National Youth Science Academy

10/16/2026

There’s always something new to discover on Monday nights. 🔬✨

Monday Night Science returns to Davis on October 19, and we’d love to have you join us for another evening of curiosity, conversation, and discovery at the National Youth Science Academy.

Whether you’ve joined us before or have been waiting for the perfect Monday to see what it’s all about, consider this your invitation! Come curious, bring your questions, and get ready to learn something new.

📅 Monday, October 19
📍 National Youth Science Academy | Davis, WV

We’ll see you there!

Thank you to the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation for making Monday Night Science possible through their generous support.

10/14/2026

What would you change about the place you call home? And what would you build to change it? 💡

That’s the kind of thinking behind NYSAcademy’s BRITE Challenge.

Each year, students in grades 5–12 are challenged to look at issues affecting rural communities and imagine what they could do about them. A business idea. An invention. A new use of technology. Something entirely unexpected.

Then they build those ideas into projects and bring them to the Davis Campus, where they get to explain their thinking, answer questions, and hear feedback from a panel of expert judges.

Who better to imagine the future of rural communities than the young people growing up in them?

We’re incredibly grateful to the Tucker Community Foundation for their generous support of the BRITE Challenge and the young innovators behind it.

10/12/2026

NYSCamp may last a summer, but the connections can last a lifetime. We’re excited to introduce NYSA Connects, a new space created especially for our NYSCamp alumni community! 💙

Developed by NYSCamp alum and NYSAcademy Trustee Anita Riddle, NYSA Connects is already bringing alumni from across the years together to find one another, start conversations, share stories, and—true to its name—connect.

Whether your Camp memories are from a few years ago or a few decades ago, this is a place to reconnect with familiar faces and get to know fellow alumni whose NYSCamp stories happened in a completely different era.

NYSA Connects will replace the Collaboratory, which will be sunset on October 31, so if you haven’t made the move yet, now is a great time to join the growing community.

Once a delegate, always part of the NYSCamp community. 🔬

Join NYSA Connects today: https://nysadatabase.lovable.app/

10/09/2026

Look up tonight. You won't actually be seeing the universe as it is right now.

Every point of light has traveled some distance before reaching your eyes. For the Moon, that journey takes a little more than a second. Sunlight takes about eight minutes. And the light reaching us from the Andromeda Galaxy began its journey roughly 2.5 million years ago.

In other words, telescopes don't just allow us to look farther away. They allow us to look back in time.

This , take a moment to look up. Some of the oldest light you'll ever see might be waiting for you.

10/07/2026

We raised a yurt! And yes, we’re pretty proud of ourselves. 🙌

Recently, our team rolled up their sleeves and came together at the Davis Campus to turn a whole lot of pieces into something pretty amazing. A little teamwork, a little problem-solving, and a healthy amount of “Are we SURE this goes here?” later…we had a yurt.

There are still a few finishing touches ahead, but we can already imagine all the ways this space will come to life.

For now, we’ll just be over here admiring our handiwork. 😏

10/07/2026

More than 60 years ago, Brian Tulchoke came to NYSCamp ready to learn. Today, he comes back to teach. 🌎🔬

In 1964, Brian arrived at the National Youth Science Camp as a newly graduated high school senior representing South Dakota. Growing up in the Black Hills, he had spent years rock hunting, collecting fossils, exploring caves, and wondering how the Earth worked. At Camp, that curiosity suddenly had a much bigger world to explore.

He encountered FORTRAN programming on an IBM mainframe for the first time, learned about the engineering behind a turbine-powered car, visited Green Bank, traveled to Washington, D.C., and even met a NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut who—five years later—would become the first person to walk on the Moon.

“The NYSCamp did an amazing job of opening the eyes of us campers to many new aspects of the broader world.”

Brian went on to earn his B.S. in Geology from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, and his Ph.D. in Marine Geology and Geophysics through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) & Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Joint Program in Oceanography. Today, 17 years into retirement, he remains a Scientist Emeritus at WHOI, where he continues researching the geologic evolution of ocean basins.

And eventually, his path led him back to Camp.

Brian has returned to lead Directed Studies for new generations of delegates, sharing his knowledge with the same kind of bright, curious young scientists he once stood among.

“I’m proud to have represented my state at the National Youth Science Camp, and it gives me great satisfaction to give back to the NYSA by providing directed study lectures and experiences to new campers.”

Once a curious kid from the Black Hills. Then an NYSCamp delegate. Now a scientist helping the next generation discover where their own curiosity might lead.

More than six decades later, the learning continues. 💙

10/05/2026

Some scientists study the universe. Others have a way of making the rest of us want to study it, too. ✨

Today, we’re wishing a happy birthday to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has been among the many remarkable scientists and thought leaders to share their knowledge and curiosity with National Youth Science Camp delegates over the years.

Bringing young people face-to-face with scientists who ask big questions, challenge what we know, and invite others into the wonder of discovery has long been part of what makes the NYSCamp experience so special.

Happy birthday, Dr. Tyson! Thank you for sharing your curiosity with our NYSCamp community and for inspiring generations to look up, ask questions, and wonder what else is out there. 🔭💫

10/02/2026

If you had three minutes to teach someone about ANY STEM topic you love, what would you choose? 🔬🧬🚀

Cards Against Humanity's Science Ambassador Scholarship is giving women and non-binary students in STEM the chance to turn that passion into a $20,000 scholarship. And this year, 5️⃣ scholarships are up for grabs!

The challenge? Create a three-minute video teaching a STEM topic that fascinates you. No elaborate production required; just a clear, creative, scientifically accurate explanation and your enthusiasm for the subject.

High school seniors and current undergraduate students are eligible to apply.
🎥 Pick a topic that fascinates you.
🔬 Teach something worth sharing.
💡 Show them where your curiosity leads.

Applications close Monday, December 14 at 11:59 PM CST.

Know a young scientist who should see this opportunity? Send it their way! Learn more and apply using the link below. 👇

Cards Against Humanity's annual scholarship for women and non-binary students in STEM. Applications open now through December 14, 2026.

10/01/2026

Sometimes the best way to learn about the world around us is to dive right in. 🤿

At Water Explorers Camp Week, during our STEAM Adventure Day Camps, young scientists got hands-on with one of our planet’s most important resources.

And yes, there was plenty of getting soaked along the way!

Experiences like these give young people the freedom to ask questions, investigate how things work, and discover just how much science is happening in the world around them.

We’re grateful to everyone who helped make Water Explorers Camp such a memorable experience for these young learners.

09/30/2026

What happens when science meets art? 🎨🔬

Last month, we had a great time kicking off Monday Night Science at the Kanawha County Public Library by exploring the colors all around us—from how nature uses color to communicate to the physics that makes those colors possible.

Now, we’re getting ready to do it all again!

Join us Monday, October 5, as we explore scientific illustration and discover how science and art work together to help us better understand the world around us. We’ll look at the work of scientific illustrators throughout history, explore educational and career paths in the field, and even put our own creativity to work with a paint-along demonstration. 🎨

📅 Monday, October 5
⏰ 5PM – 7PM
📍 Kanawha County Public Library, Main Library
🍽️ Free dinner + KiwiCo Kit to take home
🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/4y2YGQO

Space is limited and registration is required, so save your spot today!

A special thank you to the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation for making this program possible through their generous support.