K-12 Students to Visit UA for Regional Science Competition

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — More than 400 middle- and high-school students are expected to participate in the 2016 regional Science Olympiad competition at The University of Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 20, beginning at 9 a.m.

Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1982 that promotes teamwork in the disciplines of life science, earth and space science, physical science, chemistry, technology and engineering among elementary-, middle- and high-school students. The regional competition for middle- and high-school students, hosted by UA, is one of many taking place across the country.

Winners advance to compete in state and national competitions. More than 12,000 schools from all 50 states participate in Science Olympiad events each year.

This year, teams will compete in more than 20 events — including crime busting, air trajectory, bridge building, food science, cell biology, invasive species and more.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to reach out to the community to help K-12 students,” said Dr. Luoheng Han, the senior associate dean of natural sciences and mathematics for UA’s College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s also a great opportunity for the community and the students to see our campus, to see our labs and to interact with our faculty and graduate students.”

The competition will conclude with two awards presentations at 3:15 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theatre and the Ferguson Center Ballroom.

Alabama schools registered to participate in this year’s event include Bottenfield Middle School, Brewton Middle School, Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School, Comer High School, Helena Middle School, Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, Hewitt-Trussville High School, John Carroll Catholic High School, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, Lamp Magnet High School, Maplesville High School, Meek High School, Minor High School, Montgomery Catholic, Muscle Shoals High School, Oak Mountain High School, Our Lady of the Valley, Pleasant Grove Middle School, Prattville High School and Vestavia Hills High School.

For more information, visit scienceolympiad.as.ua.edu.

UA’s College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering are co-hosting the competition.

UA’s College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

One of the first five universities to offer engineering instruction in the nation, The University of Alabama has more than 175 years of engineering tradition. Today, the fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 5,600 students. The College’s students have earned nationally-competitive scholarships and selective graduate fellowships.