High school coders, scientists invited to apply for free summer workshop

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Love science? Interested in computers? Looking for summer plans?

High school sophomores, juniors and seniors are invited to apply for the Eric Pitman Summer Workshop in Computational Science, presented annually by the University at Buffalo Center for Computational Research (CCR).

The workshop runs from July 1-12. Working from CCR’s state-of-the-art facilities on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, attendees will learn to code in the R language, work on a data science project, tour labs and learn from professional scientists about computational chemistry, engineering, biology and more. Students will present their own projects at the close of the two-week workshop.

This workshop is restricted to students who have completed at least one year of high school, taken a year of high school algebra, and at least one high school science course (biology, chemistry or physics). Preference will be given to students who have taken additional math and chemistry courses. Applicants do not need a background in computing, but they do need a good foundation in math and science and a willingness to learn some computing.

To apply or learn more, visit the workshop website: http://www.buffalo.edu/ccr/outreach/k-12-outreach/summer-workshop.html.

The deadline for applications is May 1.

The workshop is held in honor of Eric Pitman, who was a freshman at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute when he died in 2007 after a brief illness. Eric was a Science Olympiad participant and an avid reader — a young man who enjoyed learning new things and challenging his thinking about the world and his place within it.

This year’s workshop will draw on the expertise of faculty and staff from across UB and from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Buffalo Manufacturing Works.