3/12/03

AU LAB & MEDICAL TECH PROGRAM TO HAVE OPEN HOUSE ON MARCH 17

AUBURN -- The Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics' Laboratory and Medical Technology Program will host its 2003 open house on Monday (March 17).

It will be from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Rouse Life Sciences Building, Room 111, in honor of National Laboratory Week, said program director Kathryn Milly West.

"The open house is one of our largest annual endeavors and also a way for the community as well as younger students to get interested in sciences and perhaps become medical technologists," said West.

More than 100 students from schools in the Auburn area, faculty, staff, and college students as well as home-schooled students attend the open house each year. Everything from show-and-tell displays about medical technology to blood smears under a microscope are on exhibit.

The event is a great field trip opportunity for students in third through twelfth grades where they will learn such things as:

* What does "blood type" mean?

* What is sickle cell anemia and how is it diagnosed under a microscope?

* Why are adults so worried about their cholesterol?

* What diseases can be diagnosed by viewing red blood cells through a microscope?

Participants can take advantage of a cholesterol test for a $10 fee. The test includes total cholesterol, HDL, glucose and risk ratio with testing done by students experienced in the field. Free ABO/Rh blood typing and free sickle cell screening will also be available.

There will also be opportunities for attendees to learn about parasites and the diseases they cause, blood diseases and their effects on the body, and information about blood typing and blood donations.

Free refreshments will also be available. The open house is free and open to the public, but reservations are required for large groups.

For more information contact: Kat Milly West, at 334/844-6951.

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mar03:AU-openhouse