The Young Investigators Program is a 7th and 8th grade science related summer camp hosted by Ohio State University / Agricultural Technical Institue and sponsered by a grant from the National Science Foundation and the Frick Foundation. It runs for three weeks during June and July and creates a unique experience not only in science, but in self discipline, cooperation, and friendship. During the three week program different aspects of science in the agricultural field are studied. The participants are separated into 4 groups studying soil, grass, feed, and milk. Each group first obtains samples from these areas and then analyzes those samples to discover properties such as Nitrogen Content, Ph, Dry matter Content, and many others for each specific group. When the fact that this program is aimed at 7th and 8th grade students is realized, you can see why this program has no equal.

My personal experience with this program, being that I was in it twice (once as a scholar and once as a mentor), has always been a good one. It has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I will always treasure the memory of my time there. I strongly believe that this camp is one of the best camps in the state of Ohio, and is also one of the best science camps in the country. I am certain that had I never gone to this camp I would not have half the knowledge of science that I do today, and I would never consider a career in science. This camp has literally been a life changer for me, which is why this next paragraph is so important. Please, read on.

The Young Investigators Program at OSU/ATI is in danger of stopping. Because of budget cuts and various other economic problems the National Science Foundation no longer has the money to support this amazing camp. It has been the prime source of income for this camp, and now the head of the Young Investigators Program, Clyde Opliger, needs help to find the money to help the camp live on. PLEASE, if you know some way to help find funding for this program, no matter how small an ammount, contact the Ohio State University / Agricultural Technical Institute. We would all love to see this camp continue. Thank you.