Local students to showcase skills at UA-hosted Science Olympiad

Interested in forensics or fossils? What about meteorology, bridge building, or robotics? If science is your thing, then the campus of The University of Akron is the place to be on Saturday, March 14, when nearly 600 students from six area counties will compete in the day-long Time Warner Cable Akron Regional Science Olympiad.

Hosted by the University’s Akron Global Polymer Academy and funded by a gift from Time Warner Cable, the Science Olympiad is a national competition for middle school and high school students. At UA, competitors will test their knowledge and skills in 46 contests of science, technology, engineering, and math – many of which are open for public viewing.

“Science and its related disciplines are increasingly essential to future careers, as well as the economic viability and competitiveness of the United States,” says John Fellenstein, content specialist in UA’s Akron Global Polymer Academy. “For nearly two decades the University has been pleased for the opportunity to host this event, and as a former science teacher, I always enjoy the enthusiasm of the participants – and awakening within them a real interest in pursuing these critical subjects.”

Beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the Olympiad, students from nearly 40 different area schools will converge on the UA campus, prepared to take part in fun and challenging contests with names such as Mission Possible, Wright Stuff, Disease Detectives, Crave the Wave, and Can’t Judge a Powder. For most students, however, preparing for the Olympiad began months ago with the building of a device or the designing of a project that will face off against competitors throughout the day.

Hundreds of volunteers will be on hand as well to evaluate and judge the contests. Students who take a top-six finish in an individual event earn a medal, and teams that finish in the top six earn trophies (and their coaches receive plaques). Top-performing schools also earn a berth to the state tournament in Columbus.

Time Warner Cable’s contribution to the Science Olympiad is part of the company’s Connect a Million Minds program, a philanthropic initiative launched to encourage more students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

See the schedule of events.