Science Exploration Day Bringing 800 High School Students to UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Although University at Buffalo students will be on spring break March 12, the North Campus will be far from quiet as some 800 high school students learn more about science and scientific careers at the 22nd annual Science Exploration Day.

Students from 30 local schools are expected to attend the event, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at various sites on the North (Amherst) Campus.

The event is organized by Rodney L. Doran, professor emeritus in the Department of Learning and Instruction, UB Graduate School of Education, who started it more than 20 years ago to interest area high school students in science.

This year's keynote speaker is Diane Bollen, Athena Project coordinator for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission at the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University. Her talk, entitled "The Mars Exploration Rovers: Four years of Martian Images," will be presented at 9:15 a.m., 10:10 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. in Woldman Theater, 112 Norton Hall.

In addition to the keynote presentation, students will attend large- and small-group sessions and tour labs to learn about cutting-edge science from professionals who are involved in the fields of medicine, engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, geology and ecology. The scientists will share their research and increase students' awareness of fields of science that are not typically covered in the classroom.

Science Exploration Day is presented by the Niagara Frontier Science Supervisors Association and the Western Section of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. Additional sponsors include the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education, Educational Technology Services, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Great Lakes Program, all at UB, and the New York Sea Grant.

For more information, go to http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/org/sed/.