Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences (PGSS) was one of the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence
, a group of five-week summer programs for gifted high school students in the state of Pennsylvania
. Carnegie Mellon University
in Pittsburgh
has hosted the program since its inception in 1982. Most recently, it was directed by Physics Professor Dr. Barry Luokkala
. Participants are required to be Pennsylvania high school students between their junior and senior years and are required to live in the dormitories for the full five weeks of the program. Admission into the program is very competitive - approximately 500 of the most scientifically gifted students in the state compete for the 100 spaces in the program (this number was recently raised from 90). The aim of PGSS is to promote interest in science rather than to advance students' knowledge in a specific area. The curriculum includes five "core" courses in Biology
, Chemistry
, Computer Science
, Mathematics
and Physics
, and numerous electives. In addition to taking classes, students are required to participate in a lab course and a research-style team project. The emphasis is on cooperation, rather than competition - students are encouraged to both collaborate with other students on academic work and to interact socially. The Residence Life staff provides a number of structured social events to foster friendship and teamwork. There is at least one event per day and is advertised on the social calendar in the dorm lobby. For many students, the social development gained from the program rivals the scientific knowledge they acquire. The students leave the program with a strong bond; most attend an organized reunion the following year after the 4th week of the program.
The program was discontinued in 2009 due to budget cuts by Governor Ed Rendell
. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
has proposed cutting funding for all the PGSEs
, including PGSS, from the 2009-2010 budget. . Alumni of the program are currently trying to raise sufficient private funds to continue the program without support from the Commonwealth.
, the Chemistry course to be in Organic Chemistry
, the Mathematics Course on Discrete Mathematics
and the Physics course typically covers concepts in Modern Physics
, often focusing on Special Relativity
. The Computer Science Course covers basic programming concepts and offers independent study for those with experience. As it is not unusual for a student in the PGSS program to be unfamiliar with a topic, it is common for the students to help one another to stay abreast of the workload. The core courses typically run fifty minutes each four days a week, with four courses each day from Monday through Friday. Students may drop one core course after two weeks, provided that they are taking at least one elective and have completed outstanding homework assignments in that course. The core professors often return for multiple summer. Dr. Mark Farrell of Point Park University usually teaches the chemistry course and is the only faculty to have been with the program since the beginning of the program. Dr. Richard Holman of Carnegie Mellon has been teaching the physics core since the early 90's
, Laser Technology, the Science of Music, Material Science and several Mathematics electives are consistently offered every year, although content in these courses may change. The Math Electives are taught by longtime PGSS faculty, Juan Schaffer, who is often revered by students for his mathematical genius and resemblance to Einstein.
Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence
The Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence was a five-week, publicly funded summer program for gifted high school students.Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell cut funding for the PGSE program in the state's 2009-2010 budget...
, a group of five-week summer programs for gifted high school students in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
has hosted the program since its inception in 1982. Most recently, it was directed by Physics Professor Dr. Barry Luokkala
Barry Luokkala
Barry Luokkala is Director of Undergraduate Physics Laboratories in the Department of Physics at Carnegie-Mellon University and Program Director for the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences...
. Participants are required to be Pennsylvania high school students between their junior and senior years and are required to live in the dormitories for the full five weeks of the program. Admission into the program is very competitive - approximately 500 of the most scientifically gifted students in the state compete for the 100 spaces in the program (this number was recently raised from 90). The aim of PGSS is to promote interest in science rather than to advance students' knowledge in a specific area. The curriculum includes five "core" courses in Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, and numerous electives. In addition to taking classes, students are required to participate in a lab course and a research-style team project. The emphasis is on cooperation, rather than competition - students are encouraged to both collaborate with other students on academic work and to interact socially. The Residence Life staff provides a number of structured social events to foster friendship and teamwork. There is at least one event per day and is advertised on the social calendar in the dorm lobby. For many students, the social development gained from the program rivals the scientific knowledge they acquire. The students leave the program with a strong bond; most attend an organized reunion the following year after the 4th week of the program.
The program was discontinued in 2009 due to budget cuts by Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
has proposed cutting funding for all the PGSEs
Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence
The Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence was a five-week, publicly funded summer program for gifted high school students.Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell cut funding for the PGSE program in the state's 2009-2010 budget...
, including PGSS, from the 2009-2010 budget. . Alumni of the program are currently trying to raise sufficient private funds to continue the program without support from the Commonwealth.
Core Courses
None of the teachers of the core courses are required to teach any one particular area or course. They are simply hired to teach a course in the general subject area. As a result, the core courses vary from year to year. However, it is typical for the Biology course to be in HIV/AIDS BiotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, the Chemistry course to be in Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
, the Mathematics Course on Discrete Mathematics
Discrete mathematics
Discrete mathematics is the study of mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete rather than continuous. In contrast to real numbers that have the property of varying "smoothly", the objects studied in discrete mathematics – such as integers, graphs, and statements in logic – do not...
and the Physics course typically covers concepts in Modern Physics
Modern physics
The term modern physics refers to the post-Newtonian conception of physics. The term implies that classical descriptions of phenomena are lacking, and that an accurate, "modern", description of reality requires theories to incorporate elements of quantum mechanics or Einsteinian relativity, or both...
, often focusing on Special Relativity
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
. The Computer Science Course covers basic programming concepts and offers independent study for those with experience. As it is not unusual for a student in the PGSS program to be unfamiliar with a topic, it is common for the students to help one another to stay abreast of the workload. The core courses typically run fifty minutes each four days a week, with four courses each day from Monday through Friday. Students may drop one core course after two weeks, provided that they are taking at least one elective and have completed outstanding homework assignments in that course. The core professors often return for multiple summer. Dr. Mark Farrell of Point Park University usually teaches the chemistry course and is the only faculty to have been with the program since the beginning of the program. Dr. Richard Holman of Carnegie Mellon has been teaching the physics core since the early 90's
Lab Courses
A laboratory course is offered in every subject except Mathematics. Typically, one or more inter-disciplinary laboratory courses are added, such as Forensic Science. These usually meet twice a week for three hours. Depending on the subject area, it may be required that the laboratory course and the Team Project be in the same area.Electives
This is perhaps the second most variant course topic in the PGSS program, with the most variant being the team projects. Electives typically run for an hour twice a week. Taking more than four electives in addition to all of the core courses is not permitted without special permission from the director. Usually, several electives, including AstrophysicsAstrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, Laser Technology, the Science of Music, Material Science and several Mathematics electives are consistently offered every year, although content in these courses may change. The Math Electives are taught by longtime PGSS faculty, Juan Schaffer, who is often revered by students for his mathematical genius and resemblance to Einstein.