An event featuring national speakers and activities designed to bring together job seekers, policy makers, educators, labor unions, tribes, veterans and a variety of industries is from Oct. 1-3 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

Called Connect Tri-Cities, the event is part job fair, scholarship challenge and conference that also includes live science demonstrations from a scientist who appears regularly on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

The event is designed to foster career path and job connections between the Tri-City community, small businesses and students.

A Hanford-focused retirement planning session with Vanguard runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1.

A STEM Scholarship Competition for High School students is on Oct. 2.

Teams of five students and a faculty advisor from local high schools will put their STEM skills to the test in a hands-on challenge called Escape the Island.

The first-place team will receive a $2,000 scholarship for each student team member and $1,000 for the faculty coach. Second and third places will receive $1,000/$750 and $500/$500, respectively.

Connect Tri-Cities also will feature a job fair with more than 70 vendors from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 3.

A range of community employers, including Hanford contractors and national laboratories, will be present, along with representatives from organized labor unions, manufacturing companies and more.

On-site résumé review and interview preparation also will be available.

Connect Tri-Cities also will include breakout sessions for veteran and labor job connections, featuring Veterans in Piping and local labor unions on Oct. 3.

A veterans’ breakfast, featuring keynote speaker Edward DeJesus, is open to all veterans.

DeJesus, a national youth work force development expert, is the author of the book, “MAKiN’ iT: The Hip-Hop Guide to True Survival,” as well as the author of several publications on issues affecting marginalized young adults. He is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellow and holds a master’s degree in management and urban policy analysis from the New School for Social Research.

Experience science with Kevin Delaney from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 3. Delaney is a performer, playwright and educator based in Little Rock, Arkansas, who has presented science demonstrations on several television programs, including “The Rachael Ray Show,” and began appearing as the resident science presenter on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2014.

A diversity and inclusion panel discussion is also scheduled, featuring DeJesus; Maj. (retired) Scott Smiley; Sandra Haynes, chancellor of Washington State University Tri-Cities; Rebekah Woods, president of Columbia Basin College; and Semi Bird, executive director of Team Concepts Training Services.

Connect Tri-Cities is sponsored by Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance and its corporate partners Leidos and Centerra Group.

More information and a detailed schedule can be found at connect-tricities.com.

The Three Rivers Convention Center is at 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick. The event is open to the public and free to attend.