Students who know all about caffeine and contraceptives, ground ice on mars, and the yin and yang scale will be in a tent on the Mall this weekend as part of the annual Student Showcase.

The graduate student-run showcase includes presentations from all across campus in a variety of different fields. Not many schools put on a research fair like this, said Jani Radebaugh, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council.

It is the only event of its magnitude in the United States, Radebaugh said.

There will be 70 participants in this year's showcase, down from 75 last year.

Ryan Falsey, a cancer biology graduate student, will be showcasing his work on cancer prevention and cures.

"I am looking forward to presenting my research on a class of compounds from a plant known as Withania somnifera with potent anti-cancer activity," Falsey said.

Kerri Kislin, a cancer biology graduate student, will be presenting her investigations into the benefits of immuno-therapy in patients with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, a relatively uncommon form of leukemia.

Kislin said she has been placing heat shock proteins extracted from cancer cells into vaccines that provide

protection against the disease.

"We have successfully cured up to 75 percent of mice with pre-existing CML," Kislin said. "I am very excited to be

presenting this work."

Carrie Nielson, an epidemiology graduate student, has been investigating the relationship between the availability of fruits and vegetables in local communities, obesity and disease frequency. Previous studies have found that large, eastern U.S. cities provide fewer supermarkets to minority and poor neighborhoods and that less fruits and vegetables are consumed, Nielson said.

But she said she found no difference in Tucson between the number of supermarkets in poor and rich neighborhoods.

She actually discovered that there are more small markets offering fresh produce in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods.

From 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. today and 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. tomorrow, over 60 students will be setting up and presenting their 4 X 8 foot displays under huge canvas tents on the Mall in front of the Student Union Memorial Center.

Both graduates and undergraduates are permitted to showcase their research.

"Many graduates typically do research, but we thought it was an important venue for undergraduates to present as well," Radebaugh said.

Students who are showcasing their work have done research in areas such as art, music, architecture, engineering, medical, biological, nursing and sociological studies.

"Anyone is welcome to come out and ask students questions and peruse through the different research going on at the UA," said Kari Beardsley, a public administration graduate student and Student Showcase director. An estimated 15,000 people view the showcase yearly, Radebaugh said.

The judging panels will include a student, a faculty representative and a community member. Over $10,000 in prizes will be distributed.

The awards presentation will be held from noon - 1 p.m.

Winners will go to the state capitol in February during UA Pride Night to showcase to legislators and regents what they are doing at the UA, Beardsley said.

Student Showcase, which began in 1993, has seen a decline in the number of participants in the past few years. In 2000, 150 students were involved and in 2002, more than 120 students participated.