So what are you going to do this summer?

As I hear of summer opportunities I will list them here. You are responsible for actively pursuing your options. A summer job can earn great cash and savings. An internship can reward you with great experience, referrals, and recommendations that give you an edge for the best (& highest-paying) jobs in the future. A summer camp or college course provides exposure to computer topics that will improve your college application and give you great insight into computer science.

Summer Jobs

The Reading Hospital offers full & part-time positions for high school students. These jobs are some of the best paying (part-time) positions in the area. Submit your application by March 1 for the best chance in obtaining the best jobs. (Personnel Dept; The Reading Hospital & Medical Center; 6th Ave & Spruce St; W Rdng, PA 19611)

Summer Camps & College Courses -

These course listings are updated as frequently as possible. If dates are given for a previous summer, call the institution to be sure that the camp is currently offered.

Computer and CyberSecurity Camp June 22-26, 2009

This is a FREE camp that has been paid for by a partnership of business, education & government groups that are committed to developing a backup solution for New York City financial institutions in the event of a disaster. The camp will include problem-based instruction and hands-on activities with a strong emphasis on exposing students to computer security/information assurance careers, especially in the financial services industry. Students will be involved in many activities to protect and defend personal privacy and information systems, and learn techniques for information system restoration by incorporating protection, detection, and recovery capabilities. This camp is targeted to students who are age 16 and older and have an interest in computer and information technology. Experience with computer networks is helpful but not a requirement to attend. The camp will run from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday; lunch is included. Topics will include basic function of the TCP/IP layers, addressing (IP, port numbers, physical), network devices, network topologies, client/server paradigm, information confidentiality, integrity, and availability, digital rights, privacy, cryptography, symmetric encryption algorithms, asymmetric & public key encryption, hashing, authentication, digital signatures, digital certificates, PC security, patching and software updates, detecting malware, PC & network firewalls, PC vulnerability, browser & email security, backups & disaster recovery, network administration, wireless network security, & security audits.

Penn State professor Dr. Konak will be teaching this camp. See Mr. Minich ASAP for a registration form and call the Penn State Berks Continuing Education Office at 610-396-6225 with questions.

Pennsylvania Governor's School for Information Technology CANCELLED DUE TO PA STATE BUDGET CUTS

This free, prestigious program allows you to spend five weeks over the summer (usually from approximately June 29 to Aug. 2) at either Penn State or Drexel Univ. studying information technology with other talented high school sophomores and juniors. The program emphasizes communications, computers and the Internet. Only 64 students will be selected from across the state. Information about the Governor's School programs can be found at the PGSE Information line (570) 524-5244 or by visiting the links above. See Mr. Minich or your guidance counselor if you have questions about applying to this school. The application deadline is in early February but you should turn in your application to the guidance office by Dec. 13 or so.

Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences CANCELLED DUE TO PA STATE BUDGET CUTS

This free, prestigious program allows you to spend five weeks (approx. Jun 29 - Aug. 2) over the summer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. This is a great opportunity for those interested in computer science since Carnegie Mellon has one of the very finest computer science departments in the world.

Reading Area Community College (RACC) Kids' College Summer Studies

Most courses are for 6-12th graders. Call RACC's Office of Continuing Education at 610-607-6232 or 610-607-6231 for more information

Summer Academy in Applied Science & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania

Earn college credit at Penn in one of these three-week programs: Computer Science, Computer Graphics, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Robotics and Technology and Democracy. See www.seas.upenn.edu/saast for more details. The application deadline is in early April.

NexTech: The International Summit of Young Technology Leaders

NexTech is a summer camp held in Austin, Texas for a week in mid-July. Exceptional high school sophomores and juniors in the fields of computers, the Internet, or information technology are invited to attend. Students attend lectures given by distinguished computer industry leaders, take hands-on workshops, and visit state-of-the-art company laboratories. Past speakers include Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, Marc Seriff, co-founder of AOL, and Nicholas Donofrio, Senior VP of IBM. Tuition for the camp is about $2095 which includes accommodations, all meals, instruction, faculty, program materials, and local transportation. While the camp is a bit expensive, one Wyo student (Jason Y.) who attended in 2001 highly recommends it to other Wyo students. If you would like to be "nominated" for this program and receive further information, see Mr. Minich in early February.

Devry University's Summer Scholars Program

Apply to earn free tuition to Devry University (near Philadelphia) over the summer.

**AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board.