Nov. 2 is Science Day at the U

A student looks at a brain exhibit during a previous Science Day at the U, which draws hundreds of high school students to the University of Utah. This year’s event, which is Saturday, Nov. 2, will provide students with an opportunity to learn about education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

What: Utah, Idaho and Nevada high school students attend science workshops and get academic advice about attending college at the University of Utah

Date: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013

Time: 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Place: Olpin Union Building and various classrooms on the University of Utah campus

Oct. 28, 2013 – The University of Utah’s 25th annual Science Day at the U will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, welcoming hundreds of Utah, Idaho and Nevada high school students to Salt Lake City to learn about science education and research opportunities at the university.

Science Day, which runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., is the university’s largest student recruitment event. There is no cost to students, parents or educators. Lunch is provided. High school students may attend simply by registering online at www.science.utah.edu until Oct. 30 at 11 p.m.

“Science Day is a great way for our local high school students to become familiar with the world-class science education offered at the University of Utah,” says Lisa Batchelder, who organizes the event. “Many of these kids don’t realize the opportunities they have available so close to home.”

News media representatives are invited to cover the event in the Olpin Union Building and science buildings on main campus.

The event is hosted by three university organizations: the College of Science and College of Mines and Earth Sciences, in cooperation with the Natural History Museum of Utah.

Science Day at the U will begin at 8 a.m. in the Olpin Union Building, followed by a 9 a.m. opening reception and welcome by Pierre V. Sokolsky, dean of the College of Science, and a keynote talk by Clayton Patch, engineering department manager at IM Flash Technologies.

Students will receive academic advice about specific majors, science-related careers and undergraduate research offered by each department.

Parents and teachers may attend a presentation by the Office of Admissions titled, “University Admissions 101: How to Prepare Your Student” at 12:30 p.m. in the Union Building’s Saltair Room. The Office of Admissions also will provide free general campus tours to those interested beginning at 1:30 p.m. Tours start at the Union Building.

Students will attend 45-minute science workshops in their areas of interest presented by university faculty. These presentations may be of particular interest to news media:

9:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and again at 11:45 a.m., “The Science of Death and Mayhem,” by forensic dentist Doug Wyler in the LeRoy Cowles Building, room 225. Forensics experts are needed in cases of accidents, train crashes, murder investigations and mass disasters such as earthquakes. Wyler will discuss the forensic sciences and focus on identification of human remains with some hands-on samples. Wyler has been featured on A&E Network’s “Cold Case Files.”
10:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., “Human Anatomy,” by Mark Nielsen in the James Talmage Building, room 230. Come explore the anatomy of your brain, heart and other body organs through the use of human cadaver materials, guided by anatomy teaching assistants. Ideal for students interested in biology, medicine and the health sciences.
10:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., “Tornado Formation and Destruction,” by Kevin Perry, chairman of atmospheric sciences, Frederick Albert Sutton Building, room 250. Tornadoes are among the most destructive phenomena that the atmosphere can produce. Learn how tornadoes form and why their destruction patterns appear so random at times. Students will also get to interact with a simulated tornado.

Science Day will also feature industry workshops where students can learn what it is like to work in science industries or as an entrepreneurial engineer. Representatives from some of the event’s sponsoring partners – Rio Tinto-Kennecott Utah Copper, EnergySolutions, IM Flash Technologies and BioFire Diagnostics Inc. – will be on hand to meet students and parents about education and employment opportunities.

Science Day at the U attracts more than 800 students, parents and educators from Salt Lake City to as far as Henderson, Nev. It often is the first experience these students have on a university campus.

For more information, and to register, please contact the College of Science at 801-581-6958 or visit www.science.utah.edu to obtain a complete schedule of events.