Wanna be an explosives expert?

May 19, 2007 11:04 GMT  ·  By

I'm not talking about a terrorist training camp, in which terrorists are trained to launch attacks, ranging from suicide bombing technology training to field combat.

It's completely legal and not even expensive, if you want to have lots of fun while training to become an explosives expert. It even beats experimenting at home with fertilizer or with the "Little Chemist's Kit."

You will have the chance to see and work with expertsin explosives, who will show you how explosives work, how they can be created and used. The University of Missouri-Rolla is the only university in the United States that offers a course in explosives engineering. This summer, they will organize, for the third year, the Explosives Camp, probably the most popular with high school students.

The camp will be organized in two sessions, June 3-9 and June 17-23, and is actually serious training on blowing stuff up. High school students from as far away as Hawaii and Egypt are planning trips to Rolla, Mo., next month to practice the art of blowing things up.

The location is mostly based at UMR's Experimental Mine, where students will learn about underground blasts and mining engineering careers. They will be supervised by Army specialists from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and professors at UMR. "This is the only camp of its kind in the world," says explosives expert Dr. Paul Worsey, a professor of mining engineering at UMR. Worsey is most famous for blowing up frozen chickens in order to demonstrate the power of explosives.

It's really impressive, as students will learn a great deal about detonators, how to shoot dynamite and set up fireworks applications.

Unfortunately, all 20 seats for this summer have been taken by American citizens who are at least 17 years old and have expressed an interest in enrolling at UMR. So, don't worry, you won't find any Al-Qaeda terrorists around there, since I'm sure they were extremely meticulous when it came to background search.

Don't despair, there is still a chance for the next summer, and you have plenty of time to raise the money required for enlisting, exactly $450 including room, board and field trips.

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