Marshall University’s College of Science is bringing the Science Olympiad to West Virginia for its third year. The opportunity is for students in grades 6 through 12.
The Science Olympiad, which organizers say is the “nation’s most exciting K-12 science competition,” will take place in West Virginia Saturday, Feb. 11, on Marshall University’s Huntington campus. Winners of the West Virginia competition will travel to Wright State University for the national tournament in May.
Teams will compete in a series of 23 challenges, including those in life and social sciences; earth and space science; physical science and chemistry; technology and engineering; and scientific inquiry. Topics include food science, robot arm and crime busters. A complete list is available online at http://www.marshall.edu/so/schedule.php.
The event is co-coordinated by Dr. Jennifer Mosher, assistant professor of biological sciences, Dr. Jon Saken, assistant professor of physics, Dr. Elizabeth Niese, assistant professor of mathematics, and Dr. Rosalynn Quinones-Fernandez, assistant professor of chemistry. Mosher said that in most cases, individual schools will form teams of 15 students for the competition. However, in the case of more rural locations, a team of students may represent several schools. There are also opportunities for home-schooled students.
Teams may register until Tuesday, Jan. 31, with registration fees payable the day of the event. Cost per team is $250 and additional teams from the same school are $150 each.
“Last year’s event was a great experience for the West Virginia students who participated,” Mosher said. “This year, we hope even more students will compete in our state.”
Last academic year, approximately 7,400 teams competed in the competition nationwide.
For further information, visit the West Virginia Science Olympiad website at http://www.marshall.edu/so/ or the national website at www.soinc.org, or contact the coordinators by e-mail at scienceolympiad@marshall.edu or by phone at 304-696-2755.