Media Advisory

More Than 2,000 Students to Compete in Science Olympiad at NC State

Media Contact:
Jason Painter, 919/515-9402

April 19, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21, more than 2,000 middle- and high-school students – from 150 schools across the state – will test their mettle in building robots, launching bottle rockets, conducting nanoscience experiments and constructing towers at North Carolina State University for the North Carolina Science Olympiad (NCSO) State Tournament, the largest youth science and technology competition in the state. Media coverage of the tournament is invited.

The two-day academic tournament – organized by NC State’s Science House – features a series of individual and team events focusing on the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology. Highlights of the event include:

• On Friday, April 20, students will participate in “NanoDays 2007.” During the event, students will conduct hands-on nanoscience experiments – “nano” refers to extremely small objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The “NanoDays” event is from 2 to 4 p.m. in room 1005 of Engineering Building I on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Parking is available across from Engineering Building I in the Red Hat parking deck.

• Most of the dynamic Science Olympiad experiments and competitions will take place on Saturday, April 21 in NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The tournament will culminate in an awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to Reynolds Coliseum and in the coliseum deck located at the corner of Cates Avenue and Jeter Drive.

• Bottle rocket launches will take place on Saturday from 12:30 to 3:15 p.m. outside the College of Textiles, located on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Upon entering Centennial Campus via Avent Ferry Road, proceed east on Varsity Drive. Turn right at the stop sign (Main Campus Drive). Continue past the next stop sign at Research Drive. The College of Textiles is on the right.

For more information about all the events surrounding the Science Olympiad, visit www.ncsu.edu/science_olympiad or contact Jason Painter at 919/515-9402.