Astronaut Linda Godwin will be the special guest and speaker at this year's Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair.

The fair is scheduled for March 31 through April 2 at the Show Me Center. It brings together hundreds of students from area schools to compete for awards, including scholarships to Southeast Missouri State University.

Godwin, a native of Oak Ridge, will address students and teachers at the fair on March 31 at 1 p.m. in Johnson Hall on campus.

A second presentation on April 1 will be open to the public. Godwin will present the E.L. Bohn Jr. memorial lecture at 7:30 p.m. at the Show Me Center. She will discuss the U.S. space program. The lecture is free.

The Science Fair is in its 36th year. Students compete in two divisions, a junior division for grades 6-8 and a senior division for grades 10-12. Students in grade 9 can compete in either division.

The top two winners in the senior division will go on to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Nashville in May.

The senior division includes 13 categories, behavioral and social science, biochemistry, botany, chemistry, computer science, earth and space science, engineering, environmental science, math, medicine, microbiology, physics and zoology.

The first place winners in each category are eligible to receive a Dean's Scholarship to Southeast. The scholarship covers incidental fees and is renewable for four years.

For more information about the fair, including registration, contact Lester Leeton in the Department of Chemistry at Southeast, 651-2983.