COLA TO PARTICIPATE IN CALIF. STATE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE EVENT FOR KIDS
Free Event to Inspire Students to Explore STEM Careers, Including Lab Industry
COLA, a national laboratory accreditor and an advocate for quality in laboratory medicine and patient care, will participate in Explore! Discover! Create!, a free science event for kids at California State University’s East Bay campus, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road, Concord, CA, October 24 from 9 am to 12 pm.
Designed for students ages 5-14, participants will be engaged in hands-on science and engineering activities designed to explore the STEM fields, discover new interests, and create lasting memories through such exercises as making ice cream with liquid nitrogen and learning about engineering with LEGO® products.
COLA will feature information for teachers, students and parents about medical lab technology, required job skills, general lab duties, as well as the benefits of working in a clinical laboratory. Students also will be able to participate in hands-on demonstrations designed to simulate the duties of lab professionals, including how to type blood and match compatible donors and recipients.
“I’m thrilled about this event and the public-private partnerships we’ve been able to build to support the expansion and increase of STEM education for our students,” said California State Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord), whose office is helping to organize the event. “Thank you to COLA and all of our other partners for helping spark the interest of young minds and fostering the development of those who will be our future scientists, engineers, technicians, and teachers.”
“COLA is excited to be part of this event, which will give us the opportunity to educate young people about the frequently unseen work of laboratory scientists in health care,” said COLA CEO Douglas Beigel. “With more than 40,000 current lab job vacancies in the U.S. and about half of clinical laboratories across the nation reporting difficulties in recruiting new staff, this science event is a great way to motivate kids to explore lab science careers.”
About Explore! Discover! Create!
Explore! Discover! Create! is a community effort being organized by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla in collaboration with the Bay Area Science Festival, CSU East Bay, the California STEM Learning Network, Contra Costa College, Contra Costa Community College District, Contra Costa County Office of Education, Contra Costa Economic Partnership, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, and the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. For more information, visit http://www.bayareascience.org/event/explore-discover-create.
About COLA
COLA accredits nearly 7,500 medical laboratories and provides the clinical laboratory with a program of education, consultation, and accreditation. The organization is an independent, non-profit accreditor whose education program and standards enable clinical laboratories and staff to meet U.S. CLIA and other regulatory requirements. COLA’s program is endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) and it is recognized by The Joint Commission. For more information about COLA accreditation services and educational products, and online educational opportunities, please call 800-981-9883 or visit COLA’s web site at www.cola.org or www.colainsider.org.