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Science Olympiad encourages discovery, engages students

March 08, 2011 10:00 AM

PIKEVILLE, KY

For the 250 middle and high school students, their coaches, and nearly 65 volunteers, this year’s Science Olympiad hosted by Pikeville College was a fun-filled day of friendly competition and learning.

Science Olympiad tournaments are academic interscholastic competitions consisting of a series of team events that students prepare for during the year. These challenging and motivational events are well-balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology. Popular board games, TV shows and athletic games provide the format for some of these events.

Robert Arts, Ph.D., professor of education and physics, is director of the Science Olympiad and also oversees the college’s science and math summer day camps. According to Arts, both programs, and others offered by the college, provide middle and high school students with opportunities to enhance their understanding of the scientific process and increase their appreciation for science and math courses. Hosted by Pikeville College for the past five years, the Science Olympiad is growing in popularity among area teachers and students.

“One of the often-overlooked components of Science Olympiad is the fact that its goals combine education and scientific learning with competition. The competitive aspect of science is pervasive and is one of the major driving forces of scientific advancement,” said Arts of this year’s Science Olympiad. “While the preparation for our Regional Science Olympiad competition begins nearly 11 months ahead of time, the reward of seeing how excited students can be about science is worth it. Participating in the Science Olympiad reinforces student interest in science and introduces them to a large peer group that feels the same way. It allows participants to become more self-sufficient and confident.”

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Two students from Belfry High School compete in the Experimental Design event. In the event, teams were provided with eight wooden blocks of different sizes and masses. Teams were asked to design an experiment to determine which one of the blocks contained two hidden steel balls.