This summer camp features high-grade explosives

Sixty-one high school students have been accepted for the 2009 summer camp program, which will be split into three sessions: June 7-13, June 14-20 and June 21-27. Campers are coming from as far away as Alaska.

Worsey, co-star of the Discovery Channel series The Detonators, has been known to blow up watermelons and frozen chickens, but he also teaches the students the science behind explosives. Campers feel the concussions from underground explosions, help generate a 150-foot water spout, experience demolition demonstrations, fashion fireworks displays and shoot dynamite. Of course, they also learn plenty of stuff about safety.

According to Worsey, all of last year's campers applied for admission into Missouri S&T, which is the only university in the nation that offers an explosives engineering minor as part of its mining engineering program. Worsey is a professor of mining engineering at S&T.

Worsey started Explosives Camp in 2004, when three students attended. Now the camp is in its sixth year and has three sessions for approximately 20 students each.

Those attending the 2009 sessions are all U.S. residents who are at least 16 years old. The cost of the camp, including room, board and field trips, is $1,250.

Explosives Camp is held primarily on the property of Missouri S&T's Experimental Mine. Media members are invited to the camp on two days during June -- from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Monday, June 8; and from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, June 24.

Reporters who would like to visit are asked to make arrangements with Missouri S&T's public relations office by calling 573-341-4328.