UNC Asheville to Host Seventh Annual Science Olympiad Tournament Saturday

Young scientists from 16 middle schools and seven high schools in Western North Carolina will test their talents in the seventh annual regional Science Olympiad Tournament at UNC Asheville Saturday, Feb. 25. The competition will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at various locations across campus.

Each team can field a group of 18 students in 25 middle or high school events ranging from bottle rockets and catapults to robots and airplanes. Among the day's highlights will be the "Storm the Castle" competition, where students will build and test their trebuchet devices, and the "Mission Possible" event, which tests students on their Rube Goldberg-inspired inventions. These inventions consist of complicated contraptions that perform a seemingly simple task.

About 120 volunteers, including UNC Asheville faculty, staff and students, as well as volunteers from the Colburn Earth Science Museum, Health Adventure, North Carolina State University Engineering Programs, Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, Science House and Sud Associates Consulting Engineers will staff the Olympiad.

Competing Buncombe County middle schools are A.C. Reynolds, Asheville, Cane Creek, Charles D. Owen, North Buncombe and North Windy Ridge. Participating Buncombe County high schools are A.C. Reynolds, Charles D. Owen, North Buncombe, and T.C. Roberson. Additional Buncombe County teams will be fielded from Carolina Day School and Evergreen Community Charter School.

Other Western North Carolina competitors include Ashe County, Brevard, Chase, East Burke, Macon, Polk County, Table Rock and Waynesville middle schools as well as Freedom, Mitchell and Polk County high schools.

The winners of the regional tournament will move on to the statewide tournament later this year.

For more information, call Judy Beck, UNC Asheville Physics Department, at 828/251-6049.

Media Contacts:

• Judy Beck, UNC Asheville Physics Department Lecturer, 828/251-6049
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526