West Virginia’s Health Sciences and Technology Academy is hosting two free engineering and technology expos to raise awareness of the program’s educational benefits with help from West Virginia University seniors.

The first event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Huntington High School in Cabell County from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Local businesses will feature interactive booths showcasing different technology components. Demonstrations will include a 3D printer by Mountwest Community and Technical College, Google Glass by the WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism, a human joystick experiment by the WVU Institute of Technology, and telescopes provided by the WVU Astronomy Club.

HSTA students will have projects on display and will compete in a vehicle engineering competition. Suzanne Oxley, president of the Cabell County Board of Education, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker.

The second expo will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Park Middle School in Raleigh County from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The setup of the event is similar to Cabell County’s expo. Interactive elements at this event will include a latent fingerprint lift demo provided by the West Virginia State Police and a Van de Graaf generator provided by the WVU Statler College of Engineering & Mineral Resources. HSTA students from Raleigh County clubs will also display their projects and will compete in an engineering competition. Superintendent for Raleigh County, Jim Brown, will speak at the event.

Giveaways for both events include iPad minis and VISA cash cards.

To implement these events, HSTA has partnered with a team of public relations seniors in the P.I. Reed School of Journalism. These capstone students are gaining experience in the field through planning an event-based strategic communications campaign.

“Working with our public relations team has allowed us to provide two large technology and engineering based events for the public planned for Raleigh and Cabell counties,” said Cathy Morton-McSwain, HSTA education coordinator. “It is the first time, of what we hope are many opportunities, to promote these important educational components of the HSTA mission. The events are free, family friendly and fun for all. You don’t want to miss seeing what is new and trending in engineering and technology.”

Founded in 1994, the Health Sciences & Technology Academy is a nonprofit organization that aims to increase the number of underrepresented West Virginia students that obtain a degree in a health, science or technology-related field. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible for a tuition waiver at state colleges, universities and graduate schools.

For more information about HSTA and the events, visit www.facebook.com/WVHSTA and follow HSTA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WVHSTA for other updates and information.

-WVU-

rd/11/06/13

CONTACT: Rachel Duryea, campaign PR director
304.629.2394. rduryea@mix.wvu.edu

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