UW News

March 21, 2012

News Digest: Summer youth programs at UW, speaker says don’t ignore playtime head injuries

News and Information

UW Summer Youth Programs open for registration
Got middle-schoolers interested in robots? Maybe a high-schooler into playwriting or programming? Budding elementary school jugglers?

UW Summer Youth Programs has a variety of summer courses for all ages, and is taking registration. From late June into August, the program’s the place for would-be writers, artists, musicians, biologists, fashionistas — even toymakers. There are full-day and half-day courses.

Leslie Rome-Nagata, program manager for UW Educational Outreach, said there’s a new set of STEM courses (science, technology, engineering and math) for middle-school students with a focus on sustainability. Other courses for students that age include “Fashion Design: Create Wearable Art” and “Seattles Architecture: Learning from Modern Masters.”

New half-day courses for high school-age students include playwriting and “Sculpt Mold and Cast: A DIY Approach to Toy Design.” And in all-day programs, elementary-age students can get into juggling and mask-making, while also learning team-building and cooperation, in a class on circus arts.

Visit the website for informational meetings being conducted online and on campus in April, or call 206-543-2310.

Vavilala warns: Don’t ignore children’s head injuries
Monica S. Vavilala, UW professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics, discussed traumatic brain injury as a public health problem worldwide during the keynote presentation on translational research at the Indian Society of Neuroanesthesia and Critical Care Conference in Bhopal last month. She also spoke to Hindi newspapers and television on prevention efforts and outcomes research, telling parents how to recognize symptoms of head injury and stressing the need for rehabilitation. Children’s head injuries during play, she said, shouldn’t be neglected as they might lead to disability.