Minot State University hosting Science Olympiad
The Division of Science at Minot State University is hosting a regional Science Olympiad Tuesday (March 13) throughout the MSU campus from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Participants are junior and senior high students from area schools. This year, approximately 400 students are competing. MSU’s Science Olympiad is one of five regional events in North Dakota.
The Olympiad is organized with 15 students per team. Twenty sessions are planned for the two age groups and each team splits to cover the variety of sessions. Titles include "Chemistry Lab," "Forensics," "Water Quality," "Robot Arm," "Gravity Vehicle," "Mousetrap Vehicle," "Storm the Castle," "Helicopters" and "Rocks and Minerals." For some sessions like "Gravity Vehicle," participants build a device ahead of time and then test against other devices to determine a winner. In other events, like "Chemistry Lab," students answer questions or carry out lab-based observations to draw conclusions about scientific data.
For 25 years, Bob Crackel, MSU associate professor of chemistry, has watched this regional Science Olympiad unfold. Crackel has been the on-campus coordinator for the entire 25 years, from planning for the event each fall semester to creating a schedule of sessions and finding volunteers, including MSU faculty and students and local teachers, for the day.
"Science Olympiad is a very good way to get students excited about science," Crackel said. "Students get a chance to use their talents in a fun and competitive event."
Teams that reach the top three places in each event win medals and will advance to the state competition in Fargo in April. During the summer, a national Science Olympiad is open to top placing teams from North Dakota.
Sessions are located in the Swain Hall Pedagogy Lab and the MSU Dome and are open to the public.
For questions, contact Crackel, at 858-3852 or robert.crackel@minotstateu.edu.
2011-2012 Division B Regional Schedule
| Event | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Mousetrap Vehicle | 8:30-9:30 | Swain gym |
| Keep the Heat | 8:30-9:30 | Swain 312 |
| Rocks and Minerals | 8:30-9:30 | Swain 314 |
| Bottle Rocket | 8:30-9:30 | Swain outside south entrance |
| Meteorology | 9:40-10:30 | CM 16 |
| Experimental Design | 9:40-10:30 | CM 231 |
| Road Scholar | 9:40-10:30 | CM 111 |
| Forestry | 9:40-10:30 | Old Main 104 |
| Microbe Mission | 9:40-10:30 | CM 318 |
| Science Crime Busters | 10:50-11:50 | CM 310 |
| Mission Possible | 10:50-11:50 | Swain gym |
| Dynamic Planet | 10:50-11:50 | Old Main 106 |
| Write It, Do It | 12:00-1:00 | CM 111 |
| Disease Detective | 12:00-1:00 | CM 231 |
| Reach for the Stars | 12:00-1:00 | CM 16 |
| Food Science | 1:00-2:00 | CM 311 |
| Anatomy | 12:00-1:00 | Old Main 106 |
| Towers | 12:00-2:10 | CM 210 |
| Storm the Castle | 12:00-2:10 | Swain gym |
| Awesome Aquifer | 1:10-2:10 | CM 314 |
2011-2012 Division C Regional Schedule
| Event | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental Design | 8:30-9:30 | CM 231 |
| Microbe Mission | 8:30-9:30 | CM 318 |
| Remote Sensing | 8:30-9:30 | Old Main 102 |
| Astronomy | 8:30-9:30 | CM 16 |
| Thermodynamics | 8:30-9:30 | Swain 312 |
| Gravity Vehicle | 8:30-10:40 | Swain gym |
| Dynamic Planet | 9:40-10:40 | Old Main 106 |
| Rocks and Minerals | 9:40-10:40 | Swain 314 |
| Robot Arm | 9:40-10:40 | Swain Gym |
| Towers | 9:40-11:50 | CM 210 |
| Helicopters | 9:40-11:50 | Dome gym |
| Fermi Questions | 10:50-11:50 | Swain 304 |
| Forestry | 10:50-11:50 | Old Main 104 |
| Sounds of Music | 10:50-11:50 | Old Main 102 |
| Anatomy and Physiology | 10:50-11:50 | Old Main 106 |
| Chemistry Lab | 10:50-11:50 | CM 311 |
| Water Quality | 12:00-1:00 | CM 211 |
| Forensics | 12:00-1:00 | CM 310 |
| Write It Do It | 1:10-2:10 | CM 111 |
| Disease Detective | 1:10-2:10 | CM 211 |
|
Published: 11/09/10 |