Forty-eight Arkansas fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students with outstanding aptitude for science will be on the UALR campus for the next two weeks participating in the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp. UALR is the only university in Arkansas selected to conduct the elite program. Only 30 universities in the country were selected to host a camp.

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 in the fall of 2009. The 48 students – 24 girls and 24 boys – will live on campus for the camp, participating in activities and working with renowned scientists and researchers at UALR’s Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. The campers submitted applications and were selected based on their grades, standardized test scores, and teacher recommendations.

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 dedicated to improving science and math performance among American students. Harris is expected to greet the campers at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 8, at the camp’s Media Day at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in UALR’s Fine Arts Building.