Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2006-03-29

Many of Alabama's top high school science students will compete at Samford University Saturday (APRIL 1) in the state Science Olympiad finals. Sixteen teams will seek to represent Alabama at the national Science Olympiad May 19-20 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ill.

Each of the competing teams qualified for the state finals by winning district eliminations held in five geographic regions earlier this year.

Competition involves individual and team events representing the disciplines of biology, earth science chemistry, physics, computer and technology. The 23 different events range from applying principles of epidemiology to a real-life health situation to designing, constructing and testing bottle rockets to achieve the longest time aloft. In the Robot Ramble event, students design and build a robot capable of performing certain tasks.

The public is invited to observe the events, which will take place throughout the day at various sites on campus. Opening ceremonies will be at 8:45 a.m. in Seibert Hall, with the closing ceremony and awards presentation at 4:45 p.m. in the same location.

Competing schools are: Briarwood Christian, Birmingham; Randolph School, Huntsville (two teams); St. James School, Montgomery; Hartselle High School, Hartselle; Loveless AMP, Montgomery; Grissom High School, Huntsville; Oak Mountain High School, Birmingham; John Carroll Catholic High School, Birmingham; St. Paul's Episcopal High School, Mobile; Auburn High School, Auburn; Trinity Presbyterian, Montgomery; Bayside Academy, Daphne; Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, Birmingham; Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham; and Alabama School of Math and Science, Mobile.

Corporate sponsors of the state finals are: AdTran, Alabama Power Company, Alagasco, Alfa, Honda, Science Applications International Corporation and Derek R. Waltchack.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.