Frequently Asked Questions

When is the CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp?

A pilot of a middle school camp will be offered in 2012: Monday June 11 – Wednesday June 13. All days are 8:00am -3:00pm.

What will participants learn at CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp?

The CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp is an age appropriate introduction to parts of CDC's work: public health. Campers will engage in hands-on activities, modified lab experiments, and short presentations from experts. This program's focus is both explaining the science of CDC's work while introducing new career ideas to middle school students.

Will my child go into an infectious disease lab?

Due to federal laboratory guidelines we are not able to take the Junior Camp participants into any lab. Our modified laboratory experiment will be held in the CDC Museum classroom, and will not involve the use of any live microorganisms.

My son/daughter wants to be a doctor. Is this camp for him/her?

Possibly. The camp focus is not clinical medicine-so there are no dissections or activities related to anatomy and physiology. Topics related to health, such as infectious diseases, lifestyle choices and how the environment affects our health are covered, but the focus is not clinical.

Who can apply?

The CDC Jr. Disease Detective Camp is open to students who are currently in 6th and 7th grade, so this summer during camp they will be rising 7th and 8th graders.

There are no exceptions.

How do I apply?

The application process is now closed. Please check back in December for information about the 2013 camps.

How do I sign my son/daughter up?

Applications are available here. Parents or guardians should complete pages 1 and 2 of the application, but students must complete the 3rd page and the essay questions. Parents and guardians, resist the urge to complete the essays for your students! We trust each applicant to complete his/her applications with only minor assistance in proofreading.

Instructions for completing the application can be found on page 1 of the application. Applications will only be accepted by mail. All documents must be mailed together, so be sure to double check that your application and essays are included. Once an application is received, parents will receive a confirmation email.

Based on  the popularity of our other programs, we expect there will be more interested students than we can accommodate. For this reason, we have an application process for interested students.

If you have trouble downloading the application, please call 404-639-0830 to have an application mailed to you.

Can I reserve a spot until I mail in my application?

We do not reserve spaces. Once the April 11th application deadline is reached, each application will be reviewed.

How are participants selected?

Applicants are selected based on the Application Essay Questions submitted. A panel of three current or retired CDC employees will read each application and use a rubric to score applications based on completion, proper grammar and well thought-out responses. We are seeking a diverse and eager-to-learn group of campers!

How will I know if I/my child was selected?

All applicants' parents are notified via email when their completed applications have been received. Be sure to add camp@cdc.gov to your email address book to avoid your notifications being sent to your spam folder.
Once the deadline date for camp applications has passed, applications are reviewed, and each applicant will receive a notification email indicating if he or she has been is given a slot in a 2012 camp session.  All applicants will receive an email indicating if they are being offered a slot in the camp or not by May 4, 2012.

How much does it cost?

There is no cost associated with attending the CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp, but campers will need to bring their own lunches.

Where is the CDC?

CDC's main campus is located at 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp's headquarters is in the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, at CDC headquarters.

We do not live in the Atlanta area. May I attend?

Yes! Non-Atlanta residents may apply for the camp, but are responsible for providing their own accommodations and transportation. Campers in past years have stayed with family friends or relatives in Atlanta.

I work at CDC. May I have lunch with the group?

No. While we understand that you may want to visit with your child, your best chance for him or her to get to know fellow campers is by staying with the group -- even during lunch.

What will my son/daughter need to bring?

If your son/daughter is offered a slot in the program, you will receive more information about what we suggest you send along. Participants will have to bring lunches, but will not need to purchase any other supplies for the program. Attendees and their parents will be given explicit information about camper drop-off and pick-up.

How many slots are available for the CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp?

The pilot of the CDC Junior Disease Detective Camp will have 18 participants.

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