UNMC will host 60 eighth-graders from 21 schools across Nebraska at its 10th Health/Science Meet, which runs through Saturday. The students qualified for the meet by submitting science projects in regional science competitions earlier this year.
The goal of the meet, an educational, hands-on experience, is to inspire students to pursue careers in the health professions and ultimately reduce shortages of rural Nebraska health professionals. Of Nebraska’s 93 counties, more than half have a shortage of primary care professionals and nearly two-thirds have shortages of mental health professionals.
The expense-paid meet introduces students to the health sciences.
Students will be exposed to a variety of educational experiences, including meeting with researchers and health professionals to see and learn about science experiments and various tools in the health professions. They also will tour different parts of the campus and get an insight into health research, education and patient care.
Activities also include entertainment at Mahoney State Park, as well as a melodrama and the Health/Science Bowl, a team competition held in a TV game show style.
The following schools are scheduled to be represented at the meet.
- Arapahoe — Arapahoe Public Schools
- Aurora — Aurora Middle School
- Bellevue — Mission Middle School
- Big Springs — South Platte Middle School
- Blue Hill — Blue Hill Public Schools
- Brady — Brady Public School
- Broken Bow — Broken Bow Middle School
- Crete – Valley View District #18
- Dix — Potter-Dix Public Schools
- Farnam — Eustis-Farnam Middle Schools
- Grant — Grant Middle School
- Lincoln — Lincoln Lutheran Jr/Sr High
- Maxwell — Maxwell Public Schools
- Mitchell — Haig School
- Neligh — Neligh-Oakdale Public School
- North Platte — Adams Middle School and North Platte St. Patrick’s Junior/Senior High
- Omaha — Millard Central Middle School
- Petersburg — Boone Central Middle School
- Wallace — Wallace Public School
- Winside — Winside Public School