Fall 2022 marks the first official semester of the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality! Although we supported two students last year, the full program we envisioned will be in place this academic year for our inaugural cohort of twice-exceptional University of Iowa students.
The Academy’s three-part structure of support (academics, practical skills, and social-emotional skills) will take place through whole group workshops, weekly one-on-one meetings, planned social events, and a cohort living situation for first-year students.
We are now recruiting for our 2023-2024 cohort!
If you are interested in finding out more about the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality, please plan to attend one of our Information Sessions. The dates for the online sessions are August 31st, September 28th, and November 9th,2022. We also have an on-campus Information Session planned for October 18th. Sign up for a session at belinblank.org/2eacademy.
The Academy for Twice-Exceptionality is a prime example of building off the Belin-Blank Center’s expertise and showing a commitment to tossing a small pebble. We are confident that the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality is the right fit for many students, and we would love to talk about it with you!
If you’re still looking for summer programs for curious middle school students, look no further! Our Junior Scholars Institute (JSI) still has limited seats available in some amazing classes. Check them out before it’s too late!
Robot Theater: Exploring with Cozmo
The focus of this class is to learn the basics of dramatic storytelling that incorporate robot technology (Cozmo, created by Anki) as part of the story. If you have written a script, story, or poem that you have been dreaming of seeing performed on stage, then this class is for you—our Cozmos will be your actors. If you have an interest in robotics and want to work with sophisticated technology, then this class is for you—Cozmo will introduce you to the world of robotics. No previous experience with writing, puppetry, theatre, or working with robots is required.
Environmental Engineering
Students will be exposed to real-world environmental challenges Iowans face with an emphasis on flooding and access to clean water. Through an interactive learning environment, students will connect with professionals from a variety of related fields to learn how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster events, but then also mitigate for future disasters to build community resilience. Classroom learning will be mobile and designed to engage the students in career settings providing opportunities for practicing professional development skills.
Mixed Media Workshop
Are you ready for an exciting week of action-packed art adventures? If so, this class is for you! Our week will be an exciting exploration of several different kinds of art making. You will try your hand at a variety of studio projects throughout the week. The two-dimensional art portion of the class will involve some printmaking, drawing, and painting. The stop motion animation segment will introduce you to the basics of stop-motion in the making of an awesome animation that you will shoot, edit, and create music and sound effects. You will work on individual pieces, as well as work in small groups. Exploring collaboration in small groups will allow us to put our brains together to come up with unique, creative solutions. We will go on a couple of field trips to get ideas for work and look at other artists’ work. Bring your adventurous spirit and creative brain. It’s going to be a great week of getting a little messy, learning some new techniques, getting your creative juices flowing, and challenging yourselves.
Archaeology: Discover the Past!
Ever wonder how archaeologists know where to find ancient sites? Or how rocks and bones provide them clues about how people lived? Archaeologists are scientific detectives, studying people from the past and the objects they left behind. In this course, you will learn to think like an archaeologist using scientific inquiry. We will study real artifacts in the research labs at the Office of the State Archaeologist and participate in hands-on lessons and activities to learn about Iowa’s archaeological past, from the Ice Age to the first Europeans. You will also learn how today’s Native American communities work with archaeologists to strengthen our understanding of their cultures. Part of this course will take place at an outdoor classroom at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area, where we will learn archaeology field techniques to document a real archaeological site!
Other open classes include Leadership for Students Who Want to Make a Difference,Women in Engineering, and Project Discovery: Finding Your Writer’s Voice.
Participation in your school’s talented and gifted program is not required. Payment plans and financial aid are available. If you think JSI sounds like a good fit for your student, be sure to check it out at www.belinblank.org/summer or contact Ashlee Van Fleet at summer@belinblank.org!
To celebrate a summer of exceptional research, participating students concluded their work by presenting their research in a final poster competition. Represented among the presentations was research from the College of Engineering, the Carver College of Medicine, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, to name just a few. Congratulations to all students who presented!
A special congratulations goes out to this year’s valedictory class speaker, Iowa’s own Riley Dejohn, who spent his summer researching physical chemistry in Dr. Alexei Tivanski’s group at the University. Also featured was special guest speaker Dr. Hanna Stevens, professor of psychology and veteran SSTP mentor, who shared her insights gleaned over years of pedagogy during the final banquet dinner.
Thank you to our guest judges from Integrated DNA Technologies, without whom the final poster competition would not have been possible, and to the 2018 SSTP mentors at the University, for all of the guidance and leadership they gave to each student. We know that you have made a huge difference in the lives and careers of these future researchers!
Join us for a two-day immersion experience in French, Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese this summer!
The World Languages Institute (WLI) is a joint program administered by the Belin-Blank Center and taught by the Division of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Iowa. It is open to 9-11 graders with advanced-level course work in these languages.
From July 12-14, we will run our Japanese and Spanish classes, while the period from July 19-21 will be devoted to Chinese and French.
Each class is conducted separately, but the goal is to emphasize reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension skills while using a variety of internet and print materials from the countries whose languages are represented.
The sessions are free of charge, and the online application system opens December 15th. Learn more.
RT @AUCDNews: A study conducted by researchers @uiowa , an AUCD #IDDRC, suggests that twice-exceptional youth — children diagnosed with #au… 2 days ago
Iowa high school students showed off their research at the Iowa Junior Science & Humanities Symposium last week. We… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…3 days ago
World Languages Institute
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