"Explore Space" and "BioDays" Events Schedule for 14 April 2007

30 March 2007—A free day of science exploration is planned on the Penn State University Park Campus for visitors of all ages from 10:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, 14 April 2007.

The fourth annual BioDays will be held in Osmond Laboratory from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and will feature a variety of hands-on activities suitable for the whole family. Activities will include a room-size model of the cell for visitors to explore, Shavers Creek birds-of-prey demonstrations, Science Lions interactive crime-scene investigation, an insect petting zoo with crafts, "friendly-germ" microscope observations, and tours of Penn State facilities such as the greenhouse. "Science Exposed" also will be held during this time, featuring multi-media-based discussions on bioethics, stem cells, and the use of lasers in biology.

Explore Space, another interactive event, also will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Hetzel Union Building (HUB). Participants can drive a Mars rover, see actual payloads that will be flown in space, and learn how astronauts explore space. This event will include three-dimensional shows featuring tours of the universe and the surface of Mars, as well as planetarium shows.

The day of exploration of life and the universe will culminate with a feature presentation titled "Fire and Ice: Exploration of the Solar System" at 3:15 p.m. in 100 Thomas Building. The presentation, full of images of our solar system and the satellites that explore it, will be given by Carl Herrmann of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University as part of the 2006/2007 Ronald and Susan Friedman Public Lecture Series in Astronomy. The presentation will be at a level appropriate for the family audience expected at the Explore Space and BioDays events.

"One of the great things about this event is that it offers many things to capture the imaginations of people of all ages," says Jane Charlton, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and one of the organizers of the Explore Space event. "Small children can see birds and insects, launch bubble rockets, and see a planetarium show. Older kids can explore many topics of science, with a great variety of shows and interactive displays. All members of the public can talk with researchers from many different departments at Penn State."

The 2007 Explore Space and BioDays events are sponsored by NASA; the departments of astronomy and astrophysics, biology, and biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State; the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; the Eberly College of Science; Penn State Outreach; and the Ronald M. and Susan J. Friedman Outreach Fund in Astronomy. For more information or access assistance, contact the Huck Institutes at 973-768-9249 or tlv125@psu.edu, or the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at 814-865-0418, or visit the web pages at www.huck.psu.edu/biodays/ and www.astro.psu.edu/explorespace/.

[ J C C / L A K ]