July 1, 2009 – Our Town – OWU

SLEUTH participants Alex Bugard (wearing black shirt), of Delaware, and Christopher Brown (wearing grey shirt), of Columbus, measure the distance of their throws as part of "Ballistics Day" in the Forensics Physics class.

Photo by Jack Simon

SLEUTHS Program Completes 10th Year at OWU
48 of Ohio’s most gifted high school students spend a week engulfed in science

After visiting their alma mater, many OWU alumni often feel that the students seem to be getting younger and younger with each passing year. Had those graduates been on campus on June 21-26, during the tenth annual Summer Honors Institute (SLEUTHS) program for gifted tenth and eleventh grade Ohio students, those feelings would have been even more pronounced.

OWU is one of 18 Ohio colleges and universities selected to participate in SLEUTHS by the Ohio Department of Education (other institutions on the list include The University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, and Baldwin-Wallace College, to mention a few). Each institution is provided with a grant by the state to execute a program for tenth and eleventh grade Ohio students who are considered to be gifted, based on standardized testing. OWU’s SLEUTHS program offers students an intense five- day adventure into the world of science, focusing specifically on physics, chemistry, and biology.

Serving as Director of the SLEUTHS program for OWU is Susan Paxton, who also directs the OWjL program for gifted seventh and eighth graders.

“We had a slightly larger program [this year] than we have had in the past, as there was enormous interest this year,” says Paxton. “We had over 100 applications for 48 spots.” Paxton went on to say that this is the first year the Ohio Department of Education has provided the funding, which in previous years, came from different grants from across the state.

So what is an average day in the SLEUTHS program like? Each day students attend classes for in-depth study in either physics, chemistry, or biology. The classes are all taught by college professors, providing for a truly engaging experience for the students. OWU’s own  professors, David Lever (Chemistry), Ramon Carreno (Zoology), and Edward Burtt (Zoology) served as teachers for this year’s program. In addition to the core classes, each participant also takes a different class every afternoon. These classes focus on more specialized topics including forensic investigation as well as biological and environmental ethics.

Although much of the SLEUTHS program is dedicated to time in the classroom, Paxton points out that the program also provides, “many social outings” for participants. From bowling, to the movies, to pizza in the park, Paxton makes sure that her students have opportunities to relax and enjoy themselves.

For more information on OWU’s SLEUTHS program please visit the SLEUTHS Web site or contact Susan Paxton at 740-368-3939.

– Jack Simon