2022 National Youth Science Camp Announcement
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp) will again be an entirely virtual experience. Applications will be open soon for delegates from across the nation to apply to attend the camp from Monday June 27 to Wednesday July 20, 2022. Two delegates will be selected to represent each of the 50 States in the U.S. as well as the Washington, DC. We also hope to host a significant number of international delegates at the camp. Contact information for state and international selection coordinators can be found here.
Applications
Applications will open soon at http://apply.nyscamp.org and will be accepted until March 31, 2022 and most delegates will be notified of their selection by Monday May 2, 2022. Delegates will be expected to commit to attending camp and fill out delegate paperwork by June 1, 2022 or their spot may be given to an alternate from their state or another state.
Delegate Participation
Formal NYSCamp programming and activities will be scheduled on weekdays between 8AM and 11PM EDT. Delegates will be encouraged to disconnect and spend time with family and friends on the weekends. Participation will be mandatory at the opening and closing ceremonies of camp on the evenings of Monday June 27th and Wednesday July 20th. We also hope that delegates will prioritize attending the nightly keynote lectures and evening hang outs (see camp schedule below) as they plan their camp schedules.
Since selection to attend camp is a very competitive process with only two delegates guaranteed a spot from each state or nation, we expect NYSCamp delegates to regularly engage in camp activities for the duration of camp. At past virtual camps, most delegates spent an average of 4 hours per day engaged in camp activities. Many delegates had the time and desire to do much more. From experience we can say that the more effort delegates put into their NYSCamp experience, the more they will get out of their NYSCamp experience.
We recognize that many delegates will want or need to hold part time jobs, participate in part time internships, or take short trips with family or friends during the 3.5 weeks of camp. Within reason, the virtual NYSCamp experience is designed to allow delegates to work around these other commitments and still participate meaningfully at camp. Additionally, because the camp is virtual, delegates will be able to tune in remotely from practically anywhere.
Delegates will also have the opportunity, if they desire, to propose, plan, and present their own session during the final three days of camp. These presentations can be listed on a delegate’s resume as a conference presentation.
Daily Weekday Schedule
General camp programming will be offered at 8AM, 10AM, 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM and 6PM and 11PM EDT on weekdays. Delegates will be able to sign up to attend as many sessions as their individual daily schedules allow. Keynote Lectures will be offered each weeknight at 8PM followed by a 30-minute Q&A session with the lecturer at 9PM. At 9:30 PM each weeknight, delegates will get to choose between multiple evening hangouts where they can interact with staph (intentional misspelling to highlight their infectious enthusiasm) and other delegates in fun, engaging, and meaningful ways.
Programming
A centerpiece and highlight of the virtual NYSCamp is the evening keynote lecture series presented at 8PM EDT each weeknight. These world-class lectures are presented by prestigious and up and coming STEM professionals who are making a difference in their fields of study and changing the world for good. Immediately after each lecture, delegates interested in learning more will have the opportunity to join the lecturer for a 30-minute interactive Q&A session. Multiple informal evening hangouts will be offered at 9:30 PM each weeknight. These will include opportunities for delegates to engage with others to reflect on the day, learn new skills, learn about one another, prepare for college or careers, discuss engaging topics and compelling questions, play icebreaker games, attend live virtual concerts, and interact with NYSCamp alumni.
Other programming at camp will allow delegates to delve deeper into STEM topics with experts and knowledgeable enthusiasts in multi day mini-courses (directed studies) or interactive 60-90 minute seminars, take virtual tours of facilities like the Green Bank Observatory and National Gallery of Art, learn new hobbies and skills, and engage with camp staph* in program areas that will range from practicing languages, yoga, or mindfulness, playing virtual games, discussing compelling topics, making art or music, or learning outdoor skills.
Scheduling
To better accommodate delegates’ varied schedules and needs to work around employment, family responsibilities, and other commitments, delegates will be able to begin signing up for programming up to two weeks before camp begins. Most sessions will have no caps for enrollment, and delegates will be able to sign up for as many sessions throughout each day of camp as their personal schedules and interests will allow. Directed studies will initially have limited sign-ups to ensure that each delegate has an opportunity to participate in at least two directed studies. Evening lectures and blocked out time to attend an evening hangout will be automatically added to all delegates’ daily schedules.
Technology Requirements
The camp schedule and signups will be facilitated through SCHED or a similar platform. Delegates will receive daily emails with their schedules and general camp announcements. Social interactions will be facilitated on a camp Discord server which delegates will be able to join up to two weeks prior to camp. All sessions will be hosted on Zoom. Unlike many virtual conferences where the lectures and sessions are livestreamed without opportunities for participants to interact with the presenters, NYSCamp sessions will be interactive, allowing delegates to engage with speakers and presenters and ask questions.
2021 National Youth Science Camp
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp) will be an entirely virtual experience!
One hundred thirty delegates have been selected to attend the 2021 NYSCamp from across the United States and twelve Western Hemisphere nations. In a one time increase of international delegates, because of the virtual nature of the camp, we will be welcoming a total of 50 international delegates from Argentina, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The National Youth Science Foundation continues to pursue its mission to inspire lifelong engagement and ethical leadership in STEM fields, and we desire to honor delegates for their talents and accomplishments, provide them opportunities to build relationships, and challenge them in inspiring ways. The virtual camp will include a world-class lecture series, directed studies, seminars, cabin meetings, and special virtual concerts along with other surprise events. Delegates will also be encouraged to disconnect, spend time with family and friends, and safely explore the outdoors in their home communities over the weekends at camp.
Speakers and presenters have been selected from among prestigious and up-and-coming STEM professionals who are making a difference in their fields of study and are changing the world for good. At Camp we’ll explore scientific epistemologies; the vastness of space and the oceans; the microcosms of microbes and CRISPR; statistical analysis; the powerful potential of technology; electrical grids; cutting-edge neuroscience research; communicating science; and the varied possibilities of shaping STEM policy. Delegates will have many opportunities to interact and connect with one another in interactive sessions with our speakers and presenters. Even though we can’t gather in the mountains of West Virginia, the 2021 Virtual National Youth Science Camp will be an engaging, exciting, and unforgettable experience!
Public Delegate Yearbook
Lecture Series
| Date | Lecturer | Title |
| June 28 | Shiva Rajagopal Embedded Software Engineer Google Fitbit | Martha Wehrle Opening Lecture: Computers are Stupid (and Science Camp Saves the World) |
| June 29 | Katie Inderbitzen, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher | “What’s Underneath the Underneath?” Exploring the deep seafloor and subseafloor |
| June 30 | David Lengyel, PhD Former Chief Risk Officer NASA Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate | The Columbia Accident: Risk Management, Decision Making, and Organizational Lessons Learned |
| July 1 | Scott Boyle, PhD Vice President of Business and Corporate Development Forma Therapeutics | Science the S#!T out of your career |
| July 2 | Kennan Salinero, PhD Executive Director ReImagine Science | Science – Where is the Wilderness? |
| July 5 | Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Recipient, WWII, USMC (Ret.) & Chairman Emeritus The Woody Williams Foundation | Freedom Demands Service and Sacrifice |
| July 6 | Enrique Lin Shiao, PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Doudna Lab at the University of California Berkeley | From making DNA smileys to improving CRISPR applications |
| July 7 | Eric Macbeth Project Director Freeport LNG | Electrical Grids for the 21st Century |
| July 8 | Kara Tinker, PhD Research Scientist National Energy Technology Laboratory | Run the World (Microbes): Technologies, Applications, and Emerging Research in Microbial Ecology |
| July 9 | Alyson Wilson, PhD Associate Vice Chancellor for National Security and Special Research Initiatives Office of Research and Innovation, North Carolina State University | Data, Statistics, and Big Science |
| July 12 | Michelle Amos Former Systems Engineer NASA, Kennedy Space Center | NASA Engineering to Benefit Life on Earth |
| July 13 | Alison Barker, PhD Group Leader Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany | Notes from underground: Lessons in cooperation and communication from the naked mole-rat |
| July 14 | Josh Shiode, PhD Federal Affairs Director Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) | AAAS Science Policy Panel Discussion |
| July 15 | Radha Ganesan & Lydia Franco Assistant Professors of Practice Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science | Communication is Key! |
| July 16 | David Hackleman, PhD Retired Linus Pauling Chair of Chemical Engineering Oregon State University | How to have fun at a company inventing things needed on a schedule |
| July 19 | Karla-Louise Herpoldt, PhD Scientist Seagen | Avoid Boring People.* Live lessons Learnt in the Laboratory |
| July 20 | Emily Serazin Boston Consulting Group | Getting Vaccines Around the World |
Press About National Youth Science Camp
National Youth Science Camp Will Stay Virtual This Year WVMetroNews
Shiva Rajagopal to Speak at the 2021 National Youth Science Camp’s Martha Wehrle Opening Lecture NYSF
National Youth Science Camp kicks off another virtual program due to COVID-19 WVMetroNews July 5, 2021
National Youth Science Camp welcomes 59th delegation virtually NYSF July 14, 2021
Sponsors
This year’s delegation included an unprecedented one-time increase to fifty international delegates made possible by a generous contribution and cooperation from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The camp was also made possible through generous contributions from the State of West Virginia, Northrup Grumman, the Martha Gaines and Russell Werhle Memorial Foundation, the Daywood Foundation, SCHED, and NYSCamp alumni and friends.
