UB to host Science Exploration Day

By DEBRA OBERG

Published March 13, 2025

Hundreds of high school students from across Western New York will be on the North Campus on March 19 for Science Exploration Day, a daylong program of workshops, lectures and laboratory tours.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at sites across campus.

Science Exploration Day brings scientists, engineers and health care professionals to campus to offer a glimpse of their worlds to the next generation of prospective scientists and citizens who will be asked to support science in the 21st century.

Presentations, tours and activities will be led by researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the College of Arts and Sciences at UB, as well as representatives from local organizations, including New York State Sea Grant, SUNY Erie, National Grid, AECOM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center.

The seminars are designed for a hands-on, accessible experience on popular science topics, including:

  • Robotics
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Working with budding yeast
  • Seeing facial mites
  • Touring UB chemistry, biology and engineering labs
  • Exploring fluorescent minerals
  • Exploring gross anatomy
  • Flower dissection to study evolutionary biology
  • Studying human genetics through a pedigree chart
  • Studying lake effect beyond winter snow

Founded nearly 30 years ago by the late Rod Doran, a professor emeritus in the Graduate School of Education, Science Exploration Day promotes interest and thoughtful engagement in science and engineering fields among high school students.