UH and HPU expand
gifted programsNew summer courses are available
in math, science and language
Gifted students have more options this summer in Hawaii than ever before, with the launch of new academic programs at the University of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific University.
The UH-Manoa pilot program, called Talent Development Hawaii, will offer four-week summer courses designed by university faculty to challenge gifted students who have completed grades 8 through 10.
"I would like to build this bridge between the university and the schools, to offer bright students something where they can look upward and remove the ceiling," said Karl Heinz Dovermann, associate chairman of the UH Mathematics Department, who is heading the effort.
The program runs June 16 to July 11, five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to noon, offering courses in mathematics, astro-chemistry, computer science and reading French. Admission is selective, and students should submit a teacher's recommendation with their application.
Meanwhile, a prestigious program that has been educating gifted students across the country for 23 years will set up shop in Hawaii for the first time this summer. Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth will offer two three-week sessions for students ages 12 to 16 at Hawaii Pacific University's Windward Hawaii Loa campus.
The center has already selected students for this summer, but the program will be offered in Hawaii again next year, according to Charles Beckman, director of communications for CTY in Baltimore.
The center recruits participants from September to December and has them take SAT tests. Those selected typically score in the top one-half of 1 percent on the SATs. Last year, 45 students from Hawaii took part in CTY summer programs on the mainland, he said.
Close to 200 students, from here and abroad, are expected to take part in this summer's HPU program, one of 21 CTY sites across the country offering college-level courses and extracurricular activities.
"These kids can be slowed down by a teacher who thinks that kids are predestined to work at a certain pace," Beckman said. "When they set a pace, it's amazing what they can do."
The Talent Development Program at UH is sponsored by the College of Natural Sciences and the state Department of Education. Its courses do not carry college credit, but will be taught by UH faculty along with other teachers. The summer session costs $400.
Dovermann said course work will be designed to inspire students to pursue their own interests.
"The most important thing is to give children the opportunity to develop," he said. "If they have special interests, if they are very bright, they shouldn't be held back. They should be able to learn freely and have a lot of inspiration."
For information and application forms for the Talent Development Program, visit www.math.hawaii.edu/talent.