On April 12, admitted first-year students and their families will converge onto the University of California, Riverside campus for Highlander Day – an all-day open house held annually to showcase the richly diverse and inclusive array of opportunities available at UCR.

Highlander Day also gives students admitted to the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) a detailed look at the exciting future that awaits them by helping them to explore new opportunities and muse about the academic paths they might pursue. Admitted students will learn about CNAS’ core areas, what makes the college unique, and what steps to take to get involved in all-important research projects.

The jam-packed day begins at 8:00 am at the Highlander Union Building with a Scholarship Celebration Reception breakfast to honor students coming to UC Riverside who received scholarships. From 8:30 am-10:00 am, students attending the Celebration will listen to welcoming remarks, enjoy an informational student panel, and embark on customized campus tours highlighting each of UC Riverside's colleges and schools.

The CNAS Welcome Sessions, offered at 10:00 am and 11:00 am in the University Lecture Hall, will provide an in-depth look at the college’s mission, goals, and resources. After welcome remarks by Peter Atkinson, CNAS Dean, Stephanie Dingwall, Divisional Dean of Student Academic Affairs, will give a 20-minute presentation on the College followed by a current student panel. Current Highlanders will share their experiences inside and outside of the classroom and take questions from the audience.

CNAS campus tours, led by the CNAS Science Ambassadors, will be offered throughout the day and will leave every few minutes from the north end of Rivera Library. The tours will provide admitted students with an opportunity to discover all that CNAS has to offer through the unique perspective of their tour guides. Beyond just a warm welcome, the tour guides offer incoming students a sense of belonging at UC Riverside, a key factor that help them to make Riverside their home for the next four years. The CNAS tours also cover many practical matters, everything from navigating the lower division curriculum to academic support and research opportunities.

Another standout feature of Highlander Day is the College Fair, which features booths dedicated to the CNAS Peer Mentors, Science Ambassadors, Learning Communities, and each of CNAS' undergraduate academic majors, as well as the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center. Located on Rivera Lawn, all of the College Fair booths will be staffed by CNAS faculty, advisors, and students who are eager to chat with admitted students and their families about life at UCR. The Fair extends from 9:00 am-3:00 pm.

Nearly 50% of CNAS undergraduate students will participate in research during their time at the College. For the first time, chemistry lab tours will commence at 10:00 am, 11:00 am and 12:00 pm, and will feature demonstrations conducted by CNAS faculty and graduate students.

From 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, the CNAS Open House and Current Student Panel will be held in the Physics 2000 Lecture Hall. Students and their families will have a chance to hear more about the student perspective from the CNAS Science Ambassadors who will also moderate the panel. Open House attendees will also have the opportunity to embark on lab tours of  Campbell Hall, with a focus on the Dynamic Genome Project, or the Chemistry Lab with a focus on Organic Chemistry.

At 2:30 pm, CNAS will host a Faculty Meet ‘N’ Greet Reception at the Student Success Center attended by faculty, Dean Atkinson and the divisional deans. This reception will also double as host to the latest presentation in CNAS’ esteemed Science Lecture Series.

After the joint reception, Professor Lucy E. Delaney, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, Organismal Biology will present her talk, What is an Organism, Anyway? Professor Delaney will discuss the complexities of sense-making in the biology classroom and demonstrate what the subject of biology can offer in the quest to discover ourselves and create meaning for our lives.

Highlander Day is poised once again to welcome students and their families into the caring community of scholars at UCR, one that will support them with a first-rate education, resources, and opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom.