Science Olympiad Set April 9
Idaho State University Department of Physics will host a regional Science Olympiad on Saturday, April 9, from 8 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in the Physical Science building on the corner of 8th Ave. and Carter St. on the ISU campus. Spectators are welcome. Seventh through ninth grade students from all over eastern Idaho will represent their schools and communities and compete in teams in a variety of science competitions. Participating schools are Alameda Middle School, Grace Lutheran School, Hawthorne Middle School, Holy Spirit Catholic School, and Sandcreek Middle School. 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. Dr. 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 Dr. Steve Shropshire atshrostev@isu.edu, or 282-2212.