Carnegie Mellon University
June 28, 2013

Media Advisory: Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences Kicks Off With Opening Ceremony at Carnegie Mellon June 30

Contact: Jocelyn Duffy / 412-600-0029 / jhduffy@andrew.cmu.edu

PA Gov School for SciencesEvent: The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences (PGSS) will officially begin on Sunday, June 30 at Carnegie Mellon University's Pittsburgh campus. Sixty of the top high school seniors from across the state have enrolled in the school, where they will spend five weeks learning about biology, chemistry, computer science, math and physics. The PGSS is hosted by Carnegie Mellon's Mellon College of Science.

At the opening ceremony, students will hear from a variety of speakers including: Albert Caretto, CMU emeritus professor of chemistry and the first director of PGSS; Amy Burkert, CMU vice provost for education and former PGSS instructor; David Volkman, acting director of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; and Ben Campbell, Robert Morris University assistant professor of engineering, former PGSS student and counselor, and current PGSS faculty member.

PGSS originally ran from 1982 through 2008. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools became a casualty of state budget cuts. The program was reinstated through fundraising by the nonprofit, alumni-organized PGSS Campaign, Inc., and a matching grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

When: 4 p.m., Sunday, June 30

Where: 2210 Doherty Hall, Carnegie Mellon University

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