Students test knowledge and skills at ƵScience Olympiad

March 21, 2025

Cherissa Dukelow
(907) 474-5581

Middle school students wearing white lab coats and safety goggles puzzle over chemistry equipment and notes in a lab.
Photo by Sarah Ellen Johnston
Students collect data and answer questions about an unknown chemical substance by performing chemistry tests in the “Can’t Judge a Powder” event in the 2024 Alaska Science Olympiad at the University of ƵFairbanks.

The ƵScience Olympiad competition for students in grades 6-8 will convene March 28-29 at the University of ƵFairbanks.

The olympiad is part of a nationwide competition consisting of hands-on, team-based tournaments designed to increase student  interest in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Sixth- through eighth-graders compete in  Division B.

Fifteen student teams from 11 middle schools across Ƶwill compete in 17 events, ranging from written subject tests to construction of projectile launchers, towers and helicopters. Students will travel from Wasilla, Palmer, Kenai, Seldovia, Cordova, Nome and Utqiaġvik to compete with Fairbanks North Star Borough students.

In addition to the opportunity to compete, the ƵScience Olympiad gives Alaska middle school students a chance to experience a taste of college campus life: sleeping overnight in UAF dormitories, eating in the Wood Center dining hall, and visiting several campus buildings and the Student Recreation Center for the various competition events.

The public is welcome to attend to watch the tournament’s “build” events at the Patty Center on Friday. The events, “Air Trajectory” and “Mission Possible,” take place concurrently between 8:15 a.m. and 11:45 pm. “Helicopter” and “Tower” both take place between 1:10 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.

The first-place winning team will advance to compete nationally at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on May 23-24, 2025.

The ƵScience Olympiad is organized by the ƵNational Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate  Competitive Research, the UAF College of Engineering and Mines and the UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Generous sponsors of ƵScience Olympiad include ConocoPhillips, Ƶ529, Alaska Blue Economy Center, ƵIDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, UAF professor Brian Rasley, the UAF College of Engineering and Mines, UAF Residence Life, and the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council.

Visit the website to learn more about ƵScience Olympiad.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Tara Borland, taborland@alaska.edu, 907-474-6288