What (and where) do you want to be when you grow up?

BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s a question that many teenagers dread: What do you want to be when you grow up?

To help answer it, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the University at Buffalo will team up Saturday, April 25, to help families learn more about careers and internship opportunities in clinical care, research, education and entrepreneurship in the hospitals, research institutes and other organizations on the medical campus.

News media are invited to the event, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

“Our goal is to expose students and parents to the groundbreaking advancements in innovation and entrepreneurism that are contributing to the growth of the medical campus and how they can be a part of it,” said Sandra Small, PhD, workforce development associate at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Life Sciences and Bioinformatics (CBLS). “This collaborative event provides firsthand exposure to how science can be relevant to many career paths, encouraging people to stay here and go far.”

Small is lead coordinator for iSciWNY, the life sciences workforce development program at UB that is helping organize the event.

Saturday’s event starts with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at dig, downtown Buffalo’s new co-work space at 640 Ellicott St. Free parking will be available across the street. Opening remarks will follow at 9 a.m.

More than 500 parents and children are expected to attend. Registration for the event is closed.

Families will receive a medical campus map and be encouraged to tour 10 facilities, where they will hear from experts, see state-of-the-art research labs, hospital rooms, creative spaces and more. Participants will be able to test drive the Robotic Surgery Simulator (RoSS), use a microscope to view cancer cells, watch a pre-recorded surgery, pitch their entrepreneurial idea for the student edition of the popular television show Shark Tank and more.

“Connecting local students and adults to career opportunities on and off the medical campus is vital to our mission of furthering economic growth, igniting urban revitalization and building a strong, thriving community,” said Matthew K. Enstice, president and CEO of Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. “By showcasing the extensive array of opportunities on the medical campus, we hope to inspire the next generation of innovators, doctors, researchers and leaders.”

Students and others are encouraged to Tweet about the event using the hashtag #PictureYourselfBNMC.

The event is sponsored by AT&T and features CBLS, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kaleida Health, the Jacobs Institute, Unyts, Buffalo Manufacturing Works and the Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center.

“AT&T’s partnership with the University of Buffalo’s New York State Center of Excellence Bioinformatics and Life Sciences and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is an example of our commitment to provide resources for STEM related educational programing in Western New York,” said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State President, AT&T. “This program is crucial to the success of our economy, which increasingly relies on a workforce steeped in technological education and literacy. Now, more than ever, the students of today need to be equipped with the skills to compete in the global economy of tomorrow. AT&T applauds all organizations involved in this event for exposing students and families to the type of career opportunities that are available in their own backyard if they follow a STEM educational path.”

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is a consortium of the region's premier health care, life sciences research, and medical education institutions, all located on 120 acres in downtown Buffalo, New York. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. www.bnmc.org.