NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax; 713/743-8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2004

Contact: Lisa Merkl
713/743-8192 (office)
713/605-1757 (pager)

ASTRONAUT REX WALHEIM TO DESCRIBE LIFE IN SPACE
AT UH’S ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP RECOGNITION DAY

HOUSTON, Feb. 19, 2004 – Astronaut Rex Walheim, a University of Houston alumnus, will describe life in space to future college students Saturday, Feb. 21, at UH’s Cullen College of Engineering Leadership Recognition Day. The invitation-only event, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is a recruitment tool for high school students who have exceptional SAT scores and class ranks.

Family members are invited to attend, and respective UH offices will be available for on-the-spot admissions and information about registration, housing, costs, financial aid and scholarships. In addition to receiving a wealth of information about the university, students invited to the sixth annual event will be treated this year to further insight from Walheim, a NASA astronaut and UH engineering alumnus. Walheim flew a mission to the International Space Station on the space shuttle Atlantis in April 2002 and will bring a slide show of his photographs from space, as well as an informational video that he narrated. He holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the Cullen College of Engineering.

“This year, we added a keynote speaker who also is an alum involved in engineering to showcase our alumni talent. We hope that bringing in someone young will be effective in terms of interesting high school students,” said Dawnelle Prince, recruitment manager for the college. “He’s an astronaut who has been to space recently, and he’ll bring a slide show of pictures that he took in space that I think the students will enjoy.”

The engineering faculty also benefits from this event in that they have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the students, as well as inform them about programs in which they initially might not have been interested. The engineering college has one of the largest scholarship programs on campus, and Leadership Recognition Day outlines the various options to help support a college education.

“We are interested in students who have shown an interest in science and technology and aspire to be leaders in their field,” said Larry Witte, associate dean of engineering. “Even though these students might not have considered engineering as their career, it is clear that they have the ability to pursue an engineering degree, and we welcome applications from those outstanding students.”

To receive UH science news via e-mail, visit www.uh.edu/admin/media/sciencelist.html

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

About the Cullen College of Engineering
UH Cullen College of Engineering has produced five U.S. astronauts, ten members of the National Academy of Engineering, and degree programs that have ranked in the top ten nationally. With more than 2,200 students, the college offers accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical, civil and environmental, electrical and computer, industrial, and mechanical engineering. It also offers specialized programs in aerospace, biomedical, materials, petroleum engineering and telecommunications.

For more information about the Cullen College of Engineering, visit www.egr.uh.edu

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.