Fifty middle school students from across Arkansas will get a taste of college and rigorous, hands-on science and math experiences at the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp at UALR July 11 to 17 at the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Science (EIT).

The fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students were selected for the camps for their outstanding science and math aptitude.

The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (BHSSC) is a free, academic program of The Harris Foundation, which takes an active role in shaping education in students entering middle school grades this fall.

Harris, the first African American to walk in space, is founder and president of the Harris Foundation and is on the board of directors for the National Math and Science Initiative.

UALR is the only university in Arkansas selected to conduct the elite program organized by the astronaut’s Harris Foundation and funded by ExxonMobil. Only 30 American universities were selected to host the camp.

The students will live in the UALR residence halls during the week and participate in classes in technology, mathematics, English, chemistry, and biology ─ some in the newly opened EIT building.

The students will also be presented with engineering problems to solve. At a previous camp session, the students built a model raft out of two pieces of aluminum foil and four plastics straws and calculated how many pennies each raft could support.

The UALR campers – 25 girls and 25 boys – will participate in activities and work with renowned scientists and researchers at EIT. Campers submitted applications and were selected based on their grades, standardized test scores, and teacher recommendations.

The camp program was originally developed as a collaborative effort of the Harris Foundation, the Houston Independent School District, the University of Houston, and the Southwestern Oklahoma State University to support historically underserved and underrepresented students with limited opportunities.

Students attending the camp are:

Colton Andrews of Scott

David Arnold of Conway

Srisaipranav Bande of Little Rock

Ashley Barto of Greenwood

Meshijah Beazley of Elkins

Devin Bennett of Rogers

Jack Bowen of Lonoke

Carly Branch of Mount Ida

Christian Broughton of Pine Bluff

Robert Cain of North Little Rock

Braylon Camper of Little Rock

Dniel Capello of Little Rock

Tyler Cothern of Bigelow

Bonnie Davis of Little Rock

Lanie Davis of Benton

Kyndall Delph of North Little Rock

Elena Dilligham of North Little Rock

Layne Efird of Hot Springs

Mya Ellington-Williams of North Little Rock

Christopher Emerson of McGehee

Nadya Ferguson of Rockport

Keishaun Green of Beebe

Morgan Holloman of Little Rock

Reana Johnson of Fayetteville

Ryan Johnson of Fayetteville

Kate Kwasny of Springdale

Eli LaSalle of Greenwood

Michael Leiterman of Little Rock

Rohan Manjanatha of Little Rock

Darrah Maxfield of North Little Rock

Matthew Means of Little Rock

Sydnei Miller of Little Rock

Jung-min Min of Little Rock

Ashten Moss of Stuttgart

Allison Page of Rogers

Marissa Penning of Little Rock

Madison Perry-Campbell of Little Rock

My’Kael Poole of Sherwood

Mark Robinson of Marianna

Joshua Rodriguez of Blevins

Daniel Seo of Little Rock

Brendon Song of Little Rock

David Steele of Bauxite

Jenette Stobaugh of Little Rock

Miya Tatum of Cabot

Baylee Tims of Floral

Alexis Whitten of Pine Bluff

Brandon Wilburn of Little Rock