Thursday, March 03, 2011

Close to one thousand high school and middle school students from across southeastern North Carolina will compete in numerous science and engineering events at the Wilmington Regional Science Olympiad Saturday, March 5, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Main events will be held 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Full schedule: http://www.sciencenc.com/tournament-information/wilmington/wilmington.php

Olympiad officials expect 47 middle and high school teams to attend from Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties. Competing in 46 events, teams will vie to represent the Wilmington Region at the State Science Olympiad in Raleigh, April 29 and 30.

"The purpose of this competition is for students to learn, explore, experiment and be engaged with the wonders of the scientific endeavor," said Dennis Kubasko, director of the Wilmington Regional Science Olympiad and faculty member in the UNCW Watson School of Education. "While all students have the opportunity to compete as individuals, what matters most is their participation as a team."

Created in 1974, the N.C. State Science Olympiad has expanded to include around 10,000 students in grades 3-12 from across the state. This year, more than 410 schools will participate in regional tournaments across the state. Events involve teamwork, group planning and cooperation based on "real-world" science and engineering events. Science Olympiad represents a $24 million investment by communities around the state to support student involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives.

Most visual events:

Awesome Aquifers: Teams will rotate through stations, 1) a written test on groundwater concepts and vocabulary 2) a hands-on test on groundwater concepts using models, maps and diagrams 3) build aquifer ahead of time 4) present and demonstrate the aquifer they brought with them.

Disease Detectives: Teams will be presented with articles, reports, data, charts/graphs, pictures or diagrams and/or written descriptions of public health problems. Teams will then be asked to answer questions, define or compare terms and otherwise interpret the information they are given. Teams may also be asked to draw conclusions and propose preventive measures.

Fossils: Teams may view any combination of specimens, pictures or recorded/written descriptions. They will then be asked to answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer or generating graphs or charts) about the specimen, including but not limited to identification, preservation, dating, life and environment and fossilization process.
Ornithology: Teams may use any combination of specimens, pictures, bird calls or recorded/written descriptions. They will be asked to answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer or generating graphs or charts about the specimen.

Bottle Rocket: Teams will build ahead of time up to two water rockets using a 2-liter carbonated beverage pressure vessel. At the competition, teams will have up to 5 minutes to launch their rocket(s) for the greatest time aloft.

"Students don't just build complicated devices," Kubasko explained. "They participate in events that challenge their ability to solve problems and develop answers to science-related challenges. Students prepare all year for this event and the atmosphere is electrifying. It is awesome to see the young generation excited about learning, science and being involved in teamwork."

Olympiad events will be developed by UNCW faculty and students as well as community volunteers. Event scores will result in an overall points total to determine first-, second-, third- and fourth-place medal winners, with trophies from state and national organizations going to the top finishers in each division. Top finishers qualify to compete at the state tournament in Raleigh. The top two placing teams at the state tournament will advance to represent North Carolina at the National Science Olympiad at the University of Wisconsin at Madison on May 20 and 21.

Media Contact:
Joy Davis, Marketing and Communications, 910.632.3903 or davisjc@uncw.edu