What: Playing tag or competing in relay races is fun stuff. But teens will demonstrate just how the fun mixes with a serious learning experience when they turn the games over to small robots they've built and programmed as part of a four-week academic enrichment program at the University of California, Davis. The students are among 79 participants exploring subjects ranging from the science of flight to materials science through the California State Summer School of Mathematics and Science (COSMOS), offered this year for the first time at UC Davis. When: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 31 Where: The courtyard on the east side of the Physics/Geology Building, UC Davis Visuals: * In an outdoor courtyard, about 16 students will be testing and playing games with robots they have designed, built using Lego Mindstorms robotic kits and programmed with computers. Among other activities, the robots will play tag; compete in relay races; and demonstrate the ability to follow a beam of light, communicate with each other, recognize boundaries or grasp and carry objects. * In a computer lab, students will be refining the programs that control the robots. Who: Available for interviews will be: * students participating in the computers and robotics course including residents of Davis, Vacaville, Sacramento and six counties in California; * Abby Thompson, co-director of UC Davis' COSMOS program and a professor of mathematics at UC Davis; * Kurt Kreith, co-director of UC Davis' COSMOS program and a professor emeritus of mathematics at UC Davis; * and Katherine St. John, the COSMOS faculty member teaching the computers and robotics course and an associate professor of computer science at City University of New York. Background: The COSMOS program, established and supported by the California Legislature with $2 million in funding, aims to inspire a new generation of prospective scientists, engineers and mathematicians. Administered by the University of California, it was first offered at the Santa Cruz and Irvine campuses in 2000, and the UC Davis program was added this summer. "We are really excited about having this incredible group of students on campus," says Abby Thompson, co-director of UC Davis' COSMOS program and a professor of mathematics at UC Davis. "This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to have access to UC research faculty and labs, and for the faculty to work with the next generation of scientists and engineers," she adds. The four-week program at UC Davis, which continues through Aug. 4, enrolls youths who have completed grades eight through 12 and have demonstrated academic excellence in science and mathematics. Participants take a course on scientific communications and choose to study in one of six subject clusters -- materials science, optical science, earth and atmosphere, life on Earth, computers in physics and robotics, or mathematics. They work closely with university faculty, hear from guest speakers and go on field trips to such places as the Point Reyes National Seashore, the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Directions and Parking: From Interstate 80, take the UC Davis exit and head north on Old Davis Road. After passing the information kiosk, turn left to follow the road to a stop sign. Proceed across a small bridge and continue north on what becomes California Avenue until you come to a barrier. Displaying media identification, park in spots designated with an E inside of a diamond or along the right hand side of the road. The Physics/Geology Building will be beyond the barrier and to the right.