Idaho State University announces winning teams at Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad

A team from Hawthorne Middle School in Pocatello finished first in the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad hosted this month by the Idaho State University Department of Physics on the ISU campus.

Seventeen teams of seventh- through ninth-grade students from Eagle Rock Junior High, Franklin Middle School, Hawthorne Middle School, Irving Middle School, Sugar Salem Junior High School, and White Pine Charter School competed on March 17 with homemade water rockets, mousetrap-powered buggies, catapults and towers.

Students competed in a forensics challenge, and tested their knowledge and experimental skills in five other fun science events.  One to three students from each team could compete in each event.  Students earning first, second and third place in each event were presented with gold, silver and bronze medals.

The teams with the highest composite ranking over all events were presented with trophies.  

A team from Hawthorne Middle School in Pocatello consisting of Tanner Adams, Easton Christensen, Danny Butterfield, Russell Catell, Andrew Hall, Amber Jones, Anthony Stencer, Maren Stirling, Kim Williams and Coach Gail Dutton placed first.  

Second place went to a second team from Hawthorne Middle School, also coached by Gail Duttton. Team members were Matt Anderson, Tommy Armstrong, Bowen Curtis, Kaden Nelson, Mitchell Parks, J.D. Pate, Jackson Smedley, Anthony Spencer and Noah Thomas.

Third place went to a team from White Pine Charter School in Idaho Falls with Kekoa Attebury, Kendall Black, Yzobella Brizee, Eli Chang, Keyra Chapa, Ben Chudliegh, Jonathon Malmo, Jade Olsen, and Karen Wadsworth.  Coaches for the White Pine team were Margret Wood, Joanne Malmo, Todd Olsen, and Hal Strom.

All teams are encouraged to compete in the state competition in Nampa on April 14.

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.  

The Olympiad was made possible by faculty and student volunteers from the ISU Departments of Physics, Geosciences, and Chemistry, and volunteer scientists and engineers from the Idaho National Laboratory.

More information on the Science Olympiad program is available at www.soinc.org.  For more information on the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad, contact Dr. Steve Shropshire at shropshi@physics.isu.edu, or 282-2212.

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