Georgia Science Olympiad
Over 400 schools participate in Georgia's Science Olympiad program which is divided into divisions for grades K-3, 3-5, 6-9 and 9-12. The K-3 have in-school "fun days", the 3-5 have local tournaments and, beginning in 2002, a state tournament, while the upper divisions, "B" (6-9) and "C" (9-12), compete at regional, state and national tournaments. Currently, about 30% of Georgia's middle schools and high schools participate in Science Olympiad. At the 2003 National Tournament in Columbus, Ohio Georgia schools finished 1st and 4th out of 54 teams in B Division and 22nd and 25th out of 54 teams in the C Division!
Division B or C Science Olympiad teams consist of up to 15 students who compete
in 23 different events covering all fields of science as well as engineering and
technical communications. Each year some new events are introduced and others
are dropped in order to keep the program fresh. Many of the events are hands-on
and some also require constructing something prior to or during the competition.
An effort is made to require students to use higher order thinking skills rather
than rote memory and instant recall. The ability to work effectively as a team
is also taught since most events involve two or more team members. Each team member
generally participates in several different events at a tournament.
In larger schools students may need to compete to join the team while in smaller
schools there may not be enough students on a team to compete in every event.
Small teams have progressed to the state tournament in Georgia and our 5th place
team at Nationals in 1998 competed with only ten students!
Although the Coaches Manuals provided to all teams are well written, it is valuable
for new team coaches to participate in training workshops. Georgia Science Olympiad
conducts K-3, 3-5, 6-9 and 9-12 workshops throughout the State, often through
Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers GYSTC
or a local school or college. The U.S. Science Olympiad conducts several week-long
workshops each summer at various locations around the country. The B and C Division
Coaches Manuals list a variety of study materials available for purchase from
the national Science Olympiad office.
Registration is $125 per division B or C team unless they are a 2003/2004 member
of the Junior Academy of Science in which case it is $90. This fee covers Manuals
and entry into regional, state and national tournaments. The A division costs
(Manuals only) are $13 (K-3) and $19 (3-6). The registration target date for
B and C divisions is November 5, 2003. It is wise to register early to get
the Coaches Manual and Rules as soon as they are available (usually late September)
and the best choice of tournament sites. All first year B and C teams receive a Science Olympiad video for their school.
The regional tournaments are held at colleges and universities around the state
in the hope that schools will not have to incur overnight lodging expenses. In
2004, divisions B and C regional tournaments are planned for February 21 and
28 and March 6.
We have a selection of video highlights from a range
events featured at the 1996 National Science Olympiad held at Georgia Tech.
The Georgia Science Olympiad is an activity of the Georgia
Academy of Science and the Georgia
Junior Academy of Science. The State Director of Science Olympiad is Dr. Milton
Stombler, Georgia State University - MS 8E0709, Atlanta, GA 30303-3088, who can be reached
at 404-463-9620 (voice),404-651-1427 (fax) or mstombler@gsu.edu
(e-mail).
Another science education resource available to Georgia children is SciTrek, a hands-on interactive science museum whose mission is to engage children in exploring and experiencing how technology affects their lives and inspire them to become innovators in the technologies of the future. Through experiential exhibits, workshops and programs, SciTrek encourages learning by "doing". SciTrek's interactive approach demystifies science, math and technology, making those principles and applications exciting and understandable. For more information, go to . www.scitrek.org