UB Scientists Plan Symposium For High-School Students

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Matter, anti-matter, dancing molecules and "green" chemistry will make an appearance at a UB symposium for high-school students and their teachers called "Quarks, Biomolecules and Polymers: Modern Science and Technology at UB Today," to be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in 121 Cooke Hall on the UB North Campus.

It will be free and open to all high-school students and teachers. Following the symposium, teachers will be welcome to attend a free presentation describing UB's master's-degree programs in physics education and chemistry education, to be held in Room 306 of the Natural Sciences Complex, also on the North Campus.

Designed to familiarize high-school students with the cutting-edge scientific research going on at UB in a fun, accessible fashion, the symposium will feature the following presentations:

• "The Particle Physics Century" by Richard Gonsalves, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Physics, about recent developments in high-energy physics, such as the discovery as to why the universe is made of matter and not antimatter

• "Polymer Materials and Surface Chemistry: Application to Environmental Issues and Biomaterials" by Joseph Gardella, Jr., Ph.D., professor of chemistry, about how the interface between solid-state physics, chemistry and biology influence the development of new materials for biological and environmental applications

• "Watching Biological Molecules Dance" by Andrea Markelz, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics, about what scientists are learning about biology from low-frequency vibrations of proteins.

The symposium is sponsored by the departments of Physics and Chemistry, the Center for Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office. It is being organized by Surajit Sen, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics.

Teachers who want to attend with their students should contact Pat Meider for reservations at 645-2017. Students who would like to attend without a teacher should contact Sen at 645-6314.