And they’re off for the first ever SPICE Robo Rat Rally Gala & Exposition! There’s Millie, Gilda, Jane, Trouble and Dazzle for your entertainment dollar on Saturday. They are rats, and they also are an education, courtesy of the Science Program to Inspire Creativity and Excellence (SPICE) at the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular & Quantum Science at the UO. The kickoff fundraiser is to raise money for programs during the fall and winter terms of 2020-21 in which instructors will teach proper care and handling of rats to children ages 10 to 16.  

SPICE, which was founded in 2008, also offers popular summer camps for girls entering the sixth through ninth grades, allowing them the freedom to cultivate a passion for science. Since 2009, more than 450 girls have attended SPICE camps, which include the Forensic Investigation Camp and the online Engineering and Computer Science Camp. More information about the camps can be found at SpiceScience.org.

The SPICE Robo Rat Rally Gala & Exposition is 6 to 9 pm, Saturday, March 14, in the atrium of Willamette Hall at the University of Oregon. Admission is $15-25.