NDSU will host the North Dakota Science Olympiad on Saturday, April 21. Approximately 650 North Dakota students in grades 6-12 will compete in the state science competition for a chance to advance to nationals.
Throughout the day, students will compete in a series of science, technology, engineering and mathematics events to test their competency in the sciences. Activities range from building a robotic arm that moves objects into a goal to taking a test on the respiratory and digestive system.
“Science Olympiad helps students really delve into and learn science,” said Otto Borchert, co-director for the North Dakota Science Olympiad and a programmer analyst in NDSU’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education. “They have to prepare quite a bit to perform well in the events.”
Teams are comprised of 15 students, with Division B teams having students in grades 6 through 9 and Division C teams having students in grades 9 through 12. Teams in the state competition qualified by being in the top five at a regional competition. The top-ranked team in Division B and in Division C will represent North Dakota at the national competition held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, in May.
The public is invited to the opening ceremony at 8 a.m. and the closing ceremony at 3:45 p.m. in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on the NDSU campus. The public also may attend events at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse and the Johnson Soccer Complex.
Students who participate in the North Dakota Science Olympiad also will have the opportunity to use U.S. Army flight simulators secured by NDSU’s Army ROTC program. The 60-foot mobile, interactive exhibit allows visitors to experience what it’s like to sit in an Apache Attack helicopter, a Scout helicopter simulator and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The U.S. Army exhibit is open to the public. It will be available all day outside the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
More information about the North Dakota Science Olympiad is available at www.ndsu.edu/olympiad.
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April 19, 2012