32nd annual Science Olympiad to draw 1,500 student competitors

Grand Valley State University’s 32nd annual Region 12 Science Olympiad tournament is expected to draw in more than 1,500 local students to compete in science-based challenges on March 19.

Presented by GVSU’s Regional Math and Science Center (RMSC), the tournament will challenge student competitors to build roller coasters, launch rockets and construct robots, among other events.

Competitors will come from 45 middle schools and 25 high schools in West Michigan.

The tournament will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fieldhouse Arena, located on GVSU’s Allendale Campus. Winners of the competition will then advance to the state tournament on April 30.

For more information about the Science Olympiad tournament, visit www.gvsu.edu/rmsc.

Professional School Fair

Grand Valley State University students will have the opportunity to learn more about programs offered in graduate and professional schools from around the world during the Professional School Fair on March 17.

Programs in optometry, dentistry, occupational therapy, pharmacy and more will be on display at the fair. Admission representatives from each program will also be available to answer student questions.

The Professional School Fair is set to take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center’s Grand River Room. Attendees are invited to watch a presentation on osteopathic medicine following the fair from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 2263 of the Kirkhof Center.

Professional mentorship program to hold closing ceremony

The Seidman College of Business will hold a closing ceremony for students who completed the department of management’s professional mentorship program on March 16.

In the professional mentorship program, management students partner with local professionals to discuss career goals, study habits and more throughout the year. The closing ceremony will celebrate both the students who completed the program as well as the professionals who participated.

The closing ceremony is set to take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the L. William Seidman Center.

For more information about the event, go to www.gvsu.edu/mentorship.

Columbia University professor to discuss gentrification of neighborhoods

An expert on community development will visit Grand Valley State University to discuss the effects of whites moving into black neighborhoods on March 14.

Lance Freeman, professor of urban planning at Columbia University, has focused his research on gentrification and the ethnic and racial stratification in housing markets. In his lecture, Freeman will ask whether whites moving into black neighborhoods can be considered gentrification or the arrival of an integrationist era.

The event is free to the public. The opening reception will be held at 6 p.m. in the Loosemore Auditorium of the DeVos Center. The lecture and discussion panel will follow at 6:30 p.m.

Losing weight in the supermarket workshop

Losing weight through healthy eating as opposed to physical exercise will be the point of focus during a public workshop on March 14.

Lindsey DesArmo, a health and wellness specialist at Grand Valley State University, will teach attendees about the importance of stocking your shopping cart and kitchen with healthy foods. Attendees will also have a chance at winning a Meijer gift card to go toward purchasing such food items.

“Manage Your Weight in the Supermarket, Not the Gym,” will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Meijer customer service desk in Standale, Michigan.