Young men from eastern Idaho were recently on the campus of Idaho State University, competing not in strength and endurance trials but in STEM feats.
The teams met Saturday, April 13, in Pocatello to compete in the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad. Hosted by the ISU Physics Department, five teams of sixth- through ninth-grade students from Grace Lutheran Middle School, Hawthorne Middle School, Pocatello Community Charter School, and White Pine Charter School battled in events with topics ranging from forensics to epidemiology, experimental design, And more. The top three participants in each event received a gold, silver, or bronze medal.
“It's a great opportunity for young scientists and engineers to apply and test their knowledge outside the classroom and learn new things while having fun,” said Steve Shropshire, a physics professor at Idaho State University.
Participants' scores were also calculated to determine the winning team. Pocatello Community Charter School took home first prize for the team, receiving a trophy and a $200 cash prize from the Pocatello Kiwanis Club in support of science education. The top three finishers were Hawthorne Middle School and Grace Lutheran Middle School, who each received their own trophy, $150 and $50, respectively.
“Congratulations to all the competitors and their coaches for their efforts, many of the events were very close,” Shropshire said.
The Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad is made possible by volunteers from the Idaho State University Departments of Physics, Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences and Computer Science, as well as the Pocatello Kiwanis Club and Idaho National Laboratory.
“Thank you to all of our volunteers for making this event possible and sharing their love of STEM fields with these students,” Shropshire said.
For more information about Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad, contact Steve Shropshire at [email protected] or (208) 282-2212.
For more information about the Department of Physics at ISU, visit isu.edu/physics.
