ISU Department of Physics to host Science Olympics on March 31

 Seventh- through ninth-grade students from throughout eastern Idaho will represent their schools and communities by competing in teams in a variety of science competitions. Participating schools include Alameda Middle School, Hawthorne Middle School, Holy Spirit Catholic School and Sandcreek Middle School.

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

Students from the chemistry, physics, biological sciences, geosciences and mechanical engineering departments at ISU will serve as judges along with several scientists and engineers from the Idaho National Laboratory. Students will compete with towers, battery-powered buggies, and roller coasters. Students will do challenges with forensics, biology lab techniques, herpetology and the solar system. 

The winning teams will be encouraged to compete in the state competition in Nampa on April 6. The Idaho champion team will be invited to compete in the National Science Olympiad at Indiana University in May.

All events are open to the public. For more information on the Science Olympiad program, go to www.soinc.org. For more information on the ISU Science Olympiad, contact Steve Shropshire at shostev@isu.edu.