Thursday, March 12, 2009

Nearly 700 middle and high school students from across southeastern North Carolina will compete in 47 different science and engineering events at the Wilmington Regional Science Olympiad 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., Saturday, March 14 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Olympiad officials are expecting 21 middle school and 17 high school teams from Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties. Students will vie for the opportunity to represent the Wilmington area on the state and national level.

Events will be at DeLoach Hall, Dobo Hall, Hoggard lawn and Hanover Gym. Key visual opportunities include:
Egg-o-naut, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m, Hoggard lawn: Teams will design, construct and launch rockets carrying eggs to stay aloft the greatest amount of time and return to Earth without breaking.
Forensic Science and Crime Busters, 10:15-11:30 a.m., Dobo 125 & 126: Given a scenario and possible suspects, students will perform a series of tests and analyze evidence to solve a crime.
Flying Bird, noon- 2:30 p.m., Hanover Gym: Teams will construct an ornithopter aircraft with wings to compete for the best length of time in the air.

The Olympiad was created in 1983 as an alternative to traditional science fairs and single discipline academic tournaments. The competition now enrolls 12,000 K-12 schools nationally to boost student interest in science. Events focus on teamwork, group planning and cooperation based on "real-world" science and engineering problems. In North Carolina, 250 schools are participating in regional tournaments this year.

Dennis Kubasko, UNCW associate professor and director of the Wilmington region Olympiad, said, "The atmosphere is electrifying. They prepare all year for these events. Students build complicated devices and participate in events that are meant to challenge their ability to solve science problems. What matters most is that students participate as a team. It is awesome to see the younger generation excited about learning science."

UNCW faculty and students and community volunteers have designed the day's events and will score results. Top winners in each division will qualify to compete at the state Olympiad in April, where they will compete to participate in the national Olympiad in May.

Media are invited to capture visual and interview opportunities at the Olympiad upon request. Teenagers will interact with mentors, build devices on site and compete.

Media Contacts:

Joy Davis, UNCW Marketing and Communications, 910.916.8603 or davisjc@uncw.edu