POTSDAM -- The State University of New York at Potsdam welcomed 21 rising high school juniors and seniors to campus this summer for a hands-on pre-college summer program sponsored by the Heckscher Foundation for Children.

Called "Learning U: An Applied Learning Academy," the SUNY Potsdam program is designed to help prospective college students from New York City who would either be the first in their family to attend college, or are coming from underprivileged or low-income backgrounds.

The program is designed to help prepare the rising high school juniors and seniors for their transition to college at no cost, by helping them explore career paths and gain the skills they need to succeed in higher education

Learning U kicked off on July 6 and will continue through July 28. Students in the enrichment program get to complete two college courses for credit, including SUNY Potsdam's First-Year Success Seminar and the Major and Career Exploration class.

Learning U participants are also being immersed in applied and experiential learning, through field trips and hands-on activities led by SUNY Potsdam faculty, like:

• Crafting ancient tool technology with Associate Professor of Archaeology Dr. Timothy Messner,

• Testing their green thumbs in the WISER Greenhouse and Cecily's Garden with Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research Coordinator Raymond Bowdish,

• Using drones to collect data on invasive species with Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Dr. Jessica Rogers,

• Collecting data in the exercise science lab with Assistant Professor of Public Health and Human Performance Dr. Christopher Torres,

• Learning about arts career exploration and creative entrepreneurship with Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Joshua Vink, and

• Getting an introduction to vlogging and interviewing with Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dr. Faris Khan.

On July 21, students from the Project Achieve! program hosted at the University at Albany will join the Learning U students. They will take in hikes, see a planetarium show, and attend the Ogdensburg International Seaway Festival.

The Learning U students will take a trip to Albany to join the Project Achieve! group again on July 27, taking part in a farm service learning project before attending a baseball game.