Middle school and high school students from 13 counties will compete at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Science Olympiad.
Gateway students Cyann Williams and Sai Namasivaya prepare for a competition during last spring’s Southwest Pennsylvania Regional Science Olympiad.
Olympiad events focused on science, technology, engineering and math skills will be contested in the Convocation Center, and in New Science, Eberly, Gallagher, Hamer and Helsel halls.
The competition is broken down into 15-member teams in two divisions — grades 6-9 and 9-12. Last year, nearly 8,000 teams completed in 450 invitational, regional, state and national tournaments.
Based on a percentage of teams registered at regional sites, the highest-scoring middle school and high school teams from the region will qualify for the state competition on April 25 at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. The National Science Olympiad will be May 15-16 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C.
Cal U has hosted this prestigious event for nearly 30 years. More than 50 schools are scheduled for this year’s regional, with Cal U faculty from different academic departments serving as event supervisors.
Dr. Swarndeep Gill, associate professor in Cal U's Department of Earth Sciences, serves as the regional site director.
Members of Cal U’s Admissions Office will also be sharing information about Cal U throughout the day.
“With our focus on science and technology, hosting this event is something we are very proud of and a wonderful opportunity to showcase our school and facilities,” said Dr. Tracey Sheetz, Cal U’s dean of admissions.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Science Olympiad at Cal U, including a schedule of events with locations and times, visit calu.edu/science-olympiad. Those interested in volunteering can also register on the website.
Questions can also be emailed to Gill at gill@calu.edu or regional site assistant director Daniel Strehl at str3650@calu.edu.