This is no ordinary summer school. It is COSMOS: the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science, held at four UC campuses. UC Davis is one of them, so, if you are staff or faculty with high-school-aged children, you might want to think about having them apply.

To find out more, you and your children are invited to an open house from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 10 in 1147 Mathematical Sciences Building.

The application period for the 2010 COSMOS program is set to run from Feb. 1 to March 15.

COSMOS is for high-achieving math and science students who are completing grades 8 through 12. COSMOS runs for about a month, during which time the participants live on campus.

COSMOS students work side-by-side with faculty and researchers to explore advanced topics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, using curriculum that is hands-on and lab intensive.

The topics vary from campus to campus. The UC Davis program announced these clusters: Biotechnology, Physics in Electro-Optics and Nuclear Technology, Introduction to Engineering Mechanics, Anatomy of Global Climate Change, Computers in Biophysics and Robotics, Mathematics, Biomedical Sciences, The Chemistry of Life, and Introduction to Astrophysics.

The COSMOS session at UC Davis (and Irvine and Santa Cruz) is scheduled from July 5 to 31; the San Diego session is scheduled from July 11 to Aug. 7.

The cost is $2,550, including room and board, with full and partial financial assistance available. The application fee is $30, which is nonrefundable.

More information is available online, cosmos.ucdavis.edu. The application form is due to be available online on Feb. 1, at ucop.edu/cosmos.

Interested in attending the Feb. 10 open house at UC Davis? Please RSVP by contacting COSMOS, (530) 754-7326 or cosmos@ucdavis.edu.

Extension promotes horsepacking treks

UC Davis Extension has scheduled its annual dinner meeting for people interested in learning about summer horsepacking adventure courses.

Craig London leads two treks:

• Mustangs: A Living Legacy — June 12-15, Pizona area of the Inyo National Forest, central Sierra Nevada.

• Mountain Horsemanship: Veterinary Care and Horsepacking in the Wilderness — July 11-17, Golden Trout Wilderness, southern Sierra Nevada.

The dinner and open house are scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Rec Pool Lodge. The cost is $25, including dinner.

Registration (for the dinner and open house, and-or the summer adventures) and more information: extension.ucdavis.edu/equine.