Science Olympiads goes to Henry Doorly Zoo

Siena Gailloux, Staff Writer|March 1, 2016

Physics go to Henry Doorly Zoo

This weekend, Westside’s very own Science Olympiad team traveled to the Henry Doorly Zoo. There they competed in their first meet of the year to showcase their talents to prepare them for state and hopefully the national competition in May.

Science Olympiads is a competition in a variety of different fields of science such as zoology, chemistry, forensics, astronomy, engineering and geology. Students form teams and compete in different events to acquire points. Enough points can win state and take teams to the national competition, held in May of this year in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Each student researches their event topic for months in advance to give them the best chance of a high score when competing. Events range from tests to racing robotic cars on a track to building bridges that withstand different conditions.

Watching students grow is a reward for coach and Physics instructor Benjamin Powers.
“Seeing the progression students go through when they learn about their event and then finally competing in their event with their peers.  You can see the spark that some of these students have and it is fun to watch them truly enjoy science.”