St. Petersburg College will host a Student-Led Sciences Colloquium at 6:30 p.m. April 9-10 at the SPC Clearwater Campus in the Arts Auditorium. The event kicks off Thursday with a keynote speaker presentation that is free and open to the public. The event will continue on Friday with a series of panel discussions that will includes topics like science pedagogy, local research, and the next step for students after graduation.

Christine McKinley, a licensed mechanical engineer, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker. McKinley is an accomplished mechanical engineer with 20 years of experience working on projects in power generation, industrial facilities, and commercial construction. She is an advocate for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), an author and musician, and she has served as co-host of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel and Under New York on the Discovery Channel.

The event is supported by funds from the St. Petersburg College Student Government Association. A 2014-15 Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CETL) grant also has been awarded to providing funding for awards for excellence in student participation.