The Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Olympiad crowns its winners
Mercedes’ Med. High’s Team “Edison” swept the Division C (high school) competition and came in first as the all around winner at the third annual Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Olympiad. They will now go on to the Texas State Science Olympiad, which is to be held in April at Texas A&M University.
Houston’s Westbury Christian School’s Team “Galileo” won first place in the middle school division at the Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Olympiad held at STC. The team will also advance to the state competition.
Students at Brownsville’s Harmony Science Academy spent a spent a Saturday competing in hands-on activities and flexing their academic muscles at the third annual Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Olympiad held at South Texas College.
Instead of lounging at home and sleeping in, hundreds of high school and middle school students from across the region spent a Saturday competing in hands-on activities at South Texas College. The students flexed their academic muscles and demonstrated their scientific skills as they competed against each other in the third annual Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Olympiad in March 2009. During the tournament, students showcased their science knowledge by participating in activities like building and testing an elevated bridge made of balsa wood and making a blade assembly that can capture wind power and generate voltage.
Mercedes’ Med. High’s Team “Edison” swept the Division C (high school) competition and came in first as the all around winner, while Sharyland’s Team “Bohr” came in second and Houston’s Westbury Christian School’s Team “Fleming” placed third. The Division B (middle school) first place winner was Houston’s Westbury Christian School’s Team “Galileo,” and Westbury Christian School’s Team “Ferrum” and Austin’s Harmony Science Academy Team “Natrium” tied for second. McAllen’s Fossum Middle School’s Team “Hydragyrum” came in third in the division. All of these teams will move on to the state competition.
La Joya’s Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School Team “Aurum” will advance from the regional to state level in Division B. San Antonio’s McCollum High School’s Team “Newton” and Veteran’s Memorial High School’s Team “Boyle” will also go on to the state competition.
“The goal of the Olympiad is to bring science to life, to show how science works and to make the topic relevant to students,” said RGV Science Olympiad Director and STC Chemistry Instructor Dr. Ludivina Avila. “This year’s event was a success and I want to congratulate the winners for their academic excellence, and thank our STC students and faculty members for all of their hard work in making the event possible. We look forward to continuing to expose students to science by hosting this fun and interactive event for years to come.”
Oratory Academy student Gabriel Garcia says that participating in the Olympiad taught him the importance of working as a team and using creativity to solve scientific problems.
“I enjoyed taking part in this competition because it allowed me to see what real scientists and engineers deal with on a daily basis and how they have to think outside of the box when working through certain experiments or projects,” he said. “It also made me realize how fun it can be to figure something out through teamwork and creative thinking.”
The olympiad is an interscholastic competition developed to provide recognition of outstanding achievement in science education. Teams compete at the regional level before going on to the Texas State Science Olympiad, which is to be held in April at Texas A&M University. Winners of the state tournament go on to compete at the National Science Olympiad at Juniata College in Pennsylvania in May.
The event was made possible by STC’s Division of Math and Science, Department of Physical Science, Engineering and Chemistry and Student Activities Office, as well as local sponsors Smoothie King, Nicho Produce, Blimpie, Papa John’s, Starbucks and Copy It.
For more information about the Science Olympiad, visit the links below:
http://www.southtexascollege.edu/science_olympiad
http://outreach.science.tamu.edu/scienceolympiad.asp
For the full list of winners please click the following link:
http://admin.southtexascollege.edu/pr/pdf/science_olympiad_final_march_2009.pdf