Each summer, academically-gifted high school students study mathematics, physics, astronomy, and programming at the Summer Science Program (SSP). The program is held at two locations: in Ojai, California (on the campus of Besant Hill School, a private boarding school formerly known as "Happy Valley School"), and Socorro, New Mexico (on the campus of New Mexico Tech), with 36 students and 8 staff at each campus.

Orientation on arrival day, Socorro

The curriculum is organized around a central research project: working in teams of three, students determine the orbit of an asteroid (minor planet) from their own direct astronomical observations. Along the way, students obtain in-depth, hands-on experience with advanced topics in the physical sciences, mathematics, and computer science through a combination of lectures, guest speakers, field trips, and research work. Students are not interns or lab assistants; they perform the entire research project from start to finish ... observations, measurements, and calculations.

Students use both classic astrophotography and modern digital imaging, allowing them to understand exactly what is going on. They learn to: calculate the expected celestial coordinates of their chosen asteroid guide an astrograph (telescope designed for photography) to take time-exposure photographs of the asteroid on sheet film, develop the film in the darkroom, make precision measurements of the film to plot the precise and changing positions of the asteroid relative to known stars, take digital images of the same asteroid write image processing software to obtain a precise position With those results and the celestial mechanics learned in the classroom, teams write a computer program to determine the size, shape, and orientation of the asteroid's orbits around the Sun.

SSP's dome in Ojai, California

Doing homework together in the dorm

At the end of six weeks, each student will have many hours of experience with the collection, measurement, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of scientific data. Each team's observations will be submitted to the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (of which the Summer Science Program is an accredited observing affiliate). Students also enjoy activities such as hiking, swimming, volleyball, tennis, basketball, soccer, frisbee, card games, a talent show -- and will even get a little sleep from time to time. They will come to know and appreciate each other very well, and many will remain friends long after Closing Exercises. [ Read what SSP alumni have to say about it ]

Sky & Telescope magazine published a feature article about SSP in their March 2001 issue. Click here to download a reprint in PDF format (3.2 MB file).