Buies Creek, N.C.-Campbell University has been selected to host a regional tournament of the North Carolina Science Olympiad on Saturday, March 6. The Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science. The top three winning teams in each division, B (grades 6-9) and C (grades 9-12, will advance to the state tournament to be held at North Carolina State University in April.
The Science Olympiad is a grass roots program that began in 1982 when two education administrators, one from Michigan and one from Delaware, created a science event in which students competed against each other to master rigorous, standards-based challenges. The event went on to become a national competition in 1984 involving as many as 5,700 teams from 48 states.
On March 6, Campbell University will host eight middle and eight high school teams. The teams will be participating in 46 events encompassing a variety of scientific fields-from anatomy and ecology to electronics, astronomy and ornithology. The schools represented at the tournament include Cary, Green Hope, Harnett Central, Hickory Ridge, Overhills, Triton, West Johnston and St. Thomas More Academy high schools and Cleveland, Dunn, Harnett Central, New Century, Overhills, Western Harnett, SanLee and Albritton middle schools.
“We are honored to host a North Carolina Science Olympiad event at Campbell University,” said Dr. Mark Hammond, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Campbell has a sterling reputation for helping students excel in the sciences, so the opportunity to assist middle school and high school students from around our region was a perfect match for us. The response from our faculty, staff, and students to our call for assistance with this important event was overwhelming. I want to thank the North Carolina Science Olympiad and Mrs. Emily Bloom, for her hard work and attention to detail in the planning of the event. We look forward to future Science Olympiad events at Campbell.”