2017 ASHS Annual Conference

The state of Oklahoma funds summer science and math academies for the purpose of exposing high school students to the university environment, as well as different career fields. The Oklahoma State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture has run a two-week residential academy for the past eight summers, with up to 25 high school students participating each time. Camp TURF (Tomorrow's Undergraduates Realizing the Future) provides experiences both on- and off-campus, with professors and industry professionals leading hands-on sessions covering such areas as pervious concrete, bonsai design, personal protective equipment, cloning, grafting, dish gardens, turfgrass, entomology, DNA extraction, soil and water testing, and Extension. Many of the attending students are first-generation, low socioeconomic status, and/or members of minorities. In addition to being enjoyed by the majority of participants (five attending students have been "legacies" related to previous attendees, and several students have reapplied the following year, or recommended the camp to friends), Camp TURF has produced some academic results. Pre- and post-assessments given at Camp TURF show significant changes in college readiness and familiarity with horticulture careers. Compared to the 56 percent of Oklahoma high school graduates who attend college, close to 75 percent of Camp TURF attendees have gone to college. Several have also chosen to major in a horticulture-related field. Similar academies may help to increase enrollment of horticultural students in college.