University to host Science Olympiad, Jan. 9

On Tuesday, Jan. 9, the University will host the regional tournament of the New Jersey Science Olympiad, a test of science knowledge and aptitude for more than 500 middle school and high school students.

The event, sponsored by the Research and Development Council of New Jersey and co-sponsored by the University, will take place from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at various locations across campus, including McDonnell, Fine and Guyot halls, Schulz Lab and Jadwin Gym.

Led by Princeton's Office of Research and Project Administration, a number of faculty and staff members and undergraduate and graduate students contributed their time and expertise to planning and running the event. Many of the University's leading experts in the sciences and engineering helped to design events and test questions that will challenge students' knowledge and problem-solving abilities, as well as their teamwork, group planning and cooperation skills. The 30 interdisciplinary events include the "Disease Detectives" competition to solve a public health problem and "Mission Possible," a challenge to build a complex machine that performs a simple task.

Students representing teams from 17 middle schools and 20 high schools are registered to compete. The top finishing teams at the Princeton tournament will advance to the March state finals at Middlesex County College in Edison, and top finishers will advance to the finals at Wichita State University in Kansas. The Science Olympiad was created 23 years ago to provide an alternative to traditional science fairs and includes members from 14,000 schools in all 50 states, Mexico and Canada.

Representatives of the news media who are interested in attending or want more information must contact Director of Engineering Communications Steven Schultz at (609) 258-3617 or sschultz@princeton.edu