[NMScience] Biotechnology Workshop for Teachers-FREE!!!

[Vannetta R. Perry]

Next Wednesday, May 7, 2008, from 1:00-4:00PM, FREE FOR TEACHERS, there 
will be  a teacher workshop at Mesa Alta Middle School, in Bloomfield, NM, 
an exciting, hands-on workshop for anyone interested on biotechnology. 
You will receive an excellent overview of biotechnology, both as an 
educational opportunity and as a professional career.

SPACE IS LIMITED!!!  You must register for this workshop by emailing 
Vannetta Perry, vperry at nmt.edu the following information:

Name
School
School District
Grade Level Taught

Following registration, you will be given specific information concerning 
the workshop logistics.

The workshop is co-sponsored by New Mexico Science Teachers Association, 
UNM's Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, UNM's Center for 
Biomedical Research, and the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure 
Network.

The presenter for the workshop is Dr. Heather Canavan.  Dr. Canavan is an 
Assistant Professor in the UNM Department of Chemical and Nuclear 
Engineering. Her research focuses on the interface between biological 
systems and manmade materials, or ³biomaterials.² She is also the Founding 
Director of the UNM Biomaterials Engineering Outreach program directed at 
K-12 students. The goal of our Outreach program is to initiate an 
effective and sustainable program for increasing the participation of 
under-represented minorities in materials science and engineering. Our 
activities mainly consist of classroom visits similar to the presentation 
which will be given in this workshop.

During these visits, our graduate and undergraduate students give an 
informal, interactive presentation on "What is Biomedical Engineering?" 
Most students will find that although they had been unfamiliar with the 
terminology of BME, they may already have had some knowledge of the 
subject. Finally, we will help students become bioengineers for a day, 
engaging students through hands-on experimentation: students build a model 
of a human joint out of everyday material (e.g., build a "finger" from 
pieces of chalk, a straw, tongue depressors, etc.).

In this workshop, teachers will have the opportunity to learn the content 
and skills necessary to present this information to their students.

Please email Vannetta Perry, vperry at nmt.edu, for registration or 
questions.

Thanks, please pass on to your colleagues.

Vannetta