Registration is under way through March 30 for a new Whiting School of Engineering program that will allow high school and early college students to take summer courses while working in paid internships at area high-tech employers.

The Hopkins Engineering Advanced Summer University Program, or HeadsUp, will offer introductory engineering courses at the university's Montgomery County Campus in Rockville. Classes will meet twice weekly between June 20 and Aug. 8.

HeadsUp has scheduled six courses in materials science, environmental engineering, digital systems, basic circuits analysis, Java programming and computer integrated surgery. Students who enroll in these classes are eligible to apply for paid internships reserved for HeadsUp at companies such as Lockheed-Martin, Acterna and Quanta Systems.

The employers have agreed to allow interns to take off two mornings or two afternoons per week to attend school, enabling students to receive both classroom instruction and on-the-job experience during their summer break.

"Engineers are problem solvers. They create the world we live in and make it work," said Ilene Busch-Vishniac, dean of the Whiting School. "We hope this program will interest youth in engineering and start them down an exciting career path."

The program is open to qualified students who, by this summer, will have finished their sophomore, junior or senior year of high school or their freshman year of college, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. College student applicants may be enrolled in Hopkins or another institution. Admission is based on an applicant's ability to complete college-level work, as shown by a high school record, standardized test scores, recommendations and a brief essay.

Students who submit an application by March 30 will receive an acceptance decision by April 30.

The program charges a nonrefundable $20 application fee. Tuition is $1,460 for a three-credit course or $980 for a one-credit course. With the approval of the institution they attend or plan to attend, students may be able to transfer the credits.

Tuition remission is available for children of Johns Hopkins faculty and staff members who meet the criteria.

Applications for the HeadsUp program can be obtained by calling 301-294-7070 or by sending e-mail to headsup@jhu.edu. To download forms from the Web, go to http://www.wse.jhu.edu/headsup.