Even though summer is here, Churchill High School teacher Claire Vollmar and several of her students are continuing their learning outside of the classroom.

Vollmar and her students Eric VanDyk and Charles Bimlerwill attended the Governor's Science and Technology Champions Academy in June, hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Only 20 students and 20 teachers from across Texas were invited to attend. Students who won at the 2009 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair in March were invited to attend the academy.

Vollmar was one of six teachers who participated in the academy and had the opportunity to tour City Public Service (CPS), Lockheed Martin and H-E-B on W.W. White Road. A CPS representative talked about the nuances of electric power, broke down the pros and cons of different types of energy, and discussed different ways science and math are used in their day to day fields. At Lockheed Martin, the teachers met with the company's many apprentices and interns that have stayed in school because of their help.
 
"By far, the most interesting one was at H-E-B," said Vollmar. Davla Cunero, a chemical engineer, presented a synopsis of her career and how the many aspects of all branches of science come together in her various careers. They also heard from an architect and mechanical engineer with H-E-B, who spoke about the green building program and how H-E-B is striving to more and more conserve energy.
 
On the first day of the academy, the students focused on microbiology and explored aspects of how they would identify life. They performed a variety of techniques including advanced molecular biology experiments. The next day, they learned about building robots for exploration. Another day, they were taught astronomy and physics and made a trip to Fiesta Texas. The last centered around water, and they went to Natural Bridge Caverns and Aquarena Springs. "Each of the days was led by a different professor from UTSA so the students received superb instruction in the latest information," said Vollmar.

Additionally, Vollmar was selected to accompany 10 science students from Texas on the first Summer Science Exchange program to Prague, Czech Republic in July. They will participate in both scientific and cultural programs. Ten Czech students will then visit San Antonio next summer for the program. 

Vollmar and her students will visit historical Prague, see two different theatrical productions and the National Museum. While at the Museum, they will see many displays related to scientists such as Keplar, Copernicus, and other greats. They will also see paleontological and anthropological collections. The program will cover topics including technology of solid matter and growing crystals, physics and the sun, nanoparticles, spotting thin magnetic layers and superconductivity. In conjunction with these topics, they we will also visit the Astronomical Institute and the SKODA car factory (all robotic).
 
"This will be an exciting opportunity to really experience the culture, view the architecture, study their history, and learn more about cutting-edge topics in science," said Vollmar.