Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- When a tornado hits or a hurricane strikes, engineers and scientists are among the first on the scene to help return life to normal. To demonstrate to young women the role they can play in such a response, the GROW, or Girls Researching Our World, program at Kansas State University will host "Engineers and Scientists to the Rescue."

The workshop will be 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Sessions will focus on how scientists and engineers help prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters.

Open to all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade girls, the event will consist of small groups, chaperoned by Kansas State University students, performing hands-on activities emphasizing the experience of being part of a rescue team solving such problems as organizing food and supplies distribution, predicting where tornadoes will hit, and more.

Registration deadline is available until the event is full. Cost is $20 and includes all supplies and lunch. Teachers are invited to attend with their students to observe the activity; adult registration is $10. All activities will take place at various locations on the university campus. For additional information, call Tawny Ochs at the K-State office for the advancement of women in science and engineering at 785-532-6088 or visit the GROW website at http://www.k-state.edu/grow.

The GROW program is funded by the Kansas State University provost's office and the colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, and Engineering. It is designed to introduce middle school girls to science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields.