Dozens of Santa Fe teens poured into a classroom Jan. 17 at Santa Fe Community College, drawn by the promise of free food, money for carpooling and, most important, a chance to learn about and discuss one of the most important scientific issues of our time, the race for an HIV vaccine. It was the birth of Santa Fe Café Scientifique.

The term "Café Scientifique" has been used to describe gatherings around the world where people, predominantly adults, can become informed and share ideas about a plethora of science topics. Thanks to Michelle Hall, creator and project director of New Mexico Café Scientifique, these interactive gatherings are being organized for youth in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Española and Albuquerque.

"The teens will all become adults, this is an opportunity for young people see if they want to pursue a career in science," Hall said.

More than 55 teens showed up for the first meeting in Santa Fe, and Hall said about 35 teens filled out a survey saying they would like to keep going to Café Scientifique.

"The goal is to provide teens with the opportunity to interact with experts and a thought-provoking environment," said Kira Vanderkolk, a senior at Santa Fe High School who is part of the Santa Fe Café Scientifique Youth Leadership Team.

Each city has an adult site coordinator who works with the leadership team in their area to organize the events.

Each "café" has roughly the same format, starting with a short period for guests to eat and chat, then a presentation by a speaker on a specific topic, followed by an open discussion during which questions may be asked of the speaker. The floor is then opened to anyone who would like to share their input. At the Jan. 17 meeting, teenagers representing a variety of Santa Fe middle and high schools attended and to listen to speaker Ruy Ribeiro, who has his Ph.D. in mathematical biology from the Oxford University and who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory, researching different viruses and creating models and simulations based on experiments.

The turnout exceeded the expectations of the youth leaders.

"We were hoping for at least 15 people to show up and we got over 50," said Lilli Delheim, a SFHS senior and a Youth Leadership Team member. "As the program expands, we will need more teen leaders to help organize the events."

The cafés are approximately an hour and a half long and are followed up by another meeting a week later, during which a structured discussion is held on an issue related to the previous week's topic.

A follow-up meeting was to be held Thursday at the community college, with discussion focusing on how society and the law should handle situations in which HIV positive people put others at risk of getting the virus without their knowledge.

The next Café Scientifique is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 10 at the community college. The room has yet to be announced, but the topic is scheduled to be related to astronomy and the sun. There will again be free food and, to encourage carpooling, an offering of $2.50 to drivers for each passenger they bring. Information on upcoming cafés and leadership opportunities is available on the New Mexico Café Scientifique program Web site at www.cafenm.org.

Eli Garduño is a senior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at contrast90@hotmail.com.