build independence through a fun, short experience away from home.
Non-credit
Residential
Financial Aid
Participants attend three different academic sessions throughout the week taught by Davidson Academy instructors. These sessions offer students the chance to explore new advanced topics at an advanced level.
2023 Academic Sessions Topics
How does it flow? The Physics of Electricity
This year’s physics course will focus on electrical circuits. We will look at properties of circuits including voltage, current, and resistance as well as common components like resistors, inductors, and capacitors. Students will build a variety of circuits and test them to investigate the physical laws that govern electricity.
Spherical Geometry
Looking for some world travel this summer? Explore polygons and lines when they are wrapped around a sphere. Lines bend and cross in surprising ways! All this fun with spherical surfaces leads to questions about global shipping and travel, which we will be able to solve with properties that are developed along the way.
From Wacky to Spooky: The Character Generator
Quick: what’s your favorite story? From Elsa to Spider-man, we think of stories in terms of their characters. In this energetic, creative workshop on characters, we’ll learn about the seven different types of characters (wait, there’s only 7?!), we’ll watch a short movie to figure out how it introduces and builds its characters, and we’ll use Dr. Ian’s SHINY CHARACTER-GENERATING MACHINE to tailor-build characters for students to take home with them.
The University of Nevada, Reno campus, which is located in the heart of Northern Nevada.
Housing
All students are housed in a residence hall on a private, locked dormitory floor. Each student shares a room and bathroom with one or two other students; assignments are made on the basis of gender identification. Dorm rooms include a bed, desk, and dresser for each student.
Dining
Meals are eaten at the resident dining hall, which is buffet-style dining. Snacks will also be provided to students during class time breaks each day. Anyone is welcome to bring their own favorite nonperishable snacks from home. The university dining facility is experienced at accommodating student's special dietary needs. We work closely with the university dining staff to create a food allergy action plan to determine what accommodations can be made for specific student needs.
Activities
Team building, socializing and play are a big part of STARS! Outside of academic sessions and field trips, our goal is for Young Scholars to get to know each other and have fun.
During the week, we offer many social activities including arts, crafts, board games, outside games, movies, and more. Students also have a great time making their own activities during downtime, which usually include card games, board games, drawing, and reading.
Field Trips
The University of Nevada, Reno is a picturesque campus of green lawns, historic red-brick buildings and towering trees. STARS participants enjoy exploring the beautiful campus through daily field trips. These outings give participants the opportunity to explore campus and be exposed to new topics of study.
Some examples of past field trips include the UNR School of Medicine, the Planetarium, and the Nevada Seismological Laboratory.
Summer STARS Participants must be:
a Davidson Young Scholar*
8 to 11 years of age during the program dates
Meet the essential functions of a STARS camper as listed below.
A STARS camper will need to be able to:
Be away from and out of contact with family members for the duration of the program
Share a room with one or two other participants and reside in a community living environment
Fall asleep without difficulty or with minimal support (use of nightlights, music, etc.)
Function within a schedule that only allows up to 9 hours of sleep per night
Follow direction from adults other than parents or familiar caregivers
Be without access to electronic devices that have the ability to connect to the internet and/or voice and text capabilities.
Ask for help if a problem or concern arises
Operate independently under supportive supervision with regard to self-care (hygiene, meal selection, emotional regulation, etc.).
To be eligible for the Davidson Young Scholars program, applicants must:
Be 5 to 16 years old when the application is submitted, and
Be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States, and
Having documentation of current testing that meets our Testing Requirements.
The Davidson Young Scholars program does not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or disability.
Standardized Test Scores
1 Recommendation
Online Application From
Parent/Guardian Consent
Online Application From *
STARS is exclusive to students in the Young Scholar's program, ages 8 to 11. Applications from eligible students are submitted to a lottery system. The lottery process will be conducted after the application closes. Each applicant will be placed in STARS or the waitlist depending on available space. Siblings will be entered as individuals. A select number of spaces will be reserved for first-time attendees. We will contact families by February 3, 2023 to notify of their Young Scholar(s) lottery status.
Deadline
The 2023 Lottery Application Has Closed.
Details for the 2024 lottery application will be released later this year.
Jun 16 - Jun 20
1 week
Residential
The 2023 Lottery Application Has Closed.
Program fees cover the deposit, room & board (including linens), program materials, and all planned activities. Transportation to and from the program is not covered or provided by the program. A non-refundable deposit $500 per student is required to secure your student’s space in the program by February 10. All remaining tuition fees are due by April 28. If you have not paid your students’ tuition fees by April 28, your credit card on file will be automatically charged on May 1.
Financial Aid
The Davidson Institute provides financial assistance (FA) to families who demonstrate financial need for THINK. FA may be available to help defer a portion of tuition, and/or transportation expenses. Davidson Institute financial assistance awards never cover 100% of any expense.
Should your family need FA to attend the program, please complete the Financial Assistance Application concurrently with the Davidson THINK Summer Institute application and no later than March 1, 2023. This ensures that notification of award status can be sent to you prior to any deposit deadlines. This deadline is crucial if your decision to attend is dependent upon FA.
Standardized Test Scores
1 Recommendation
Online Application From
Parent/Guardian Consent
Online Application From *
Application is closed
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