Science demos, high-tech cancer research part The Hormel Institute’s 4th annual Ellis Day

Media are invited to follow Austin sixth-graders as they tour The Hormel Institute throughout today as part of the 4th annual Ellis Day.

Hundreds of students from Austin’s Ellis Middle School will meet scientists and experience interactive – as well as messy but fun – scientific demonstrations led by Dr. Rebecca Morris, one of the section leaders at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota-Mayo Clinic.

During their firsthand experience with science in action, the students will learn about The Hormel Institute’s world-renowned research focused on discoveries leading to the prevention and control of cancer as well as its cutting-edge, high-tech cancer-fighting tools that include two IBM supercomputers.

The Hormel Institute – which specializes in research leading to cancer prevention and control and currently has 12 research sections – organizes the event as one of the various ways it promotes science education throughout the year.

Among the other educational initiatives, The Hormel Institute supports science fairs; brings section leaders to spend a day in a lab with seventh and eighth graders; works with high school honors biology students; offers a college internship program; serves as a leader of the University of Minnesota-Rochester’s Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB) program; and provides both doctoral and post-doctoral research training programs.

Class tours are slated to start Friday at the following times:

  • 8:30 a.m.
  • 9:00 a.m.
  • 9:30 a.m.
  • 10:00 a.m.
  • 10:30 a.m.
  • 11:00 a.m.
  • 11:30 a.m.
  • 12:00 p.m.
  • 12:30 p.m.
  • 1:00 p.m.
  • 1:30 p.m.