UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Applications are now being accepted for the 2008 Pennsylvania Governor's School for Agricultural Sciences, which will take place June 29-Aug. 2 at Penn State's University Park campus.

The application for this prestigious and challenging program is available online at http://www.pgse.org and in high school guidance offices. Students applying must currently be high school sophomores or juniors and residents of Pennsylvania, and the application must be submitted by Feb. 1, 2008. Tuition, room and board are free for accepted students.

Every year, the Governor's School for Agricultural Sciences brings 64 of the state's best and brightest students together to learn about educational opportunities and careers in the agricultural sciences and to get a taste of college life.

For five weeks, participants live and eat in campus residence halls as they explore such areas as animal and plant sciences, food science, engineering, environmental and natural resource conservation and community awareness.

"For many of the students, this is their first time away from home, so they learn new responsibilities," says Ketja Lingenfelter, Governor's School assistant program director. "They can experience the college setting but in a more comfortable, close-knit environment." In addition to the classes taken, students have an opportunity to do research and many hands-on activities, all without the pressure of grades or credit hours.

Lingenfelter says students spend most of their time in labs or on field trips interacting with College of Agricultural Sciences faculty and staff. For Governor's School students who continue on to Penn State after high school, these same faculty members will be their professors. "Through this experience, they have a major leg up on other freshmen," Lingenfelter says.

Alex Lauffer, a senior from Narvon, Pa., majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education, says she decided to come to Penn State based on her positive Governor's School experience.

"I had a really good network of faculty and staff at Penn State that I already knew when I came as a freshman," she says. "This helped in my transition to college, got me involved in a lot of student organizations and eased my anxiety about college-level coursework."

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Marianne Fivek at 814-865-7521 or by e-mail at mafivek1@psu.edu, or Ketja Lingenfelter by e-mail at ketja@psu.edu.

Writer: Bethany Fehlinger

Editor: Chuck Gill 814-863-2713 cdg5@psu.edu