The 2006 Legislature passed a bill to provide funding for the camps, which received $250,000 on July 1. That's more than double the amount requested, but Brigham City Republican Sen. Pete Knudson, the bill's sponsor, says the extra investment will pay off.

"There is a lot of work attached to preparing for science careers, so it's tempting for young people to see an opportunity that may not require as much work, and jump for that," Knudson said. "But if we can start them thinking about science early, and taking the right courses early, then science is not difficult - it's exciting. I see this as a marvelous beginning of an effort not only to educate, but to prepare a work force."

The camps are designed to key in on the interests of teenage students, helping them realize that science can be interesting and entertaining.

One of the camps will be at the Utah Museum of Natural History July 31 through Aug. 4 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.. "Murder at the Museum" lets 15- to 17-year-olds conduct crime scene investigations like the ones they see on popular television shows. Participants will try on the roles of geneticist, forensic scientist, researcher and detective to solve a mock murder.

"There will be a crime scene, and students will be collecting evidence and trying to interpret it," said Ephraim Dixon, UMNH's education director. "They will learn about blood spatters, DNA testing, hair samples - a whole variety of tests like that. Then they will use deductive reasoning to narrow the field of suspects."

Dixon said the camp can accommodate 20 students on a first-come first-served basis. "It will be the cheapest camp you'll ever see," he added, "One hundred dollars for the whole week."

Other camps have particular areas of focus, such as introducing girls to science careers, or providing disadvantaged students with science opportunities.

Knudson believes bringing students onto university campuses and into laboratories will open their eyes to careers in engineering, aerospace technology, mathematics, physics and chemistry - improving young lives while strengthening Utah's economy.

"This has the potential of changing one's perception of science, and making it so that those who otherwise wouldn't even have considered it say, 'Hey, maybe this is something I could do,' " he said.

A list of summer science camps sponsored by the Governor's Office of Economic Development, and contact information for enrolling, is available at http://goed.utah.gov/science/index.html