Frostburg, Md. (October 13, 2010) – The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory is opening its doors to local residents with a community open house from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 23.
The Laboratory is partnering with Frostburg State University and Allegany County Public Schools to host this satellite event of the national USA Science and Engineering Festival. The Appalachian Laboratory will host scientific demonstrations at their 47,000-square foot facility, with numerous hands-on activities geared towards all ages, including geocaching, build-a-bat, caddis fly case making, a critter corner, water cycle bracelet making, fish prints, and a remote sensing image mystery titled “Where in the World?”. Students can also participate in the challenge events of egg drop, paper airplane design, catapult and forensic mystery, which will take place on the Upper Quad of the FSU campus along with many additional hands-on activities.
The Allegany County event is sponsored by the Appalachian Laboratory, Frostburg State University and Allegany County Public Schools.
The Inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival is hosted by Lockheed Martin, and promises to be the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States. The goal of the festival is to reinvigorate the interest of the nation’s youth, future scientists and engineers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The first national science festival will result in an expo in the nation’s capital that will give over 500 science and engineering organizations the opportunity to present themselves with hands-on, fun science activities.
The Appalachian Lab is located at 301 Braddock Road, just ¼ mile north of exit 33 on Interstate 68. Parking is free and refreshments will be available. A shuttle will be available to transport individuals between the two sites.
The Appalachian Laboratory is home to state-of-the-art research on plant and soil ecology, atmospheric chemistry, hydrology, aquatic chemistry, behavioral ecology, landscape and urban ecology, biogeochemistry, wildlife ecology and conservation biology.
For more information, contact Katie Kline at 301-689-7122.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is the University System of Maryland’s environmental research institution. UMCES researchers are helping improve our scientific understanding of Maryland, the region and the world through five research centers – Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, and the Maryland Sea Grant College in College Park.
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Media Contact: David Nemazie, 443-496-0187