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Posted: 2/28/08

TAMIU Hosts Regional Science Olympiad Saturday

 

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Students from across the region in grades six – 12 will compete at the Texas A&M International University Regional Science Olympiad this Saturday, March 1.

This is the second year TAMIU hosts this event.

Registration is from 7:15 - 8:45 a.m. and the tournaments start at 9 a.m. The awards ceremony is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. in the TAMIU Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 111.

Five teams from United Independent School District’s Lyndon Baines Johnson High School, United South H.S. and United H.S. and Laredo ISD’s Cigarroa H.S. are among the teams competing.

The Science Olympiad tournaments are rigorous academic interscholastic competitions that consist of a series of individual and team events that students prepare for during the year.

Students will compete in various science events on different topics including: astronomy, cell biology, ecology, meteorology, oceanography, rocks and minerals and more. The events follow the format of popular board games, TV shows and athletic games that balance between events requiring knowledge of facts, concepts, processes, skills and science applications.

Among the tasks the teams will tackle: build and test the lightest boomilever to carry a maximum load; apply principles of epidemiology to a published report of a real-life health situation or problem; see a fast, rough estimate of quantity in power(s) of ten; identify stars, constellations, and deep sky objects and know the evolutionary stages; interpret and understand various map features using a variety of road and topographic maps; design and build a robot; design, build and test the lightest tower to carry a maximum load; design, construct, calibrate and operate a device capable of launching a projectile into a target using energy provided by non-metallic elastic solids.

Science Olympiad is a non-profit organization developed to improve the quality of science education, increase student interest in science, and provide recognition of outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.

All of this is done through interscholastic competitions where students in grades K-12 (Texas only offers programs for grades 6-12) can participate at invitational, local, regional, state, and national level competitions against teams from all 50 states.

For more information about the regional competition or to learn how your school can compete next year, please contact TAMIU assistant professor Dr. Kenneth J. Tobin at 326.2417, e-mail ktobin@tamiu.edu or visit cees.tamiu.edu/olympiad


Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu