While some students are lounging poolside or practicing thumb calisthenics over a video game controller this summer, about 200 Shelby County students are submerging themselves in math and science.

Through the Shelby Scholars Summer Institute, students create flight patterns to San Francisco, track the Avian flu virus and use wind energy to power model cars.

"It's way better than school," said Amber Clayton of Woodstock Middle.

When she told a friend about the program that would land her in a classroom for two weeks, her buddy thought she was crazy for signing up, Clayton said.

"Now I tell her how much fun it is, and she's like, 'I wish I would have done it,' " she said with a laugh.

The program is open to all Shelby County Schools students entering seventh and eighth grades with at least an overall 80 average.

Upper-level math and science projects are used to demonstrate real-world situations such as pandemics, aeronautics, alternative energy and weather.

"This is the age where most of them lose interest in math and science," said Thomasena Stuckett, the district's science curriculum specialist.

At Bartlett High, kids in T-shirts and shorts tracked bird flu from China to Europe, pinpointing breakouts on a world map.

"That's a huge jump. Where is the connection?" asked biology teacher Curtis Herring, who worked in tandem with math teacher Amy Garner.

The duo teaching method, new to county schools, has been borrowed from neighboring countries considered academic powerhouses.

As Asia and Europe surpass the United States in math and science by integrating topics such as chemistry, biology and physics into single courses, the summer institute strives to offer a similar experience, Stuckett said.

"Our kids have to get to a point where they can compete with kids globally," she said.

The institute, which is free to attend, is funded through $160,000 in federal grants.

In its second year, the program is taking place at Arlington, Bartlett and Houston high schools. An increase in applications led county schools to open a third site, and Stuckett anticipates that next year they'll be adding a fourth.

The interest is a good sign, especially when the Memphis area has to pull from outside its borders and often outside the state to recruit professionals to its biotech industry, she said.

But she believes the interest will grow as long as technology continues to advance.

"Science and math are beginning to rule the world. Everything is becoming technology-based," she said.

-- Lindsay Melvin: 529-2445