ISU physics department to host Science Olympiad on March 13

The Idaho State University Department of Physics will host a regional Science Olympiad on the ISU campus on Saturday, March 13.

Seventh through ninth grade students from throughout Southeast Idaho will represent their schools and communities and compete in teams in a variety of science competitions.

Schools with winning teams will receive cash awards totaling $500 to support science education courtesy of the J.R. Simplot Company. Winning teams will be encouraged to compete in the state competition in Nampa on April 10.  The Idaho champion team will be invited to compete in the National Science Olympiad at Indiana University in May.

The Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers.

At least a dozen teams from Eagle Rock Junior High, Franklin Middle School, Hawthorn Middle School and White Pine Charter School will be competing.  

Professor Steve Shropshire of the ISU Department of Physics, and ISU faculty and students from the departments of biology, geosciences and physics will serve as judges, along with several scientists and engineers from the Idaho National Laboratory.  

Students will compete with robots and catapults, compete in a forensics challenge, test their knowledge of alternative energy, electric circuits, and astronomy, and compete in several other fun science events.

More information on the Science Olympiad program is available at www.soinc.org.

For more information on the ISU Science Olympiad, contact Steve Shropshire at shropshi@physics.isu.edu, or 282-2212.