ISU Physics to Host Science Olympics on March 12

Released by Idaho State University March 11, 2011
Contact: Steve Shropshire, 282-2212 or shropshi@physics.isu.edu

ISU Physics to Host Science Olympics on March 12

POCATELLO – The Idaho State University Department of Physics will host a regional Science Olympiad on Saturday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to noon in the Physical Science Building on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Carter Street on the ISU campus.
Seventh through ninth grade students from throughout eastern Idaho will represent their schools and communities and compete in teams in a variety of science competitions.
Winning teams will be encouraged to compete in the state competition in Nampa on April 9. The Idaho champion team will be invited to compete in the National Science Olympiad at Indiana University in May.
The Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers.
At least a dozen teams from Eagle Rock Junior High, Irving Middle School, Franklin Middle School, Hawthorn Middle School, and White Pine Charter School will compete.
Steve Shropshire, ISU Department of Physics professor, and students from the departments of chemistry, geosciences, and physics will serve as judges, along with several scientists and engineers from the Idaho National Laboratory.
Students will compete with robots, rockets, and catapults, compete in a forensics challenge, test their knowledge of electric circuits, and compete in several other fun science events.
More information on the Science Olympiad program is available at www.soinc.org.
For more information on the ISU Science Olympiad, contact Shropshire at shropshi@physics.isu.edu, or 282-2212.
###