2006 Regional Science Olympiad at Wake Tech Feb. 4

Jan. 30, 2006 - Middle and high school students from Wake, Durham, Granville and Johnston counties will compete in the Science Olympiad Region 4 tournament at Wake Technical Community College beginning at 8 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 4.

There are 58 middle and high school teams each with 15 - 18 members expected to compete in the regional competition. The students are vying for the opportunity to compete at the State Science Olympiad in Raleigh April 7 and 8, and the National Science Olympiad at Indiana University May 19 and 20.

Schools have teams of 12 to 18 students that practice in clubs or elective classes during the school year to compete in the regional tournaments. Teams have two students compete in events at the tournament by taking written tests and performing lab activities. Middle school teams compete against each other in Division B activities. High school teams compete against each other in Division C activities.

The top six high school teams and the top seven middle school teams from Region 4 will advance to the state Science Olympiad. Students earn medals and trophies at the regional competition and the chance to compete for prizes and scholarships at the state level.

Michael Tally, WCPSS high school science administrator; Kim Gervase, Green Hope High science teacher; and Sherry Mitchell, Director, Communications & Marketing at Wake Tech coordinate the Region 4 tournament.

"We expect about 3000 visitors," said Gervase. "We stress that the purpose of this competition is for students to learn. Everybody gets a chance to complete, but what matters most is their participation as a team."

Each competition has around 50 events. Some of the most popular events include:

Wheeled Vehicle: Middle School contestants will construct and bring to the event a "vehicle" which uses a non-metallic, elastic solid as its sole means of propulsion. They should be able to adjust the vehicle to travel a distance specified by the supervisor and to predict the time their vehicle will take to travel that distance.

Storm the Castle: Prior to the tournament, teams of middle school and high school students will design, construct and calibrate a device that uses only the energy of a falling counterweight to launch a projectile as far and as accurately as possible at a target.

"Students don't just build complicated devices, " Gervase explained. "They participate in events that are meant to challenge their ability to solve problems and come up with answers to science-related subjects. Students prepare all year for this event and the atmosphere is electrifying. It is hard to believe this is an academic event, but it is awesome to see the young generation excited about learning, science, and being involved in team work."

This is the first year Wake Technical Community College has hosted the Regional competition. More information on the Science Olympiad is at http://www.tx.ncsu.edu/science_olympiad/

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