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:UVI The monthly newsletter of The University of the Virgin Islands July 19, 2002 vol. viii, number 7 Do you know the four types of mangrove trees found in the Virgin Islands? If you don’t, ask a partici- pant in the University of the Virgin Islands Summer Science Enrich- ment Academies (SSEA), who spent an afternoon touring the man- grove lagoon at Benner Bay on St. Thomas’ East End. Through the SSEA, 50 high school students and recent high school graduates from across the territory are spending six weeks on UVI’s St. Thomas campus explor- ing the world of science. Twenty seventh-graders and eighth-grad- ers from throughout the territory are attending the SSEA on UVI’s St. Croix campus, learning about the marine environment. On St. Thomas the students are divided into two groups, one fo- cusing on “Threats to the Environment” and the other focus- ing on “Measuring the Universe.” Along with attending biol- ogy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, language arts and learn- ing strategies classes, they also take weekly field trips. The first was a visit to the mangrove lagoon. Gerson N. Cruz, one of the 12 students from St. Croix who is attending the program on St. Thomas, sees the pro- gram as a jump-start to a career in chemical engineering and aeronautics. “It deals with science and math and I’ve learned that I need to excel in science and math to become a chemi- cal engineer,” he said. The younger students on the St. Croix campus are di- vided into five groups and each group must report on one of five topics. The topics are: “Deep Benthic Organisms and Geothermal Vents: Living Conditions on the Sea Floor;” “Ef- fects of Pollution on Marine Environments: Water Quality and Safeguards;” “Coral Reef Ecology, a Rainforest in the Sea;” “Hurricanes and Their Impacts on Marine Environments;” and “Sea Turtles.” They attend classes in physical science, biology, math, learning and communication skills and comput- ers, along with going on field trips and listening to guest speak- ers. While the focus of the senior group is more on careers, the fo- cus on the junior group is reinforce- ment of the sciences. “This is the age to grab them and keep them interested in science and math,” said Dr. Michelle Peterson, pro- gram coordinator on the St. Croix campus. Many of the students who have participated in the SSEA pro- gram during its past 12 years have gone on to pursue careers in medi- cine and the sciences. “This is an awesome pro- gram,” said Program Coordinator Dr. Rosenid Hernandez-Badia. “Besides academics, the students get to meet important people like Delegate Donna Christian- Christensen, who lectured to them on the topic ‘community health,’ meet students with similar interests, and get first-hand expo- sure from the various field trips,” she said. The Summer Science Enrichment Academies are spon- sored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UVI Health Careers Opportunities Program (HCOP), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the His- torically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Pro- gram (HBCU-UP). Other summer programs at the University of the Virgin Islands include: the Virgin Islands Writing Project, Reichhold Center Youth Movie Making Workshop, Upward Bound Sum- mer Program, New Paltz Summer Exchange Program, Aquaponics and Tilapia Aquaculture Short Course and the Family Life Center Summer Program. Students Dive into Summer Science Fun at UVI
   July 25 Reichhold Business After Hours, STT July 28 Mango Melee, STX Students in UVI’s Summer Science Enrichment Academy on the St. Thomas campus kayak and snorkel at the mangrove lagoon at Benner Bay.   
 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu   
 is a production of the UVI Public Relations Office. Contact us by telephone at (340) 693-1056 FAX: (340) 693-1055 The University of the Virgin Islands 4-H Summer Pro- gram on St. Croix is helping to develop super kids, creative kids, shining stars and young scholars. This summer’s pro- gram, sponsored by UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service, is serving 238 children in the St. Croix community at three dif- ferent locations. The children meet daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Alexander Henderson School, Ricardo Richards School or UVI. At the Henderson and Richards schools, the students are divided into groups according to age: Super Kids, 5 to 7-year- olds; Creative Kids, 8 to 11-year-olds; and Shining Stars, 11 to 14-year-olds. The Young Scholars, a special academic pro- gram for 11 to 14-year-olds, is held on UVI’s campus. Along with daily activities, the students go on field trips and listen to guest presenters. • The Super Kids are exploring the sense of self, learning about living things, along with latchkey competencies, conflict resolution and interpersonal skills. • The Creative Kids are exploring the sciences through hands-on activities like raising eggs in an incubator and build- ing a seismograph to measure earthquakes. • The Shining Stars develop workforce preparedness by learning public speaking skills, interviewing tactics and per- sonal attire. • The Young Scholars are engaged in a law program taught by professionals, in which the students put together an entire legal case. The Ricardo Richards location is set up as a “mini soci- ety” to introduce the students to entrepreneurship. Divided into groups, each group sets up its own government, estab- lishes a currency, elects officials, and researches and mar- kets services or products it could offer. Extension Agent and Coordinator Sarah Dahl-Smith, said the 4-H camp provides a fun learning experience for children, evident in the large number applicants, all of which cannot be accommodated. Dahl-Smith is proud of the “solid educational programs,” the camp offers. On St. Thomas the 4-H Summer Program is held daily at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School. From Toddlers to Teens, 4-H’ers Get Hands-On Training The Board of Trust- ees of the University of the Virgin Islands and the Foundation for the University of the Vir- gin Islands invite you to “save the date” Satur- day, September 28, 2002, for a special trib- ute to Orville Kean, Ph.D., third president of the University of the Virgin Islands, in honor of his retirement. Those wishing to se- cure advertisements or messages in a com- memorative booklet may call Deborah Hamilton at 693-1042. Dinner to Honor President Kean President Orville Kean, Ph. D.