Contact:          Ray Popp (312) 297-7514      

                                                                                                ray.popp@edelman.com

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 28, 2004

 

 

 

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Prestigious Tournament Looks For Past Olympians

 

 

ROCHESTER, MI – In 2004, Science Olympiad, one of the premier forums for elementary and secondary students to showcase their scientific skills and knowledge, will celebrate two decades of national competitions.  In conjunction with its 20th anniversary, Science Olympiad is seeking out former participants to learn about their achievements following high school graduation.  Former Science Olympians can access the official web site to add their names to the Alumni Registration at www.soinc.org.

 

“In 1983, we founded this organization to help improve the quality of math and science education and to re-ignite enthusiasm in these fields among students,” said Dr. Gerard Putz, president and co-founder of Science Olympiad and a 32-year veteran science consultant in Michigan. “We’re delighted to celebrate 20 years of successful national tournaments and are hoping to reconnect with many of the participants.”

 

Past competitors, many who have gone on to become professors, doctors, engineers and math teachers, attribute much of their early interest in science to the national competitions. 

 

“I believe that Science Olympiad was very helpful in showing me that science could be interesting and fun, and that there were organizations that rewarded people for achievement in science and math,” said an 18-year-old Richard Radke in 1993.  Today, Radke is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and the most recent winner of the National Science Foundation’s Early Career Development Award, worth more than $400,000.

 

Looking back on his involvement with Science Olympiad, Radke noted that events like Egg Drop and Metric Estimation forced him to “solve open-ended problems, which is really a gateway into engineering.”  Although he participated in many math- and knowledge-based competitive events in high school, he says that Science Olympiad was unique in its ability to “create a welcoming and friendly community of science-minded students.”

 

As leaders in both their chosen fields and the academic world, many past competitors claim that Science Olympiad played a prominent role in their career choice.

 

While attending Harvard University eleven years ago, Linsey Marr, a gold medallist in Cell Biology at the national tournament, said, “After winning the event, I more seriously considered biology as a career.  I grew to be more concerned about the direct social value of my work.”  Today, Marr is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech, specializing in studying the effects of air pollution on the earth’s atmosphere, human health, agriculture and global climate. 

 

The fun she experienced while participating in tournaments translated to Marr's current approach to college-level teaching.  "In the classroom at Virginia Tech, I try to bring the excitement of Science Olympiad to my students through activities such as combining acids and bases to blow up balloons or growing different colored bacterial populations from local pond mud," said Marr.

 

 “Science Olympiad has given young adults the opportunity to experience the intricacies of science in a positive atmosphere,” said Dr. Putz.  “We hope the alumni registration will help us track down many of yesterday’s competitors so we can learn more about their successes, both personally and professionally.”      

 

With more than 5,500 schools actively participating to make it to this year’s competition, the 2004 National Science Olympiad is scheduled to commence May 21-22 at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.  Organizers expect a crowd of nearly 4,000 people, comprised of the top teams from each state, coaches, parents and scores of volunteers.

 

The 23 individual and team events in the national tournament are balanced between the disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers, astronomy, engineering and technology, and are designed to encourage a wide cross-section of students to participate. 

 

Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing male, female and minority student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. 

 

To learn more about Science Olympiad or to register for the alumni database, visit www.soinc.org.

 

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