More than 650 North Dakota students in grades 6-12 are scheduled to compete in the North Dakota Science Olympiad at NDSU on Saturday, April 20. Winners of the state science competition will vie for a chance to advance to nationals.

Throughout the day, students will compete in a series of science, technology, engineering and mathematics events. Activities range from building a helicopter rotor device to safely drop an egg to acting as a detective tracking down the cause of a disease using hypothetical information.

“Science Olympiad provides students with an opportunity to experience hands-on science in a fun and exciting atmosphere,” said Otto Borchert, co-director for the North Dakota Science Olympiad and a programmer analyst in NDSU’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education.

Each year, a portion of the Science Olympiad events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology.

Teams are comprised of 15 students, with Division B teams having students in grades 6 through 9 and Division C teams having students in grades 9 through 12. Teams in the state competition qualified by being in the top five at a regional competition. The top-ranked team in each division will represent North Dakota at the national competition held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, May 17-18.

The public is invited to the opening ceremony at 8 a.m. and the awards ceremony at 3:30 p.m. in the Bentson/Bunker Fieldhouse on the NDSU campus. The public also may attend events at the Bentson/Bunker Fieldhouse, Loftsgard Hall and Ehly Hall.

More information about the North Dakota Science Olympiad is available at www.ndsu.edu/olympiad.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.