Local high school and junior high students will have the opportunity to send their interest for aeronautics and rocketry into flight, with the recent addition of two NASA inspired career exploration tracks set to launch during this summer’s all-new College of the Canyons Summer Institute.

The College of the Canyons Summer Institute is now open to students entering the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grades. The goal of the Summer Institute is to provide hands-on career exploration and learning opportunities to students in a variety of areas and subjects including: aeronautics and rocketry, robotics, motion picture special effects, video game design, culinary arts, sports medicine, welding and alternative energy fabrication.

“Due to the overwhelming popularity and success of the COC Junior High Summer Institute, this summer we have decided to offer this unique career exploration themed summer camp to high school students as well,” said Adriana Estrada, COC Summer Institute coordinator.

All Summer Institute instructors are COC professors, student teachers or industry professionals that have tailored their curriculum with junior high and high school students in mind. Each track allows participating students to discover a multitude of career possibilities through a unique blend of innovative lesson plans and fun hands-on activities that are scheduled each week.

Students enrolled in the NASA aeronautics track will begin by exploring the history and fundamentals of flight, while learning about the science behind air travel with gliders, wind tunnels, gravity and colliding marbles. Instructors will also cover the topics of lift, gravity, thrust and drag, as students build models and conduct experiments related to the principles of flight.

Taking things just a step further will be the NASA rocketry track, which has been dedicated to teaching students about rocket construction, propulsion and fuel sources through various hands-on construction activities. Students will learn the science behind rocketry as they design and build their own rockets.

“The COC Summer Institute is much more than your typical summer camp,” Estrada said. “You don’t want to let your teenager miss out on this amazing experience!”

The 2012 COC Summer Institute will run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from July 16 through Aug. 3, and will consist of the following three one-week sessions:

* Monday, July 16 through Friday, July 20 — Junior High

* Monday, July 23 through Friday, July 27 — Junior High

* Monday, July 30 through Friday, Aug. 3 — High School

COC Summer Institute registration is now available. Enrollment fees range in price from $160 to $180 per child per week, depending on each track’s associated materials fee.

For more information about the 2012 COC Summer Institute or to register your child please visit www.canyons.edu/communityed or call the college’s Community Education office at 661-362-3300.