What: Kansas Science Olympiad State competition
When: 9 a.m. Saturday, April 4; award ceremonies begin at 4:45 p.m.
Where: Various venues, WSU campus (information on the day of the event will be available in Room 233 of the Rhatigan Student Center)
Phone: 316-978-3854 (Greg Novacek, coordinator)
Cost: Free

More than 1,000 Kansas middle and high school students from 70 different schools will put their creative and scientific skills to the test Saturday, April 4, in the 28th annual Kansas Science Olympiad tournament, hosted by Wichita State University.

Through various events in scientific disciplines and many areas of engineering, Science Olympiad promotes innovative and analytical thinking. It also inspires students to explore beyond what is taught in a classroom. This is accomplished in both a fun and competitive environment.

Science Olympiad events include:

• Designing, constructing, and flying a rubber-band-powered airplane that remains aloft for as long as possible.
• Constructing a robot to perform a predetermined set of tasks.
• Looking at a “crime scene” and using chemistry lab techniques to determine the guilty party.
• Identifying fossil specimens and determining the organisms’ living environments.

Events will take place in various venues throughout the campus, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 4. The locations and times of events that are open to the public can be found at: http://webs.wichita.edu/scienceolympiad/ (click on the "spectator page" link in the Current News Box).

The participating teams advanced to the state contest from four regional contests. The team with the best score in both the middle and high school divisions at state will qualify for the National Science Olympiad Tournament, to be held on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on May 15-16.

The Kansas Science Olympiad is supported by Wichita State University, along with corporate donations from Lubrication Engineers and Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

WSU's Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education coordinates the competition and provides training to coaches each fall.