2012 Young Scholars participants Christopher Magnemi and Caitlin Barilec work on a project.

POTSDAM -- The Young Scholars Program, a summer program for talented high school students, is offered by Clarkson University July 14 to 20.

The program, typically for rising sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduating high school students, fosters intellectual development, communication skills, and cooperative problem solving.

Students who successfully complete the Young Scholars Program receive a $4,000 scholarship ($1,000 per year) toward tuition if they attend The Clarkson School or Clarkson University full time for their undergraduate education.

The program application and more information can be found online at http://www.clarkson.edu/youngscholars.

Young Scholars Program students are given a problem to examine and solve from three different perspectives: business, engineering, and ethics/social values.

Working individually and in small groups, students conduct research and make a presentation to campus and community leaders.

This year’s project, “Lifeboat Central: A Climate-Disaster Action Plan Coming to a High School Near You,” will focus on this hypothetical scenario: The governor has called on municipalities to design climate action disaster plans that use public school buildings and grounds.

These plans would ideally describe how a school and its grounds can be used to provide shelter (food, water, waste disposal, for example) for community residents for up to 90 days. The plans would include stockpiling of materials, low-tech solutions for water treatment, waste mitigation, farming, heating or cooling, and medicine; and would address even basic rules of ethics and distributive justice. The plans would include an estimated budget for implementation.

Working with three Clarkson professors specializing in engineering, social network theory, and ethics and sustainability, students will utilize Potsdam Central School as a prototype school and work to develop an action plan for the Village of Potsdam. At the conclusion of the weeklong program, students will deliver a professional presentation to school administrators, local government officials, and other professionals outlining their plan.

Past topics and projects have included School Climate Action Plans; Branding the Adirondacks; Bringing Clean Drinking Water to La Margarita, Ecuador; Nature 101: Waste Equals Food; Energy Park; Small is Beautiful New Home Design; We Can Get There From Here: Rethinking Public Transportation In A Post Carbon-World; Redesigning Portable Housing; and Waterfront Recreation-Development Plan (If We Build It, Will They Come?).

The Young Scholars Program is administered by The Clarkson School, the University’s early entrance program for talented high school students who have completed the eleventh grade and are ready to begin their college studies.

For more information and an application, go to http://www.clarkson.edu/youngscholars , call 268-4425 or e-mail Brenda Kozsan, director of Young Scholars, at kozsanbd@clarkson.edu.