Lafayette Online » College of Science

Students go for gold in Science Olympiad regional competition

Carolyn Shelby — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:02:46 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — More than 200 Indiana middle and high school students will test their scientific knowledge on Feb. 27 in the Science Olympiad regional competition at Purdue University.

The event, which features 23 science and technology-related competitions, will take place from 9:00am to 3:00pm across campus. The competition will be followed by an awards ceremony at 4:15pm in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, Room 224.

Purdue’s College of Science and Science Olympiad Club are co-sponsors of the event, which is free and open to the public.

“The Science Olympiad is a great opportunity for students to participate in exciting and challenging science activities, and it is fun to watch,” said Bill Walker, College of Science K-12 outreach director. “Some of the more popular events, such as ‘Trajectory’ and ‘Wright Stuff,’ are almost as exciting for the audience as they are for the teams.”

Students design, construct and calibrate a projectile-launching device to hit a target in “Trajectory” and construct rubber band-powered airplanes in “Wright Stuff.” Both events will take place throughout the day in the Purdue Armory.

Mindy Hart, Science Olympiad regional competition director, said the competition engages students in a fun environment outside of the classroom.

“Students learn from each other and discover scientific principles as they work together,” said Hart, who also is Purdue’s computer science outreach coordinator. “The events stress science concepts, science processes, problem-solving skills and applications of technology in a hands-on way.”

Teachers and parents coach each team, which consists of 15 students. Local scientists and engineers also assist some teams.

Participating schools include:

Bloomington North High School (two teams), Bloomington
Columbus Signature Academy – New Tech High School, Columbus
Fountain Central High School, Veedersburg
Indiana Math and Science Academy – High School, Indianapolis
Indiana Math and Science Academy – Middle School, Indianapolis
Kokomo High School, Kokomo
McCutcheon High School, Lafayette
Mississinewa High School, Gas City
R.J. Baskett Middle School, Gas City
Tri-County High School, Wolcott
Tri-County Middle School, Wolcott
Wainwright Middle School (two teams), Lafayette
West Lafayette Junior High School, West Lafayette
West Lafayette Senior High School, West Lafayette
Winamac High School, Winamac
Winamac Middle School, Winamac

Purdue’s College of Science K-12 Outreach Program began in 1989 to support teachers and inspire students. Since then, more than 12,000 teachers and 670,000 students throughout the state have participated in its programs.

For more information about the Science Olympiad Regional and times for specific events, contact Hart at 765-494-7802, mindy@purdue.edu, or Walker at 765-494-5890, wswalker@purdue.edu

The full schedule is available online at http://www.purdue.edu/scienceo

Workshop teaches parent-child teams about computer science

Carolyn Shelby — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:05:41 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s College of Science is inviting parents and children to learn about computer science together through the “Are You Smarter than Your Fifth Grader?” program.

The program, a series of four workshops, offers programming and graphic design activities for students in grades four through six and their parents or guardians. Parent and student pairs will create their own digital world to tell a story and will work with robotics using the ALICE 3D graphic design program and PicoCricket design studio. Participants will be able to keep their PicoCricket Design Kit, valued at $250.

The workshops are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan.9, Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and Feb. 20 in the Lawson Computer Science Building.

The program is free, but a $25 deposit is required to register. The $25 will be returned to participants upon completion of all of the workshop sessions. A Motorola Foundation Innovation Generation Grant funds the program.

For more information, go to http://www.cs.purdue.edu/outreach

College of Science slates viewing party for ‘CSI: Miami’ episode with Purdue ties

Carolyn Shelby — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:55:35 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University’s College of Science is having a “CSI: Miami” viewing party for students and the Purdue community at 10 p.m. on Monday (Nov. 24).

Purdue University's college of Science hosts a CSI: Miami viewing party for students and the public at 10pm, Monday, Nov 24.

The episode features technology created by R. Graham Cooks, Purdue’s Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry. Cooks will attend the party, which will be held at the Purdue Memorial Union in the La Posada room located near Starbucks.

Cooks developed an analysis device that reads a fingerprint’s chemical signature. The device can unearth fingerprints buried beneath others or reveal what a person recently handled, as well as create an image of the fingerprint for identity searches.

Jonathan Harbor, interim dean of the College of Science, also will be attending the party.

“The College of Science wants to support the researchers involved and share in the excitement as this technology makes its prime-time debut,” Harbor said. “‘CSI: Miami’ engages a broad audience and presents science as a powerful tool to solve mysteries. We hope it inspires future Purdue students to pursue an education and career in science, technology or forensics.”

The event is sponsored by the College of Science and is free and open to the public.

Healthcare Symposium at Purdue focuses on challenges, solutions

Carolyn Shelby — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:36:09 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Sept. 5 conference at Purdue University will focus on challenges and solutions in the health care industry.

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, considered to be one of the foremost authorities on pediatrics and child development, will be featured Sept. 5 at the sixth annual History, Ethics, Human Rights and Innovations in Healthcare Symposium, sponsored by Purdue's School of Nursing and College of Science. (Courtesy of School of Nursing)

The sixth annual History, Ethics, Human Rights and Innovations in Healthcare Symposium, titled Challenges and Solutions: Building a Better Future, will take place from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse.

Purdue’s School of Nursing and the College of Science are sponsoring the conference, which will feature a variety of world-renowned speakers and a poster session.

Registration for the conference is free for Purdue faculty, staff and students and $50 for the general public. Registration includes a boxed lunch. Those interested in attending need to register by Monday (Sept. 1). Registration for the event will begin at 7:30 a.m., and a welcome and introductions will follow at 8 a.m.

Cynthia Connolly, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, will be the first speaker, with a talk titled “TB Or Not TB? Fighting the ‘White Plague’ in America’s Children.” Her book, “Saving Sickly Children: The Tuberculosis Preventorium in American Life, 1909-1970,” was published this spring. Connolly’s current research focuses on the history of nurses and AIDS.

At 10 a.m., Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Ann Stadtler, both of Harvard Medical School, will speak about “The Touchpoints Approach: Strengthening Families, Building Communities.”

Brazelton, considered to be one of the foremost authorities on pediatrics and child development, founded the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Children’s Hospital Boston in 1993 to mobilize communities around children and families in order to bring relationships back into health care and to transform child care into family care. He is the author of more than 200 scientific papers and chapters and 40 books.

Stadtler is one of the original faculty members and curriculum developers at Brazelton Touchpoints Center and is the director of site development and training. She was a primary care nurse practitioner in private pediatric practice before joining Brazelton at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Three School of Nursing faculty, Julie Novak and professors Clara Richardson and Jenny Coddington, completed the Touchpoints training at Harvard with Brazelton and Stadtler and have created a training site at Purdue University. Participants who are interested in future local Touchpoints training will have the opportunity to sign up at the conference.

Following lunch, Scott Serota, president and chief executive officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, will speak on “Health Policy and the Future of Healthcare.” He earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue and was named a distinguished alumnus of the College of Science in 2006. He holds a master’s degree in health administration and planning from Washington University School of Medicine. He is a founding member of the National Business Group on Health’s Institute on Healthcare Costs and Solutions, and a board member of the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare and the National Center for Healthcare Leadership.

The Purdue School of Nursing and College of Science also are accepting posters that focus on innovative programs in health care. They will be on display throughout the conference. For information about submitting a poster, contact Clara Richardson in the School of Nursing at richarcj@purdue.edu by Monday (Sept. 1).

Nurses who attend the conference will receive 4.5 contact hours from Purdue University Continuing Nursing Education, which has been approved as a provider in continuing education by the Indiana State Nurses Association.

For information or to register for the conference, contact Roxanne Martin in the School of Nursing at (765) 494-4003 or martinrj@purdue.edu

Lafayette Online » College of Science

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