HAMMOND – For the 28th consecutive year, Purdue University Northwest will host the regional Northwest Indiana Science Olympiad on Saturday, Feb. 10. More than 20 student teams from Northwest Indiana middle schools and high schools will compete at the Hammond Campus, 2200 169th Street, for a spot at the final championship in March.
Modeled after the Olympic Games, the Science Olympiad is a national initiative devised to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education as well as advance cooperative teambuilding among young people.
A tournament highlighting youth STEM education
Students will compete in nearly two dozen hands-on events relating to anatomy and physiology, aeronautics, biology, health, environment, food science, astronomy, meteorology, chemistry, engineering, forensics, hydrogeology, critical thinking, problem solving and more.
The competition will begin at 8:30 a.m. and last until approximately 2:30 p.m. Events will be held in in various locations on the Hammond Campus including the Gyte Building, Fitness & Recreation Center, and Challenger Learning Center. The awards ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. in the Fitness & Recreation Center’s gymnasium.
This year’s competition will feature three new trial events: “Aerial Scramble,” which will challenge students to assemble and test fly two rubber-powered monoplanes using provided materials; “Code Busters,” in which contestants will decode encrypted messages using cryptanalysis techniques, or use ciphers to encode their own message; and “Environmental Chemistry,” which will focus on fresh water laws and their applications, as well as testing samples for chemicals.
This event is free of charge and the public is invited to attend.
The competition is sponsored in part by Arcelor Mittal and the Purdue Northwest Honors College. The Honors College is also hosting the event in conjunction with the Purdue Northwest College of Engineering and Sciences. For more information, please visit www.pnw.edu/science-olympiad-2018.
