What is Summer Science?

Do you miss Saturday Science in the summer?  Do you wish that you had some fun science fieldtrips to do on the weekends?  Then Summer Science is for you!

This website details seven fun, science-related fieldtrips that you can take with your family during the summer months.  These are all one day fieldtrips, so they can be taken in any order, on the weekends, or all in one week! 

The starting point for each trip is Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.  If you are starting at a different location, just go to each sites homepage (under Hours/Admission Prices) to get directions from another location. 

Choose any of the trips below to get started!  Or, click here to read about the Geologic History of Pennsylvania.

Map of Pennsylvania

All of the fieldtrips will take place in central Pennsylvania, inside the area marked on the map below.

Why take these trips in the summer?

Central Pennsylvania is situated right around 41ºN 77ºW and in the Appalachian Mountains, placing it just on the border between 3 different climate types: humid continental forest (Dfa), marine (Cfb), and humid subtropical (Cfa). 

What does this mean?  It means that Central PA winter temperature can dip close to 0ºF, with an average low temperature of 26ºF (indicated by the first letters "C" and "D" in the above mentioned climates).  Central PA usually gets 30-59 inches of snowfall (although in recent years it has been much less).  This does not make good weather to travel in, especially since many of the roads are country roads in the mountains and you will need to spend a great deal of time outdoors. 

Summer can get up to 100ºF with an average temperature of 73ºF (indicated by "a" and "b").  The average annual precipitation amount is generally 40-59 inches, and is evenly distributed throughout the year (indicated by the second letter "f"). 

Central PA is close enough to the east coast that it enjoys the ocean's moderating effect, preventing the temperatures from going to extremes.  However, summer may be a little more humid than the winter due to moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and from other maritime tropical air masses, so expect to see plenty of thunderstorms.

Overall, a nice mixture of cool, dry periods and hot, humid periods makes summer the ideal time for taking trips around Pennsylvania.  Just make sure to have an umbrella nearby...just in case.     

Sources Used to Write This Section