Monday, February 26, 2018

[310] Blossoming young scientists set to compete in Feb. 24 Science Olympiad at MTSU


MTSU is again hosting dozens of high school and middle school students interested in science.
The 23rd Regional Science Olympiad will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, wrapping up around 5:30 p.m. at the MTSU Science Building. A total of 28 high school and middle school teams will be receiving a hands-on experience into the world of science. Event organizers include several of MTSU's own students, faculty and staff.
Dr. Pat Patterson, associate chemistry professor and director of the regional tournament, is excited for students to participate in what she considers "the best of STEM," or in other words, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 
"I want them to have a fun, safe environment for the day," said Patterson. "Hopefully they'll have so much fun with science and technology, so they can stay in this field or at least see some of the applications of it … And I hope they see how beautiful this campus is.”
Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of team events in each of the high school, middle school and elementary divisions, the national organization’s website, www.soinc.org, says.
Student participants in the MTSU event will have the chance to explore various scientific areas, including a little bit of engineering during a "Hovercraft" activity. Categories all teams will be competing in include "Disease Detectives," "Battery Buggy," "Roller Coaster" and "Mystery Architecture."
Events will be held throughout campus, including at the Science Building, Wiser-Patten Science Hall, Davis Science Building, Kirksey Old Main and a few others, Patterson said.
Returning schools participating in this year’s event include Blackman Middle, Central Magnet and Rockvale, to name a few.
Medals will be rewarded to teams placing in first through sixth place during the award ceremony held on campus. Four schools will advance to the annual state Science Olympiad in Knoxville, Tennessee, in April at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus.
"It will prepare them for the real world,” said Patterson, who noted that State Farm’s financial support of the competing teams is critical in making the Olympiad successful.
Founded in 1984, Science Olympiad is one of the premier science competitions in the nation, providing rigorous, standards-based challenges to 7,800 teams in all 50 states.

For more information about the MTSU regional, contact Patterson by emailing Patricia.Patterson@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-5085. To learn about the Tennessee Science Olympiad, visit http://tnscioly.utk.edu.

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