Pre-College Programs return to UNC Asheville this June with 11 week-long immersive camps spanning the arts and sciences, UNCA noted in a recent press release.

"Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors will take a deep dive into academic topics through hands-on experiential learning combined with outdoor adventures and community excursions," the release stated.

Dates for the Summer 2023 Pre-College Programs are June 18-23 and June 25-30. Registration is now open, with limited spaces available for each program. To register, visit camps.unca.edu/pre-college. 

Each session features programs focusing on the arts and sciences, including Ceramics; Climate, Robotics, Rocketry & Aerospace Engineering; Creative Writing; Film Scoring & Sound Design; Geology & Adventure; Meteorology; Music Composition & Songwriting; Pre-Med; and River Ecology & Adventure. 

Pre-College Programs at UNC Asheville introduce high school students to college-level study, university life, and career options in a dynamic learning environment. Programs offer immersion into an academic topic, challenging activities, and the opportunity to engage with faculty experts and industry professionals. 

The sessions run from Sunday to Friday, with students living on campus to fully experience university life and the surrounding Asheville community. Programs start at $1,350 and include lodging, meals, course materials, activities, and excursions. 

An overview of programs offered:

Ceramic Pottery — Gain hands-on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!

Ceramic Tiles & Mosaics — Gain hands-on experience in the ceramics studio and learn techniques for working with and creating ceramic tiles. Practice the Italian technique of majolica. Create a ceramic tile with relief. Express creativity by composing a mosaic on a ceramic pot. Take home your creations!

Climate, Robotics, Rocketry & Aerospace Engineering — Interactively learn about robotics, rocketry, aerospace and satellite engineering, and climate science. Participate in numerous hands-on robotics and engineering tasks, such as building a robotic rover and a model rocket. Build an Arduino controlled mini weather station, launch them on tethered weather balloons, and conduct data analytics. Learn from STEM professionals about all the opportunities STEM fields have to offer.

Creative Writing: Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop — Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works in progress, and critique the works of others in a collaborative workshop setting. 

Film Scoring & Sound Design — Learn how to compose an original score for a film scene. Learn how to develop a score concept and create harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic themes and motifs. Study the dynamics of a scene using sound design.

Geology & Adventure — Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking and rafting to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!

Meteorology — Interactively explore the wonders of our atmosphere and experience the joys of a career in meteorology. Learn the fundamental principles of atmospheric science through hands-on demonstrations and study the relationship between pressure, temperature, and elevation during field trips in the mountains. Build your own research-quality weather station. Visit federal and state government agencies, permanent weather stations, and a local media outlet to learn about careers in professional meteorology. Become a broadcast meteorologist and present your forecast in a real television studio.

Music Composition & Songwriting — Develop creative and performing skills through composition, songwriting, and improvisation exercises. Create original music individually, and compose music collaboratively with other students. Perform original and improvised music on your instrument/voice. The week will culminate in a performance of a new, original musical work.

River Ecology & Adventure — Explore and discover our natural, aquatic world. Engaging in field-based learning will pair with outdoor skills and trips. Learn about Southern Appalachian stream ecology while canoeing sections of pristine rivers, hiking to wilderness swimming holes, and investigating local aquatic species, and be challenged to think critically about human impact on the environment while rafting exciting whitewater.

Pre-Med — Work with a team on a simulated patient case, run microbiological and biochemical tests, debate treatment options and navigate the patient-doctor relationship. Learn about heart anatomy and function through a hands-on pig heart dissection.

For more information or to register for Summer 2023 Pre-College Programs, visit camps.unca.edu/pre-college.