The Role of WKU

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Western Kentucky University is uniquely positioned to host the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky on its campus.

The Center for Gifted Studies

The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU is unique in the state as it has a twenty-five year history in providing leadership in gifted education in the Commonwealth and the nation. Summer programming for middle and high school gifted students has been offered for approximately 425 students each summer since 1982. For 26 summers, the Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY) has provided the opportunity for seventh through tenth graders to take one intensive course (seven hours per day) for three weeks. VAMPY was Duke University's first cooperative TIP program and the only one for seven years. The Summer Camp for Academically Talented Students (SCATS) provides a two-week study experience in which sixth, seventh, and eighth graders take four classes for six hours of daily instruction. Students from nearly twenty states and four countries participated in VAMPY and SCATS each summer.

Ogden College of Science and Engineering

Ogden College of Science and Engineering and its departments have a strong statewide reputation for involving undergraduates in mentored research projects. This focus on undergraduate student research and the Ogden Scholars provides evidence of support for undergraduate student research opportunities. The Applied Research and Technology Program of Distinction is committed to engaging students in substantial research projects under the direct supervision of professors, and this involvement will be extended to Academy students as well.

For several summers, the Department of Physics and Astronomy piloted a highly innovative summer research program in Astronomy for high school-aged gifted students. The program provided an intensive nine-week mini-course in general astronomy, and the participants were trained in the research methods used by astronomers. This training took the form of individualized research projects, culminating in oral student presentations to their peers and faculty members. Students presented at national conferences and published in scientific journals as coauthors.

The Honors College at WKU

The primary goal of the Honors College is to provide opportunities for high-achieving students to build community with other like-minded students to motivate and encourage them to make the most of their college experience. This includes, in addition to the academic component of the Honors College experience, Honors students being active in independent research, study abroad, internships, and leadership opportunities, serving both their campus and home community. Honors students, taken as a discrete community, are often the most engaged students on campus.

The educational challenges and opportunities that Honors provides are immeasurable, both now and for the students' futures. The intellectually motivated community creates a cadre of students who create a mutually supportive community that empowers students to excel. This type of Honors experience can be an important factor when competing for that perfect job, a competitive spot in one of the nation's top law, medical, or graduate programs, or a highly prestigious internationally award, such as a Rhodes Scholarship;, a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, a Marshall Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, or a Fulbright Scholarship. In the past two years the development of this community of young scholars in the Honors Program has enabled students to compete successful for the following prestigious scholarship/awards:

• Barry Goldwater Scholarship – Two Full Scholars and one Honorable Mention. (WKU received 60 percent of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship awards in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2007).
• Fulbright Scholarship – Egypt and Austria
• U.S. State Department Critical Language Scholarship – Tunisia and Yemen
• Freeman Asia Scholarships – Japan and Vietnam
• Benjamin Gilman Scholarships – United Arab Emirates, China (multiple), Japan, and Spain.
• National Collegiate Honors Council – 2006 Honors Student of the Year