ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Students participating in a regional science fair, along with the community at large, will have an opportunity to hear from astronaut and Western New York native Dr. James A. Pawelczyk.
St. Bonaventure University will host the 2018 Twin Tiers Regional Science Fair, welcoming project entries from students in grades 9-12, Thursday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This year’s science fair will feature a keynote address by NASA Payload Specialist Pawelczyk. His address is free and open to the public. His remarks will begin at 11:30 a.m. in Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building on campus.
A native of Elma, N.Y., Pawelczyk graduated from Iroquois Central High School in 1978. He earned his B.S. in biology and psychology from the University of Rochester, then received his Ph.D. in physiology form North Texas University in 1989.
His extraordinary Space Shuttle flight and research on NASA STS-90 launched seven astronauts on April 17, 1998, despite delays due to complications with ground and astronaut communication. Their mission goal was to study reactions of the nervous system, one of the least understood body systems, when exposed to microgravity and conditions in space. The crew conducted 26 life-science experiments over the course of the nearly three-week mission.
Pawelczyk is an associate professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State University.
Projects in biology, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and other sciences will be on display during the science fair and evaluated by judges from the campus and regional community.
The winner of the SBU Twin Tiers Regional Science fair will participate in the 2018 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, May 13-19, in Pittsburgh, Pa. It is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. A winner will also be chosen to compete at the International Genius Olympiad, to be held June 11-16 at the State University of New York at Oswego.
Registration for the Twin Tiers Science Fair is free thanks to support from the Ying Tri Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Cutco, and the Terra Foundation. The Science Fair is organized with the assistance of Dream It. Do it. Western New York.
For more information, contact Dr. James Pientka, assistant professor of physics, at jpientka@sbu.edu or visit www.sbu.edu/sciencefair.
