Photo by Chris Meyer A harbinger of spring on the IU Bloomington campus is the annual running of the Indiana Science Olympiad. IU Northwest’s Nelson DeLeon (left) served as a judge for the “Storm the Castle” event in this 2004 Olympiad file photo. Kevin Flispart (center) and Keith Jensen of New Albany are pictured by their catapulting device. Both IU Northwest and IU Southeast hosted regional competitions earlier this month, and the state tournament will again be on the Bloomington campus March 19. Volunteers are being recruited by Tina Gilliland, Olympiad director; E-mail: mgilila@indiana.edu.

(Information for this story also was provided by Kim Kintz at IU Northwest)

What better way to cultivate young scientists than to invite them to a college campus for a day of challenges that are Olympian in name, concept and opportunity?

Hundreds of Hoosier middle school and high school students found their way to two IU campuses this month to take part in the regional competitions that will culminate with the 2005 Indiana Science Olympiad on the IU Bloomington campus March 19.

State champion teams will then be off to the national tournament in May at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Both the Gary and New Albany campuses were in high gear for regional competition, serving as two of eight regional Hoosier tournament sites. IU Southeast’s competition was Feb. 12 and IU Northwest’s was Feb. 19.

Nelson DeLeon, professor of chemistry at IU Northwest, sees the regional event as a chance for the campus to be showcased to the community at large. Staff, faculty and students make up 80 percent of the volunteer pool on his campus, he said.

“Science Olympiad also 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,” DeLeon said.

Tina Gilliland, director of the upcoming Indiana Science Olympiad on the IUB campus, said that the competition is a “true testament” to teachers statewide who mentor teams and help with fund-raising for the equipment and materials necessary for some of the coordinated science and engineering events.

The event is also a true testament to the campus and community volunteers who make the competitions tick. Volunteers for the state Olympiad include many IU students, staff and faculty who are returning early from their spring breaks as well as supporters from throughout the state, Michigan and Florida. The Bloomington Amateur Radio Club, the Experimental Aircraft Association and personnel from NSWC Crane are in the volunteer pool, as are students from both Purdue and Ball State universities. Two SPEA professors have been stalwart volunteers of the state event for 15 years, in addition to personnel from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Gilliland, who has been involved with the Olympiad since 1991, is still looking for people to lend a hand March 19.

“They don’t need to be scientists to volunteer,” she said. “I need people who can help grade or run a stopwatch” or other duties involved in shepherding regional winning teams through their paces.

It will be an ideal Saturday for spectators as well: many of the events, such as bottle rocketry, bridge building, and catapult and tower building will take place at the Mellencamp Center, and “robot billiards” is scheduled in Kirkwood Hall. But don’t ask where the “naked egg drop” will be held; to prevent pre-competition experimentation, the location is a secret until the tournament begins. (Check Web site at end of story for competition schedules and locations.)

The Science Olympiad supports elementary and secondary Science Olympiad tournaments at building, district, county, state and national levels, with an emphasis on teamwork and a commitment to excellence.

The mission of the Olympiad is to improve the quality of K-12 science education throughout the nation and to change the way science is perceived and the way it is taught.

IU Bloomington has been named to host the 2006 National Science Olympiad Tournament, which is both an honor and ambitious undertaking. IUB last hosted the nationals in 1995.

Gilliland, whose work is conducted through the College of Arts and Sciences, credits the IUB Office of the Chancellor and D.J. Angus-Scienteck Educational Foundation, Indianapolis, among others, for lending the support necessary to carry out the state contest.

http://www.indiana.edu/~college/science/olympiad/

Science Olympiad Camp at IUB

The IU College of Arts and Sciences is offering a residential Science Olympiad Summer Fun Camp for sixth through ninth grade students. Participants will have the opportunity to gain knowledge of basic science concepts, facts, processes, skills and science applications from Olympiad veterans. The camp is scheduled July 23-31. For more information, including costs, deadlines and scholarship opportunities, go to this Web site:

http://www.indiana.edu/~college/science/olympiad/middle.shtml