PSU Abington welcomed about 800 students from 19 middle and 33 high schools in the five county Philadelphia area earlier this month for the Pennsylvania Southeast Region Science Olympiad. Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. The tournament challenges and activities help prepare students to work as part of a team in future STEM careers. 

The daylong interscholastic competition featured 46 events — split evenly between middle school and high school participants — that spanned biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and inquiry. Interactive competitions were a large part of the day, with activities like “Storm the Castle,” where student teams built mechanical devices to launch objects.  

The southeast regional tournament is the largest regional competition in Pennsylvania, according to Ahmed Nuriye, assistant professor of chemistry at Abington, who coordinated the event. 

“The Science Olympiad immerses students in high impact learning in the fields of science and engineering. The many hours of required preparation teaches them the importance of hard work and allows them to develop into creative thinkers and problem solvers,” he said. 

The day concluded with awards and closing ceremonies in the Athletic Building led by Andrew August, associate dean for Academic Affairs at Abington. The highest scoring teams from the tournament will compete in the state tournament at Penn State Altoona on April 22. 

Photo courtesy of PSU Abington