Science Olympiad lets students’ skills shine

About 5,600 United States students took the Program for International Student Assessment test in 2006 that tested the knowledge of more than 400,000 students worldwide in areas of math and science.

The results were disappointing.

United States students scored worse than 16 of the 30 countries in the science portion and trailed 23 countries in mathematics — receiving approximately the same ranking as our country received in 2003.

As the United States continually fails to produce as many engineers and scientists as our industrialized competitors, education reformers are trying desperately to reform school curriculums in order to raise students’ interest levels in these crucial subjects.

The Science Olympiad, however, may be the answer to our country’s falling rankings. Science Olympiad is an extracurricular activity in which students can choose up to six out of 23 science-related events to participate in. The events are extremely varied in subject matter, but the level of difficulty for every event is set quite high.

The statewide competition consists of build-it events, in which students must prepare a contraption to complete certain tasks before the date of competition, and test-based events, in which students are tested on paper along on their knowledge about a certain subject.

The subject matter students are required to learn can vary from identifying bird calls to understanding the dynamics of volcanoes and earthquakes, or from building a timekeeping device accurate to the nearest tenth of a second to building a robotic apparatus capable of completing certain designated tasks.

Teeland Middle School began its statewide domination of this activity in 2002 and has won the state competition every year since. The dedication demonstrated by teachers and parents involved in Science Olympiad has not only engaged students in middle school more deeply in the study of science and its applications, but it has begun to directly influence the surrounding high schools.

As students from Teeland move on to high school their passion for science and learning are carried with them.

This year marks not only Teeland’s eighth consecutive year winning the statewide competition of Science Olympiad, but it also marks Colony High School’s second consecutive statewide victory, while the Mat-Su Career and Tech High School has also demonstrated remarkably impressive performances at the state competition in the past two years.

Science Olympiad is not curriculum based and does not directly prepare students to test better in their science classes.

However, as the United States continues to produce fewer engineers and scientists, Science Olympiad may be the key to reinvigorating students’ interests in science and math and preparing our nation to be more competitive in these areas on a global scale.

Briana Murphy is a senior at Colony High School.

Alaska State Science

Olympiad Results

Saturday, March 20

Teeland Middle School, Wasilla

Team Results

Division C – High School

1st – Colony High School (CHS)

2nd – Eagle River High School (ERHS)

3rd Mat-Su Career & Tech High School (CTHS)

4th Thunder Mtn. High School (Juneau)

5th Palmer High School

Division B – Middle School

1st – Teeland Middle School (TMS)

2nd – Wendler Middle School

3rd – Palmer Junior Middle School (PJMS)

4th – Hopson Middle School (Barrow)

5th – Goldenview Middle School

6th – Hanshew Middle School

7th – Romig Middle School (RMS)

8th – Wasilla Middle School

Individual Results

High School Division C

Egg-O-Naut

1st - CTHS – B. Olson, J. Jefferies

2nd – ERHS – E. Guinn, Z. Spratt

3rd – ERHS – Chris Robinson

Write It Do It

1st – ERHS – R. Champione, C. Robinson

2nd – CHS – K. Moran, E. Stout

3rd – CHS – S. O’Guinn, K. Glashan

Pentathlon

1st – CTHS – N. Syvertson, C. O’Connor, S. Cobb, K. Gray

2nd – CTHS – T. Endes, M. Ketchel, N. Raymond, J. Layton

3rd – CHS – K. Moran, K. Lucas, J. Christie, S. Everett

Environmental Chemistry

1st – CHS – K. Moran, E. Stout

2nd – ERHS – Eric Guinn

3rd – CHS – B. Maniaci, A. Harrison

Technical Problem Solving

1st – Thunder Mtn. – K. Goettler, Z. Shauwecker

2nd – ERHS – Eric Sutton

3rd – CHS – J. Christie, K. Lucas

Ornithology

1st – CHS – A. Harrison, J. Grasmick

2nd – CTHS - B. Olson, J. Jefferies

3rd – ERHS – B. Helmso, Z. Reinbold

Experimental Design

1st – ERHS – R. Morthorpe, Z. Reinbolt, K. Hall

2nd – CHS – C. Williams, K. Glyshan

3rd – CHS – J. Christe, A. Harrison

Chem Lab

1st – ERHS – K. Shields, K. Hall

2nd CHS – Jordan Guinn

3rd – ERHS – S. Hussein, B. Etter

Forensics

1st – ERHS – R. Champione, C. Robinson

2nd – CHS – K. Williams, S. Everett

3rd – CHS – B. Maniaci, J. Christie

Picture This

1st – ERHS – B. Etter, B. Helmso

2nd – Thunder Mtn – M. Meiners, K. Goettler

3rd – CHS – B. Murphy, J. Guinn

Mousetrap Vehicle

1st – CTHS – B. Olson, J. Jefferies

2nd – CHS – J. Christie, K. Lucas

3rd – ERHS – Roni Morthorpe

Fossils

1st – CHS – J. Christie, K. Lucas

2nd – CTHS – B. Olson, J. Jefferies

3rd – ERHS – T. Holmquist, B. Helmso

Astronomy

1st – ERHS - Katrina Hall

2nd – ERHS – Kimberly Shields

3rd – CTHS K. Gray and C. O’Connor

Trajectory

1st – CTHS – Nathan Syvertson

2nd – ERHS – Eric Sutton

3rd – CHS – Cassidy Williams

Ecology

1st – ERHS – Z. Reinbold, B. Helmso

2nd – CHS – K. Moran, E. Stout

3rd – CTHS – N. Raymond, J. Layton

Disease Detectives

1st – CTHS - Nicole Raymond

2nd – Thunder Mtn. K. Goettler, R. Cava

3rd – CTHS – Yona Golyan

Remote Sensing

1st – ERHS – Thor Holmquist

2nd – CHS – K. Williams, J. Guinn

3rd – CTHS – Collin O’Connor

Physics Lab

1st – CTHS – J. Layton, N. Raymond

2nd – CHS – K. Lucas, E. Stout

3rd – ERHS – Z. Spratt, E. Guinn

Mission Possible

1st – CTHS – B. Olson, J. Jefferies

2nd – ERHS – K. Hall, K. Shields, S. Hussein

3rd – CHS – Sam Everett

Bag of Bones

1st – CTHS – Yana Golyan

2nd – CTHS – M. Ketchel, T. Endes

3rd – ERHS – C. Robinson, K. Sheilds

Elevated Bridges

1st – CTHS – J. Jefferies, B. Olson

2nd – CHS – K. Moran, E. Stout

3rd – CHS – Katrina Glashan

Dynamic Planet

1st – CHS – K. Moran, E. Stout

2nd – ERHS – B. Helmso, Z. Reinbold

3rd – CTHS – B. Olson, J. Jefferies

Anatomy

1st – CHS - K. Williams, A. Harrison

2nd – CHS – C. Williams, S. Guinn

3rd – CTHS – M. Ketchel, T. Endes

Cell Biology

1st- CHS – K. Williams, B. Murphy

2nd – ERHS – Salene Scott

3rd – ERHS – M. Hunstiger, J. Kaplan

It’s About Time

1st – CHS – K. Moran, B. Murphy

2nd – CTHS – S. Cobb, C. O’Connor

3rd – ERHS – V. Morthorpe, B. Etter

Middle School B Division

Anatomy

1st – TMS – Z.Neubauer, N. Hansan

2nd – TMS – S. Casio, G. Gwingle

3rd – TMS – K. Stout, S. Miller

Bottle Rockets

1st – TMS – M. Johnson, T. Olson

2nd – PJMS – J. Eller, S. Wise

3rd – RMS – D. Ellingworth, C. Peterson

Bag of Bones

1st – TMS – Z. Neubauer

2nd – TMS – G. Swingle, S. Cascio

3rd – TMS – Sophie Miller

Battery Buggy

1st – TMS – T. Olson, M. Johnson

2nd – TMS – R. Lozanoff, J. Murphy

3rd – PJMS – S. Cobb, J. Beck-Nichols

Can’t Judge a Powder

1st – TMS – B. Meier, M.E. Meyerhofer

2nd – TMS – B. iofte, J. Magnan

3rd – TMS – R. Lozanoff, J. Murphy

Compute This

1st – Wendler MS – F. Kennedy, V. Data

2nd – TMS – Nicholas Harrison

3rd – TMS – M.E. Meyerhofer, B. Meier

Disease Detectives

1st – Wendler MS – J. Farr, G. Mina

2nd – Wendler MS – C. Ek, K. Jones

3rd – Wendler MS – F. Carpenter, A. Prentice

Dynamic Planet

1st – TMS – K. Stout, C. Pulver

2nd – TMS – Tracie Haan

3rd – TMS – O. Marmon, D. Thompson

Ecology

1st – Wendler MS – F. Carpenter, B. Kim

2nd – Wendler MS – J. Farr, K. Allen

3rd – PJMS – J. Player, D. Adams

BioProcess

1st – TMS – J. Schwantes, C. Pulver

2nd – TMS – Z. Neubauer, J. Magnan

3rd – TMS – A. Goyetle, A. Hasse

Write It Do It

1st – TMS – C. Ficken, G. Swingle

2nd – TMS – T. Soto, S. Riopelle

3rd – TMS – S. Cascio, T. Haan

Elevated Bridges

1st – TMS – M. Johnson, T. Olson

2nd – Wendler MS – A. Dabbs, B. Adkins

3rd – TMS – Zachary Neubauer

Experimental Design

1st – TMS – J. Schwantes, A. Hasse, K. McCafferty

2nd – Goldenview MS – Z. Flynn, G. Kaiser

3rd – TMS – T. Hann, G. Swingle, C. Ficken

Fossils

1st – Wendler MS – D. Adkins, A. Dabbs

2nd – TMS – T. Bushey, Samantha St.

3rd – Wendler MS – S. Smith, J. Brown

Junkyard Challenge

1st – TMS – J. Schwantes, A. Hasse

2nd – TMS – M. Johnson, T. Olson

3rd – Wendler MS – J. Farr, A. Argenault

Meteorology

1st – TMS – J. Magnan, K. Bush

2nd – Wendler MS – L. Becia, R. Fischer

3rd – TMS – Tracie Haan

Ornithology

1st – TMS – K. Stout, K. McCafferty

2nd – TMS – J. Magnen, R. Lozanoff

3rd – TMS – S. Victor, M. Hardwig

Physical Science

1st – TMS – N. Harrison, Z. Neubaurer

2nd – TMS – J. Schwantes, A. Hasse

3rd – TMS – Seth Blohm

Road Scholar

1st – Wendler MS – A. Williams, J. Farr

2nd – TMS – B. Meier, M.E. Meyerhofer

3rd – Wendler MS – B. Adkins, A. Dobbs

Science Of Crime Busters

1st – TMS – B. Doitte, Jessie Magnan

2nd – TMS – M.E. Meyerhofer, B. Meier

3rd – TMS – Nick Harrison

Shock Value

1st – TMS – Zachary Neubauer

2nd – TMS – B. Meier, S. Cascio

3rd – Wendler MS – U. Dutta, D. Kitigawa

Solar System

1st – TMS – N. Harrison, Z. Neubauer

2nd – Wendler MS – U. Dutta, G. Mina

3rd – TMS – K. McCafferty, A. Hasse

Trajectory

1st – TMS - S. Miller, K. Stout

2nd – TMS – Talon Hill

3rd – PJMS – Z. Witt, J. Eller

Write Stuff

1st – TMS – T. Olson, M. Johnson

2nd – TMS – Nicholas Harrison

3rd – TMS – K. Stout, A. Hasse

Pentathlon

1st – Wendler MS.

2nd – Wendler MS

3rd – TMS