USC Sumter Science Camp Celebrates 10th Anniversary

by Alethia Hummel

Sumter, SC (06/04/2020) — The University of South Carolina Sumter is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Mad About Science Summer Camp. This year the camp will be offered online and free of charge aside from the supplies students may need to purchase to participate in the experiments.

The virtual camp is geared towards students ages 9-14 and will be held June 22 - 26, 9 am - 12 pm. Campers will login daily to a Zoom meeting to participate. While the registration fee has been waived this year, students will still need to register online, complete a permission form and purchase the necessary supplies for the experiments. The majority of supplies are typical household items that students may already have at home. A complete list of items is included on the camp registration page and the event on USC Sumter's Facebook page.

The camp will expose students to cell & marine biology, virology, environmental science, genetics, biochemistry and physics. Participants will conduct scientific experiments with household items and explore the environment in which we live. The facilitator, Dr. Dan Kiernan, has been a biology instructor for twelve years at USC Sumter and guest presenters will include USC Sumter professors Austin Jenkins (Naturalist) and Mark Roberts (Marine Biologist).

Dr. Kiernan has led the science camp for all ten years that it has been offered. Kiernan came to the University of South Carolina Sumter in 2008 after working at Georgian Court University in New Jersey as a laboratory coordinator and adjunct professor. Prior to this, he spent four years in Michigan, where he taught at Lake Superior State University and obtained an M.S. in biology at Central Michigan University. In the late nineties, he taught high school biology in both the public and private sectors after obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology. In 2015, Kiernan earned his Ph.D. degree in Secondary (Science) Education from the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

When not teaching or conducting research, Dr. Kiernan is an academic advisor, oversees USC Sumter's Student Government Association and Christian Collegiate Ministry, works with students on independent research projects, is annually involved with South Carolina Junior Academy of Science, organizes science camps for local school children in the Sumter area and presents at various venues.

For a complete list of supplies or to register for the Mad About Science Camp, visit the event page on the USC Sumter Facebook page at facebook.com/UniversityofSouthCarolinaSumter. For further questions, please contact Chris Knezevich at 803-938-3771 or knezevic@uscsumter.edu.