Sixty-three eighth-graders attend UNMC Health/Science Meet















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Nathan Kackmeister, at left, and Andrew Kennedy, learn about mixing compounds using cake frosting in the pharmacy lab.


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Miranda Wilbur gets frosting on the tip of her nose after smelling the frosting she mixed up in the pharmacy lab.

Sixty-three eighth-grade students from 35 schools across Nebraska attended UNMC’s 15th annual Health/Science Meet, which ran Thursday through Saturday.

The meet’s goal is to inspire students, especially those from rural communities, to pursue careers in health care. The students qualified for the meet by submitting science projects in regional science competitions earlier in the year.

The expense-paid meet exposes students to the health professions, medical research and patient care. Events included hands-on science activities, presentations about a variety of health science disciplines, tours of UNMC, a team science competition and entertainment.

Students interested in applying to attend next year’s eighth-grade Health/Science Meet should contact their science teacher, school counselor or principal in the fall.

Below is a list of all the students who participated in alphabetical order by hometown:

Ainsworth: Justin Imm, Skyler Jacobsen, Nathan Kackmeister, Megan Maxwell, Ashley Murphy — Ainsworth Community Schools

Albion: Lane Anderson, Jacob Lindgren — Boone Central High School; Evan Marie Meysenburg — Pope John XXIII High School

Bellevue: Christina Bladow, Miranda Wilbur — Logan-Fontenelle Middle School; Ryan Hagenson — Mission Middle School

Bladen: Erin Kinley — Blue Hill High School

Brock: Chelsey Mowen — Johnson-Brock

Cody: Jais Ford, Marcy Kalenda — Cody-Kilgore Unified School

Columbus: Bryce Van Velson — Christ Lutheran School

Crookston: Haley Gunnink — Cody-Kilgore Unified School

Dalton: Jake Nelson — Leyton High School

Elgin: Taylor Ivers — Elgin High School

Ewing: Alex Dierks — Pope John XXIII High School

Franklin: Brandon Herrick, Jake Siel — Franklin Secondary School

Fremont: Tyler Soderberg, Bailey Stewart — Fremont Middle School

Gothenburg: Andrew Kennedy, Janae Wiggins — Gothenburg Secondary School

Grand Island: Josh Wheeler — Walnut Middle School

Grant: Emily Kiolbasa — Perkins County Middle School

Gurley: Amber McNurlin — Leyton High School

Johnson: William Koperski — Johnson-Brock

Laurel: Emma Engebretsen, Kayla Wiese — Laurel-Concord Schools

Lincoln: Jacob Beach — Culler Middle School; Nathan Caldwell — Malcolm Public School; Evan Hodgin — Robin Mickle Middle School; Sam Karas, Mischa Vasgird — Lux Middle School; Tori Knoche — Goodrich Middle School; Jeremy Maher — Irving Middle School

Macy: Sinai Carrillo — Umonhon Nation Public School

Madrid: Jeremy Hagan — Perkins County Middle School

Merriman: Mitch Hopper — Cody-Kilgore Unified School

Mitchell: Matt Powell, Kacee Smith — Mitchell Junior High

Neligh: Zach Baker — Pope John XXIII High School; Rebekah Kuhfal — Neligh-Oakdale Public School

Niobrara: Amanda Nelson — Santee Community School

North Platte: Dani DeTurk, Alexa Gutschenritter, Zach Smith, Brianna Wieseler — St. Patrick’s Middle School; Mirae Nakouzi — Adams Middle School

Oakdale: Brieann Grosserode — Elgin High School

Ogallala: Scott Mosel — Perkins County Middle School

Omaha: Emily Chen, Josh Temple — Russell Middle School

Papillion: Nathan Feldmann — Papillion Junior High

Scribner: Grace Cole — Scribner-Snyder Community Schools

Shelton: Traven Claflin, Michael Holley — Shelton Public School

Stanton: Tatyanna Muhs — Neligh-Oakdale Public School

Wallace: Ryan Sowle — Wallace School 65-R

Winnebago: Zandreya Lopez — St. Augustine School