UA Hosting Science Competition

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama will host a regional Science Olympiad competition for about 400 middle and high-school students in the Ferguson Center Ballroom Feb. 9.

Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization founded in 1982 that promotes team work in  science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology among elementary, middle and high school students. There are more than 6,400 teams from all 50 states who participate in Science Olympiad events each year. Winners of the regional competition at UA advance to compete in state and national competitions.

Half of each team’s score will be based on hands-on tasks and applications, while the balance will be based on a written exam.

One of the goals for this year’s competition is to design and build a Boomilever, which the Science Olympiad defines as “a device built to hold a specified weight a given distance from a vertical surface.”

Another category will require teams to transport a raw chicken egg by creating an autorotation helicopter device and, if the egg breaks during the transfer, two seconds will be deducted from the team’s final time score. Other categories for the competition include “disease detectives,” “crime busters” and “technical problem solving.” The competition will conclude with two award ceremonies at 3:15 p.m.

Alabama schools participating in this year’s event include Alabama School of Math and Science, the Altamont School, Bottenfield Middle School, Demopolis High School, Holy Spirit High School, Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, Hueytown Middle School, Huffman Middle School, Jefferson Christian Academy, Keith High School, Lamp Magnet High, Maxwell AFB Middle School, Meek High School, Our Lady of the Valley School, Pleasant Valley High School, Prattville Christian School, Prattville High School, Holy Spirit Catholic School, Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School, Muscle Shoals High and Riverchase Middle School.

UA’s College of Engineering is coordinating the competition with the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information about the event, visit http://www.as.ua.edu/scienceolympiad/.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 3,900 students and more than 110 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater, Hollings, Portz, Mitchell and Truman scholars.