Solon schools win National Science Olympiad

Robot Arm competition, Medical Sciences Building, 2013 Science Olympiad National Tournament, May 18.

A team of high school students from Solon High School and a team of middle school students from Solon Middle School in Solon, Ohio, took top honors in the 2013 Science Olympiad National Tournament held on the Wright State University campus, making history with back-to-back-to-back wins.

Other Ohio schools also fared well in the May 18 competition. Centerville High School captured fourth place in Division C, and Mentor Memorial Middle School took sixth in Division B.

One of the nation’s most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions, Science Olympiad brought together 120 winning middle school and high school teams advancing from state-level competitions this spring.

Boomilever competition, Oelman Hall, 2013 Science Olympiad National Tournament, May 18.

Rigorous hands-on and lab events like MagLev, Disease Detectives, Gravity Vehicle, Dynamic Planet, Rotor Egg Drop and Water Quality covered topics in physics, epidemiology, astronomy, chemistry, biology and engineering. Awards are given for the best overall team score and individual scores in each event.

Wright State is no stranger to Science Olympiad competition. In the past two years, the university has hosted annual invitationals, which drew students primarily from 10 states.

“We are proud to host this prestigious event,” said Wright State University President David R. Hopkins. “Science Olympiad is the pinnacle of science-related competitions for the sharpest middle and high school students.”

Rotor Egg Drop competition, Fritz and Dolores Russ Engineering Center, 2013 Science Olympiad National Tournament, May 18.

Science Olympiad is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of science education, increase interest in science, attract more students to science careers, foster teamwork, emphasize the problem-solving aspects of science, and develop a technologically literate workforce. It has produced a generation of alumni who fill the hallways of top universities and corporations around the globe.

School-based teams prepare and practice throughout the year, then compete in regional and state tournaments. The top 120 teams in the country (nearly 2,000 students) advance to the national tournament.

“The students competing have some of our nation’s brightest young minds,” said Hopkins. “We hope many of these students will join our Raider family in the near future.”

Though the actual competition took place on Saturday, May 18, the university planned many workshops and activities for participants Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17, offering them a chance to explore Wright State’s campus and academic programs.

Several of Saturday’s competition events were open to spectators. Competition was held from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in various locations across the Dayton campus.

The public was also invited to the Opening Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday and the Award Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Both ceremonies took place at the Wright State University Nutter Center.

For more information, visit: http://www.wright.edu/scienceolympiad/