NEW YORK – More than 300 New York City schoolchildren will explore the world of wearable technology through a hands-on engineering challenge as part of the 10th annual 4-H National Youth Science Day at Public School 21 in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

More than 100,000 youth in all 50 states plan to participate in this event. The goal is to have students work together to design, build and refine a wearable health-tracking device that is easy-to-use and aesthetically appealing. Three-time NFL Pro-Bowler Tony Richardson, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and tech industry leaders are expected to attend to help the students test their devices and collect data.

As part of the National Youth Science Day, the Brooklyn students will also visit the Google Learning Lab, explore New York state via the Great NYS Map project, create bird feeders, learn about hydroponics, and participate in 4-H science activities like cycling on the “4-H Energy Bike” to create fruit smoothies.

Activities run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Brooklyn event, which was organized by Lucinda Randolph-Benjamin, Cornell Cooperative Extension associate for family and 4-H youth development. The Brooklyn location is this year’s flagship event, co-hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension and National 4-H Council at Public School 21.

Across New York’s 57 counties and New York City’s five boroughs, approximately 190,000 youth annually participate in 4-H programs offered by schools, local clubs, camps and other locations – a youth development network underpinned by Cornell expertise.