SCIENCE OLYMPICS
machines, junior high students designed machines that could move bricks using wind power, and high school students constructed remote-controlled submarines to navigate, if all went well, an underwater obstacle course in a set time. Mystery challenges were revealed at the events. In Lloydminster, these included the electromagnetism challenge and a marshmallow tower challenge. For the latter, teams were given 20 spaghetti noodles, one metre of string, a marshmallow, Scotch Tape, and just 10 minutes to build the tallest free-standing structure they could. They're only constraint: the marshmallow had to be on top. "It was incredibly rewarding to see the students work on the challenges with such focus and determination," says Ms. Salim. "The most satisfying part was when a group of students spontaneously
came up to us to thank us at the end, and tell us how much fun they had." Indeed, providing a fun and positive experience for the students is another goal of the APEGA Science Olympics. That's exactly what happened at the inaugural Science Olympics in Peace River. The 51 students there in Grades 7 to 12 students participated in five challenges. In one of them, students became seismic sleuths, tasked with identifying an object without looking at it. In another, they had to complete a series of engineering- and geoscience-related tasks in 90 minutes, including making a grabbing tool, completing a cypher, and identifying mystery minerals. “I love this. How about we do this event every month?” declared one student. Event organizer Ibrahim Adewole, P.Eng., says feedback from students, parents, and teachers was supportive and encouraging. "They were all excited to see this event happen and they are looking forward to another one,” he says. The Peace Region Branch does hope to organize another Science Olympics for fall, but this time it will be in Grande Prairie.
EYES ON THE PRIZE Students at the APEGA Science Olympics in Edmonton anxiously await competition results. Depending on their rating, teams posed with these gold, silver, or bronze LEGO trophies. Though they couldn’t take the trophies home, they were given kits to build their own, smaller versions later.
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