Albert Einstein’s famous formula was at work at NCC on Friday, March 7. The energy was supplied by students from nine area high schools who came to compete in the annual Science Olympiad competition. The mass was provided by the big brains of students who competed in a variety of complicated scientific challenges.
Parkland High School Olympiads
The students flexed their science muscles in events ranging from constructing vehicles which use electrical energy as their sole means of propulsion to creating devices using only information supplied from a teammate’s written description.
The following high schools participated in the Science Olympiad: Freedom, Liberty, Nazareth, Parkland, East Stroudsburg South, Lehighton, Allentown Central Catholic, Pleasant Valley, and William Allen.
Many of the events took place in the Spartan Center. You’d expect a gym full of high
school students to be pretty noisy, but all was quiet as the serious students competed and an attentive audience looked on. The events included Write It Do It, Chemistry Lab, Electric Vehicle (pictured right), Boomilever, Fermi Questions, Circuit Penn, Cell Biology, Ecology, Health Science, and The Wright Stuff, an event the audience particularly enjoyed.
It required students to make in advance a propeller-driven airplane. The team whose plane could stay in the air the longest would win. Leighton student Nick Sulzer showed the judges a special technique for keeping his team’s plane aloft: dipping the plane’s rubber bands in rubber lube. “It reduces the friction between the turns of the band,” he explained.
Leighton students Mark Ahner (left) and Nick Sulzer
After competing in ten different events, students, faculty, and staff gathered on the Spartan Center bleachers to hear the winner’s announced. The big winners were Allentown Central Catholic High School. They took top honors in the Lehigh Valley Conference and as the overall winners. The winners of the Mountain Valley Conference were Lehighton.
East Stroudsburg South Olympiads
If you are a student who is considering studying science, math, technology or other related programs in college, you’ll want to learn more about the SMaRT Scholar program at NCC. The College will provide scholarships that cover all tuition, book costs and other expenses as well as mentoring, tutoring, academic and career support for eligible students pursuing majors in these subjects. You’ll find info, applications, and contact people here:
http://www3.northampton.edu/smartscholars
The following is a complete list of winners in all categories:
Science Olympiad Winners
Overall 2008 Science Olympiad Champion: Allentown Central Catholic High School
Regional Overall Winners:
Mountain Valley Conference: Lehighton
Lehigh Valley Conference: Allentown Central Catholic
Individual Event Winners:
Write It Do It:
Mountain Valley Conference (MVC) Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
Silver: Pleasant Valley
Bronze: None
Lehigh Valley Conference (LVC) winners:
Gold: Central Catholic
Silver: Liberty
Bronze: Freedom
Chemistry Lab:
MVC Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
Silver: East Stroudsburg South
Bronze: Pleasant Valley
LVC Winners:
Gold: Freedom
Silver: Central Catholic
Bronze: William Allen
Electric Vehicle:
MVC Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
LVC Winners:
Gold: Parkland
Silver: Central Catholic
Bronze: Nazareth
Boomilever:
MVC Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
LVC Winners:
Gold: Central Catholic
Silver: Nazareth
Bronze: William Allen
Fermi Questions:
MVC Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
Silver: East Stroudsburg South
LVC Winners:
Gold: Freedom
Silver: Central Catholic
Bronze: William Allen
Circuit Penn:
MVC Winners:
Gold: East Stroudsburg South
Silver: Lehighton
LVC Winners:
Gold: Central Catholic
Silver: Parkland
Bronze: Liberty
Cell Biology:
MVC Winners:
Gold: East Stroudsburg South
Silver: Lehighton
Bronze: Pleasant Valley
LVC Winners:
Gold: Nazareth
Silver: Liberty
Bronze: Central Catholic
The Wright Stuff:
MVC Winners:
Gold: East Stroudsburg South
Silver: Lehighton
LVC Winners:
Gold: Central Catholic
Silver: Parkland
Bronze: Nazareth
Ecology:
MVC Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
Silver: East Stroudsburg South
LVC Winners:
Gold: Freedom
Silver: William Allen
Bronze: Central Catholic
Health Science:
MVC Winners:
Gold: Lehighton
Silver: Pleasant Valley
Bronze: East Stroudsburg South
LVC Winners:
Gold: Central Catholic
Silver: Parkland
Bronze: Liberty
