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Sally Ride Science Camps Expand to New Locations and Announce New Business Partnership With Education Unlimited

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 February 2005, 21:00 CST

Math and science can be very cool, fun and exciting for girls. That's the message Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, and her new summer camp partner, Education Unlimited, are encouraging with their science camps for girls entering grades 6 through 9.

Sally Ride Science Camps has joined efforts with Education Unlimited, Inc. to offer girls the opportunity to explore science and have fun in an inspiring environment at these unique summer camps. The overnight programs, now in their third year, provide the perfect venue for middle school girls to deepen their interest in science, meet other girls with similar interests, and be introduced to female role models pursuing science and engineering careers.

"Enjoyment and discovery are vital to keeping kids excited about learning," said Ride, founder of Sally Ride Science. "We are delighted to have teamed up with Education Unlimited to offer a program full of fun and adventure to keep even more middle school girls engaged in science at the age when many drift away from their natural interests in the subject. Our mission is to keep them in the technical pipeline."

The new partnership will give hundreds more girls the opportunity to experience the fun of science, and brings exciting additions to the Camp's offerings. For the first two years of the program, the Camps were only offered in California at Stanford University. Now, Education Unlimited's relationship with many college campuses has allowed the program to expand to two new campuses in California: the University of San Diego and UC Berkeley.

For the first time this summer, 8th and 9th grade girls will participate in a ten-day program that will provide more challenging, focused and intense lab experiments and more opportunities for leadership experience. In addition, an extra day of learning has been added to the schedule for 6th and 7th graders, and a commuter option is now available at all locations.

Matthew Fraser, founder and CEO of Education Unlimited, says of the partnership: "The team at Sally Ride Science has, in just a few short years, established themselves as the Gold Standard in science education for girls. With our 12 years of experience running Education Unlimited summer camps on college campuses, totaling about 40 total sessions last year, we expect to bring this important educational experience to hundreds of additional girls this summer, and to far more in years to come."

This year, founding director Stephanie Rafanelli returns to develop the curriculum for the Camps. "As a veteran middle school science teacher at the Menlo School (in Menlo Park, California) and an impassioned advocate for girls in science, I am thrilled to be writing the curriculum for the Sally Ride Science Camps by Education Unlimited," said Rafanelli. "The new partnership between Sally Ride Science and Education Unlimited will give many girls the chance to experience our powerful camp environment for the first time. At Camp, we'll provide a risk-friendly, fun, and supportive environment that we hope will inspire girls to follow their passions."

From shooting off rockets to making designer slime and programming robots, girls will be fully immersed in the hands-on learning at the Sally Ride Science Camp by Education Unlimited. With a spectacular array of science and leadership activities, the Camp will give girls in grades 6-9 one-on-one attention from amazing female mentors of all ages. The Camp will serve between 600 and 1000 girls with a six to one student to staff ratio. Sally Ride will talk with the girls through conference call or video-conference at many sessions. Most girls stay overnight and live in the dorms in a safe, supervised, and structured environment.

Julia Saper, a former camper, loved the hands-on activities at the camp. "Our labs were always amazing -- from studying sun spots with a rocket scientist to creating a scale model of the solar system across the entire campus to riding a 'Segway,'" she said. -0- *T Sally Ride Science Camp Schedule: Stanford University June 19-June 25 (6th and 7th grades): $1,285 June 26-July 2 (6th and 7th grades): $1,285 July 3-July 12 (8th and 9th grades): $1,695 University of San Diego July 17-July 23 (6th and 7th grades): $1,250 July 17-July 26 (8th and 9th grades): $1,650 UC Berkeley July 30-August 5 (6th and 7th grades), $1,650 July 30-August 8 (8th and 9th grades), $1,650 *T

All camp fees include room and board in secure, supervised dedicated dormitories on the campuses. A number of need-based scholarships will be offered through the Education Unlimited. Interested families can learn more at www.SallyRideCamps.com, at www.educationunlimited.com, or by calling Education Unlimited at 800-548-6612.

Sally Ride Science

Sally Ride Science(TM) was founded by astronaut Sally Ride to support the large numbers of girls and young women who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. The company organizes quality events, programs and activities for girls that empower them, engage them and encourage their interests. Current programs include Sally Ride Science Festivals, Sally Ride Science Camps, TOYchallenge(TM), and the Sally Ride Science Club(TM) -- a national Club created to keep middle school girls engaged in science adventures by connecting them to people, information and attitudes that will nurture their relationship with science. For more information on Sally Ride Science programs, please visit: www.SallyRideScience.com, or call 800-561-5161.

Education Unlimited, Inc.

Education Unlimited was founded 12 years ago with the mission of giving every high school student the best possible chance of admission into the college of their choice. Today, it is the leading summer academic enrichment program provider in the nation, offering a variety of unique summer programs from acting camps to computer camps to college prep programs. The company is proud that last year over 1200 students from around the globe chose to attend an Education Unlimited summer program.

For more information on the Sally Ride Science Camp or Education Unlimited's other programs, visit www.educationunlimited.com or call 800-548-6612.

Source: Business Wire

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