We have created a video walkthrough of the Admissions Page of the website, its associated pages, and using the Family Connection system for completing your online application for the Class of 2012.  The video outlines the requirements for admission to the Gatton Academy, the materials necessary to complete the application, and the screens in Family Connection you will need to access.

As a reminder, all materials for Class of 2012 applicants are due to the Gatton Academy by February 15, 2010.   Students applying for Second Semester Admission for the Class of 2011 must submit all materials no later than Monday, December 7, 2009.

Finally, we wish to invite you to attend our final Preview Weekend of the current admissions cycle on Saturday, January 30, 2010. We apologize that this is also the date for several district Governor’s Cup tournaments.  No weekend is perfect for everyone.  We do plan to pay particular attention to KAAC events next year in hopes of maximizing opportunities for students to visit a Preview Weekend.

As of yesterday, 200 names of students have been added to our system as current applicants.  While only time will tell if each of the students meets the requirements and completes the full application, we expect there to be a great depth to our pool of applicants and a wealth of talent available from which to choose.   Days like these remind us of the infinite possibilities ahead.

Best,
Corey Alderdice
Assistant Director, Admissions and Public Relations

To view the video in full-screen mode, click the expansion icon at far right on the bottom timeline.

A step-by-step review of admissions requirements, the admissions process, and accessing the Naviance Family Connection system for uploading admissions materials.

Other individuals also share Thomas' passion for sustainability, as noted in this earlier photo.

As cities move toward the future in an era of declining budgets, limited resources, and high demands for services, sustainability indicators is a tool some cities are using to set goals and assess progress toward building a more healthy and sustainable community.

Thomas Choate (Warren ’10), a student at the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University, realizes the time for action is now.

After spending the summer conducting applied research under the supervision of Nancy Givens, Sustainability Programs Development Coordinator with the WKU Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability, Choate was invited to share his findings before the Bowling Green City Commission on October 20, 2009.

The presentation of this work to the Commission was arranged through City Manager Kevin DeFebbos.

Sustainability indicators recognize the essential links between the economic, social, and environmental aspects of a community, and are used to identify problem areas and develop solutions that impact all areas. For example, poor air quality (environmental) may affect asthma rates (social) and worker productivity (economic).

By improving air quality, cities can positively impact social and economic factors in the community as well. Within a sustainability framework “development is about improving aspects of the community and the environment that contains that community without detrimental effects to other aspects; it is not about growth beyond our means or growth at the expense of others or our environment,” said Choate.

Important criteria for sustainability indicators as identified Choate are that they be relevant to the community, easy to use by all members of the community, repeatedly measurable, and relevant to recent developments and available quickly enough that action to address change is possible.

Sustainability indicators may focus on education, healthcare, employment, environment, population, and transportation goals, among others. Some examples of sustainability indicators that have been used by other cities are ‘ratio of parks to population’ (per capita green space), ‘proportion of recycled materials diverted from landfill’, and ‘ratio of the average cost of a single family home to median household income’.

From his research, Choate concluded that The City of Bowling Green and the surrounding community should consider adopting goals toward a sustainable community and indicators to measure progress towards these goals; that by incorporating existing information and collecting new information, we can establish baselines for many factors which we may seek to improve through directed efforts in the future; and, that if the City doesn’t do so, it may find itself not taking full advantage of the opportunities it has to develop economically, environmentally, and socially for its citizens.

Even though Choate is sharing his findings, he realizes there is still a tremendous amount of work ahead.

“I intend to continue my work on sustainability indicators for the local area with the WKU Center for Environment Education and Sustainability,” Choate noted. “The next step toward Bowling Green adopting sustainability indicators is developing with the City Commissioners and other members of the   community a set of indicators that will be relevant and feasible to assess with the resources the city is willing to commit to the project. Additionally, I am working with the WKU Department of Engineering to  analyze the heating efficiency of buildings on campus using infrared technology.”

According to Choate, playing an active role in shaping public discussion on important issues should be a priority for all young adults. “As future leaders in our society, students have a responsibility to be  involved in the processes that affect their communities,” Choate said. “The experience of presenting information, suggestions, and concerns to a government body is a relevant opportunity to those in all fields of study.”

UNL's 2009 Conference Participants

Katie Brown (Shelby ’10) quickly realized the opportunity to conduct scientific research was something that would set her apart from the crowd of other high school students.

As a student at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University, she began a research project with Dr. Ed Kintzel during Summer 2009.

Her work went from    as a participant in The University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s 2009 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics.  Held October 30-November 1, 2009, the conference presented an outstanding opportunity for students like Brown to expand upon their current research experiences, interact with physics students from other universities, and attends scientific talks given by invited physicists from other Midwestern universities.

Brown’s presentation focused on the behavior of atoms in graphite surfaces.  The real-world implications of her study will help to further applications and research with graphite and materials sciences.

“I shared research on the reconfiguration of atoms near step edges we observed on the surface of graphite using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy,
Brown noted.  “In a little more simplified terms, I observed atoms reconfiguring on graphite surfaces due to their proximity to step edges.

As one of the conference’s youngest participants, Brown expressed she was a bit nervous leading up the session.  “Presenting to such a large community of my peers was a nerve racking prospect,” Brown said.  “but after getting on stage I was able to focus on my research and connect with the audience.

In addition to lectures, social activities also provided time for participants to share their experiences and interests with other students, as well as visit with physics faculty members from UNL and other Midwestern universities. These experiences provided opportunities for students to develop their ability to convey ideas, establish relationships with other physicists, and obtain advice and guidance for pursuing career goals.

“In attending this conference, I gained a broader understanding of the vast opportunities for research for undergraduates,” Brown said.  “Also, I was able to connect and network with students from across the nation.

For Brown, research is an important first step in preparing for careers in advanced STEM disciplines.

“Research is a very important part of the Academy experience because it allows you to apply the knowledge you learned in the classroom, practically,” Brown noted.  “If you foresee research in your career, it is a great way of actively preparing for your future educational prospects and even your occupation.”

Not only did Brown have the support of Academy staff members and her research supervisor.  Ask Brown who one of  the greatest advocates for getting young women interested in math and science, and her reply is simple: her mom.

“My mother is an active promoter for women in the STEM fields; she started a Girls in Science Club at her middle school,” Brown said.  “Starting initiatives throughout the state at the grade school level and even carried through to High School will help get more young women interested in the STEM fields.”

For Gatton Academy seniors, college options are many.

by Ryne Weiss, Academy Avatar

With Gatton Academy students well-integrated into college life, it can be easy to forget that really, they are still high school students. The seniors know this all too well as they begin the arduous college applications process.

“It can be the most exciting time of your life, or the stress can make you pull your hair out,” says Dr. Pokey Bowen, the Gatton Academy’s assistant director for counseling services. As the staff member who oversees postsecondary admissions, he deals with managing academy students’ questions about the application process, and helping them cope with the seemingly endless amount of stress it brings.

Dr. Bowen is correct: this year’s application process looks to be a terribly exciting one, as the Class of 2010 has the ambition to send several of their ranks into the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)–a school already home to two Academy alumni–is becoming popular place for Academy applications to land. Cody Feldhaus (’10, Boone County) has his eyes on MIT.

“MIT is one of the best, if not the best school for the STEM fields, specifically engineering,” Feldhaus noted. “Choosing it was an easy and natural choice.”

Ballard Metcalfe (’10, Henry County), is also interested: “For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an engineer, and MIT’s engineering is second to none.”

Sarah Pritchett (’10, Clark County) is also exploring options in the northeastern part of the United States.

“In Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences they have a number of different environmental majors,” Pritchett said. “They have so many that you can declare your major ‘Environmental Undecided’. I also like that they offer 60 languages. These things and many others have made Cornell my first choice.”

Anna Walter (’10, Boone County), like many students, is taking advantage of campus visits to help determine which school is the right fit. “University of Delaware has a top ranked chemical engineering department,” Walter said. “I visited and the vibe just felt right.”

Not all students are certain of her plans, though. Jordan Jones (’10, Kenton County) is still in the process of narrowing her options.

“I’m looking at Brown for their program in liberal medical education and Washington University in St. Louis,” Jones explained. “I’m not sure of what I want to do, much less where I want to go, so it’s going to take a lot more thought.”

Thomas Delomas (’10, Fayette County) also has yet to make a decision. “I’m applying to a number of schools that interest me, such as Dartmouth, Cornell, Purdue and University of Indiana,” Delomas added. “I’m going to wait to see what the offer me before I make any decisions.”

While most application deadlines aren’t until the New Year, a few students are eager enough to be applying early. Zac Forshee (’10, Simpson County) and Rohith Palli (’10, Fayette County) are applying through Yale University’s early action program, where they will find out if they have been accepted in mid-December.

What makes them so certain of their choice? “Yale is generally regarded as one of the top institutions for undergraduate education and to apply early allows me to be considered for admission twice, which seems like a win-win situation to me,” says Forshee.

For Palli, the students he met on campus were equally impressive. “I visited the campus and fell in love with it. The students I spoke with thoroughly impressed me with their wide range of knowledge and general amiability to a stranger that had just started to talk to them.”

In the past, the academy has sent students to such prestigious schools as MIT, Virginia Tech, Smith College, New York University, Vanderbilt and William and Mary College, as well as having students accepted to Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Washington University in St. Louis.