For 10^th straight year, university proud to serve as host site for national competition

Middle and high school students from 19 schools in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties will demonstrate their science and engineering talents at the 2011 Science Olympiad Regional Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Indiana University Northwest.

The event, hosted for the 10^th straight year by IU Northwest, offers the community an opportunity to see a Science Olympiad in action as approximately 300 young scientists gather to flex their academic muscle in more than 50 carefully planned science and engineering events, from designing and building a robot and launching rockets, to constructing towers and maneuvering aircraft.

Competing middle schools include Boston, Chesterton, Clifford Pierce, Edison, Eggers, Fegely, Forest Ridge Academy, Grimmer, Our Lady of Grace and Thomas Jefferson. Competing high schools include Crown Point, Edison, Chesterton, Gavit, Griffith, Hammond, Hanover Central, Michigan City, Portage and Renssalaer.

Opening ceremonies begin at 7:30 a.m. in Bergland Auditorium, located in the Savannah Center. The competition starts at 8 a.m. in the Savannah Gym with awards being presented at 3 p.m. Results will be posted at www.iun.edu/olympiad/ the week following the competition.

Three middle schools and three high schools will advance to the state competition on April 2 at Purdue University Calumet. From there, the top teams will advance to the national tournament on May 20 and 21 at the University of Wisconsin. In last year’s competition, Thomas Jefferson Middle School placed ninth in the nation out of 60 middle school teams that competed at the national tournament.

As a national non-profit organization launched in 1982, Science Olympiad is dedicated to improving K-12 science education. Currently, Science Olympiad hosts 240 competitions across the country, engaging nearly 200,000 students on 5,985 school teams.

Science Olympiad represents an ideal opportunity for middle and high school students to meet and interact with scientists, academicians, college students, local engineers, and community members in a competitive, yet enjoyable setting. Tournaments are designed to: emphasize problem-solving aspects of science and the understanding of scientific concepts; develop teamwork and cooperative learning strategies among students; and demonstrate that American students can perform at levels that surpass expectations of even practicing scientists and engineers.

For more information about the IU Northwest Science Olympiad Regional Tournament, contact College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Nelson DeLeon, Ph.D. at (219) 980-6742, or email him at ndeleon@iun.edu. You may also visit the Web at http://www.iun.edu/~olympiad.

The public is invited to view the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament. The Savannah Center is located on the southeast corner of the main campus parking lot at 33^rd Avenue and Broadway in Gary.