SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Science, outdoors and teaching are three passions of Marshall University Assistant Professor of Curriculum Instruction and Foundations Dr. Brian Kinghorn.
The Huntington native will now have the opportunity to combine those in a position that has been recognizably known. On Monday afternoon at Marshall’s South Charleston campus, Kinghorn was named as the director for the 2020 National Youth Science Camp.
The camp, which features students from all over the world, will be held from June 22 to July 15 in Pocahontas County.
“I’m excited to be involved in this amazing opportunity for these youth to come from all over the country and all over the world to participate in this camp and be directing at this time,” Kinghorn told MetroNews.
Two delegates from each state, D.C., Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago will be on hand at Camp Pocahontas for the three-week STEM-based learning experience. The students must have graduated high school within the year.
The camp consists of up to 50 scientists doing lectures and participating in directed studies with select students. Participants have the chance to go to Green Bank Observatory, have three overnight trips that feature backpacking, mountain biking, and climbing, as well as ending with a three-day trip to Washington D.C. to visit the National Mall and museums.
Kinghorn, who is originally from Idaho, said this all marries his interests together. He said he grew up mountain biking, backpacking, and climbing in the Tetons, which he can now share with the kids.
Marshall University President Dr. Jerome Gilbert is an alum of the camp and was on hand for the announcement. Gilbert was one of the two delegates from the state of Mississippi in 1973 and said on Monday that his visit had a profound impact on his life.
Gilbert is one of the many notable alums from the camp that includes leaders at Samsung, Exxon-Mobil, NASA, and Harvard University. Kinghorn said that success of camp graduates may be because the students embrace each other and their interests, turning into lifelong connections.
“They are all excited about science and learning and that might not have been something that was as accepted where they came from,” Kinghorn said.
“They come to this place where they build great relationships, they build these great friendships. They have this network of alums and presenters and those they can work with to make a difference in the world.”
Kinghorn currently resides in Huntington with his eight children and wife Leah.