Coastal Carolina University's College of Natural and Applied Sciences is hosting "Summer at the Coast" for Junior Scholars, a two-week program for 16 rising ninth and 10th graders from throughout South Carolina, from June 15 to 28. Participants are housed in residence halls on the Coastal campus.

The program, in its 13th year, is conducted by Coastal faculty members and is designed to help high school students develop an appreciation and understanding of science and social issues currently facing society.

Seminar and research topics include: beach erosion, DNA technology, ecological chemistry, geological cycles, marine and salt marsh ecology, marine and wetlands biological communities, issues on aging, river and ocean water quality, and behind the scenes study at Ripley's Aquarium.

In addition to classroom discussion, students participate in numerous field surveys of estuarine, beach and coastal environments; collecting and studying open ocean samples aboard the Coastal II, the university's 43-foot research vessel; and taking chemical and biological laboratory analysis of samples collected in the field.

Students will conduct research at Waites Island, a pristine barrier island near Little River. A portion of Waites Island was donated to Coastal in the early 1990s for the purpose of scientific research.

The program is designed for students who have been recognized as Junior Scholars by the South Carolina State Department of Education. Junior Scholars are chosen during their eighth-grade year based on their high scholastic achievement and test scores.

The College of Natural and Applied Sciences initially invites all of the Junior Scholars to participate. Coastal's "Summer at the Coast" for Junior Scholars program applicants are then selected based on a letter of recommendation from one of their teachers and an essay written by the student which describes their interest in science and the coastal environment.

Dennis Dinge, assistant professor of physics at Coastal, is the coordinator of this year's program.

For more information, contact Coastal's College of Natural and Applied Sciences at 349-2246.

Editor's note:
- A daily agenda of the students' schedule is available upon request if you care to cover this program. Also, please note that the students, their hometowns and ages are listed at the end of this release.