Future scientists compete in competition at Butler Univesity
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Students from 11 area high schools and 12 area middle school paused for a moment of science on Saturday.
Butler University hosted the regional Indiana Science Olympiad where the students competed in 46 science-related events. The university’s recreation center was the location of several visual events.
There was an air trajectory event where teams had to build a single device capable of launching any type of ball to hit a target. There was also the elastic launch glider event, teams had to build gliders that could stay in the air the longest.
“My favorite event is probably experimental design, where you design an experiment based upon a topic that’s provided by the event coordinator,” Blake Lowe, an 8th grade St. Simon the Apostle Catholic School student who wants to work in material science said.
Another student shared their favorite event.
“My favorite event is Road Scholar because you get to look at maps and I think they’re really cool.” Ryan Pehlman, an 8th grade St. Simon the Apostle Catholic School student who dreams of being an engineer said.
Not only did participants say the events were fun, but they also learned a lot.
Max Pletcher, an 8th grade St. Simon the Apostle Catholic School student who wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up, said, “You get to learn about things that you probably would have never heard of before. I’ve been in Crave the Wave and I never really heard of a transverse wave and I got to learn a lot about that. Pletcher added, “You learn so much and it really helps your grades in science.”
Butler Associate Professor Phil Villani, who is also the regional director for the Indiana Science Olympiad, said the competition is an opportunity to get students interested in science.
“Society really benefits from science and scientists creating new technologies and developing new drugs or discovering new things.So we need scientists and these will be our future scientists of America and so we’re trying to stimulate interest in all kinds of areas of science,” Villani said.
Click here to find out more about the Indiana Science Olympiad or to find out how to put together a team.