Technology-Minded Secondary School Students Hold National Conference at RIT

Students from across the nation will gather at Rochester Institute of Technology to discover applications of science, mathematics and technology that may ignite the imagination and provide impetus to lifelong pursuits.

The 2008 Student Conference for the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology will take place Oct. 23-26 on the RIT campus. The conference’s theme is “Global Innovation,” and it will highlight student-driven competitions, interactive workshops, exhibits and guest speakers.

Interactive workshops will allow 270 students to identify skeletal remains, create a Flash game, photograph eyes using ophthalmic cameras, simulate auto destruction, create holograms and delve into other innovative technological activities.

Students will participate in a point-based competition involving 26 activities over the duration of the conference. One activity will require students to build a robotic mouse that can navigate a course by following a flashlight beam. Another will challenge students to build a paper tower strong enough to support a tennis ball.

“We are extremely pleased to host the best and the brightest technology-affiliated high school students at RIT,” said James Miller, senior vice president of enrollment management and career services. “It is an opportunity for them to experience first-hand the excellence that the institute has to offer.”

Students will also be able to see innovations created by RIT students, including the Formula SAE car, Baja SAE car, robotic hotdog assembler and a concrete canoe.

BiIl Destler, president of RIT, and Stephen Hoover, vice president and manager of Xerox Research Center, are among those scheduled to speak. The conference culminates with a night at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.