ISU Physics to host Science Olympiad set April 9

Seventh- through ninth-grade students from throughout eastern Idaho will represent their schools and communities and compete in teams in a variety of science competitions. Alameda Middle School, Grace Lutheran School, Hawthorne Middle School, Holy Spirit Catholic School, and Sandcreek Middle School will participate.  The winning teams will be encouraged to compete in the state competition in Nampa on April 16. 

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.

Professor Steve Shropshire of the ISU Department of Physics and students from the departments of chemistry, biological sciences, physics and mechanical engineering will serve as judges, along with several scientists and engineers from the Idaho National Laboratory.

Students will compete with water rockets, catapults, windmill generators and gravity-powered egg racers, compete in a forensics challenge, test their knowledge of biology lab techniques and experimental design, and compete in several other fun science events.  All events are open to the public. 

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 shrostev@isu.edu, or 282-2212.