SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Students from local schools are coming together to try to give babies a healthy start. The March of Dimes second annual student convocation took place Wednesday morning at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

The event was designed to increase students' interest in life sciences. Students are encouraged to follow similar areas of study as they relate to birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

"This gives them a way to think about, you know, what might be their options in this realm. This year, we're focusing on pandemics and epidemics and it's something I think they can identify with. They've heard a lot about H1N1 all through the year and to make that connection to what a good career might be, healthy mothers, healthy babies, life sciences, hopefully will be very beneficial for them," said Diana Haldenwang with the March of Dimes

The program runs throughout the day and includes a career fair and a health professional panel discussion.