More than 150 high school students and teachers will converge on Wayne State University March 11 and 12 for the 35th annual Southeastern Michigan Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

During the symposium there will be presentations on research conducted by 20 of the students. The winner will receive a $4,000 scholarship, a WSU Presidential Scholarship and go on to the national symposium in San Diego, Calif. At the national symposium the winner will compete with the first-place finalists from the other 47 regions across the United States and Puerto Rico, and the European and Japanese Department of Defense Schools.

The winner at the national symposium receives a $16,000 scholarship and a two-week all-expense-paid trip to the international symposium in London, England. The second-place winner receives a $6,000 scholarship and the third-place finisher receives a $2,000 scholarship. The teacher who mentors each of the 48 finalists receives $500 for classroom enhancement of materials.

Since 1996 the WSU Center for Molecular and Cellular Toxicology has offered a $500 U.S. savings bond to the top paper in environmental science. The 1999recipient is Seema Kaura from Detroit Country Day School.

According to Rudi Alec, associate professor in the College of Education and organizer of Wayne's involvement in the symposium for the last 14 years, the competition has been quite successful.

"In recent years we have had a first-place finalist in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995 and 1996, and second-place finalists in 1993 and 1997," he said. "It's a record of which we are all proud."

Alec serves on the executive council for the regional symposium and was chair for six consecutive years. He also is on the advisory board representing the 48 symposia.

The symposium is funded by the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force through the Academy of Applied Science. The Association of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Tank Automotive Command also are major local sponsors.