Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2007-03-29

The top 100 geography students in Alabama will compete at Samford University Friday (March 30), in the State Geographic Bee.

The competitors, all in grades four through eight, qualified for the event after winning contests in their schools and placing among the top 100 scorers in the state on a test administered by the National Geographic Society.

The top winner from Friday's event will receive a $100 cash prize, a world globe and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for a $50, 000 college scholarship at the national finals in late May.

Preliminary rounds in the state competition will begin at 12:30 p.m. in Seibert Hall. The final round will begin at 3 p.m. in Brock Forum, located in Dwight Beeson Hall.

Students in the state event represent schools in 24 counties.

The contest is designed to spark student interest in geography and increase public awareness about the subject. The championship round of the National Geographic Bee on May 23 will air nationally on the National Geographic Channel, and will be broadcast later on public television stations.

 
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.