Science Olympiad News

2013 NC Science Olympiad
March 2, 2013

See flyer for more details.

NCSO Contact Info

Dennis Kubasko
Regional Co-director
kubaskod@uncw.edu

Karen Greene
Regional Co-director
kgreene@nhcs.k12.nc.us

 

North Carolina Science Olympiad

Close to 1,000 Students from Southeastern North Carolina to Compete at Annual Science Olympiad at UNCW March 2, 2013

Nearly 1,000 middle school and high school students from Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties will compete in the annual Wilmington Regional Science Olympiad 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Fifty three middle and high school teams will compete in forty-six activities that will test their skills and knowledge of chemistry, physics, engineering, technology and more.

The fun activities range from launching bottle rockets and building gliders to examining a “crime scene” to identifying rocks and minerals. The Olympiad will be hosted by the UNC Wilmington Center for Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CESTEM).

"Students don't just memorize content knowledge," said Dennis Kubasko, regional co-director of the Wilmington Olympiad and Director of UNCW’s CESTEM. "They participate in events that are meant to challenge their ability to solve problems and come up with answers to science-related challenges. Some students prepare all year for their events and the atmosphere is electrifying. It is amazing to see future generations excited about learning, engaged in science and collaborating together as a team." Kimberly Bierstedt, Lead Science Teacher of New Hanover County Schools, is the other co-director.

UNCW faculty and students along with community volunteers have designed events that will produce scores that will determine first, second, third and fourth-place medal winners, with trophies from state and national organizations going to the top finishers in each division. Top finishers will qualify to compete at the State Tournament held in Raleigh at N.C. State University on April 26 and 27.The top two teams at the state tournament will represent North Carolina at the National Science Olympiad at the University of Central Florida in Orlando in May.

North Carolina Science Olympiad (NCSO) is a nonprofit organization that aims to attract and retain the pool of K-12 students entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees and careers in N.C. Each year, more than eight thousand students representing four hundred and fifty K-12 schools from sixty North Carolina counties participate in NCSO activities on university, community college and public school campuses across the state.

NCSO activities are funded in part by the Time Warner Cable’s Connect-a-Million-Minds initiative. The Wilmington Regional event is facilitated with the help of volunteers from Time Warner Cable, General Electric, Corning, New Hanover County Schools, the UNCW Watson College of Education the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services and the Center for Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Hands-on, Minds-on activities are highlighted in the following events:

Forensics, 8:30-9:45 a.m. in Dobo Hall, Rooms 125 and 126
Given a scenario and possible suspects, teams will perform a series of tests. These tests, along with other evidence or test results will be used to solve a crime and name the perpetrator.

Fermi Questions, 2:00 - 3:15 a.m. in DeLoach Hall, Room 204

A “Fermi Question” is a science related question that seeks a fast, rough estimate of a quantity, which is either difficult or impossible to measure directly.

Elastic Launch Glider, 8:30 - 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. in Hanover Gym
The object of this event is to design, build and test two elastic-launched gliders designed for the highest time aloft. This event challenges students to build and test gliders that must be launched at floor level, ascend to a high point and then transition into a slow descending glide pattern.

Bottle Rockets, 8:30-11:15 am and 12:30-3:15 p.m. on Hoggard Hall Lawn
Prior to the tournament, teams design and construct up to two rockets designed to stay aloft for the greatest amount of time.

Gravity Vehicle, 8:30 - 11:15 p.m. in Hanover Gym

Teams design, build, and test one vehicle and ramp that uses gravitational potential energy as the vehicle’s sole means of propulsion to reach a Target Point as quickly, as accurately, and as close to their predicted time as possible.

Mousetrap Vehicle, 12:30 - 3:15 p.m. in Hanover Gym

Teams design, build, and test one vehicle using one or two mousetraps as its sole means of propulsion to travel a distance as quickly and accurately as possible from a Start Point to a Target Point.

Full schedule:

http://www.sciencenc.com/tournament-information/wilmington/wilmington.php