GCC to Host Annual Division C Arizona Science Olympiad on Saturday, Feb. 21
February 13, 2009
Contacts:
Suzanne Higgins
suzanne.higgins@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3808
Patricia Rhodes Vogel
pr.vogel@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3014
Almost 500 students comprising 34 teams from 26 Arizona high schools will meet Saturday, Feb. 21, at Glendale Community College to compete for the 21st time in the annual Arizona Science Olympiad, Division C. Competition and judging will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in many campus locations, and public award presentations to the winning teams will take place at 4:30 p.m. in GCC's Student Union Building, room SU-104D.
Teams and individual team members will be recognized for first place through seventh place with trophies, plaques, medallions and ribbons. The winning team will participate May 15-16, 2009, in the 25th Anniversary of the Science Olympiad National Tournament at Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia.
Glendale Community College is located at 59th and Olive Avenues in Glendale. Parking is free as are all the events of the day. Community members interested in attending any of the six competitions that are open to the public or the awards ceremony should come to the GCC Student Union for a map of the campus and a schedule listing locations and times of the day's activities.
This year's teams will compete at GCC in 25 events, each of which falls into one of three broad areas of science standards: Science Concepts and Knowledge, Science Processes and Inquiry Skills or Science Application and Technology. Ten of the events are new this year, including "Egg-O-Naut" and "Trajectory." For the former, teams will design, construct on site and launch a bottle rocket that will carry a raw egg. For "Trajectory," teams will design, construct, calibrate and shoot a device capable of launching a ball into a target area. Other new events include "Junkyard Challenge," "Technical Problem Solving" and "Dynamic Planet."
Almost 100 volunteers including students, GCC employees and community members will assist with the day's events. Many have become valued "regulars" who have served repeatedly through the years.
"We are proud and grateful Salt River Project (SRP) is again the Presenting Sponsor of this event," says Olympiad Site Director and GCC Biology Instructor Dr. Karen Conzelman, who has directed the event for 20 years. "Their Gold sponsorship level has generously backed GCC's production of the Arizona Science Olympiad, Division C, for many years, which is greatly appreciated by the college and all the high schools who send teams to compete" she added. Other large sponsors include the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Mesa, the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, Glendale Community College and Southwest Gas Corporation.
Science Olympiad is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, creating a technologically-literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. The learning repercussions go far beyond an exciting one-day competition. Students work with their dedicated science teachers for months planning, researching, practicing and preparing for the tournament.
For the past 25 years, Science Olympiad has led a revolution in science education. What began as a grassroots group of science teachers is now one of the premiere science competitions in the nation, annually providing rigorous, standards-based challenges to more than 5,300 teams of students in 48 states. Science Olympiad's ever-changing event lineup provides participants a "buffet" of career choices and valuable exposure to practicing scientists and mentors. The goals of the tournament are to bring science to life, to show how science works, to emphasize problem solving and to enhance the understanding of science concepts.
Visit www.gc.maricopa.edu/biology/so for more information. Or contact Conzelman at karen.ann.conzelman@gcmail.maricopa.edu or 623.845.3612.
