ASU to host National Science Olympiad

Augusta State University will serve as the host site for the National Science Olympiad competition, which will be held May 15-16, 2009, on the ASU campus as well as at several other venues in the city. The event is expected to have a $1.5 million direct spending impact on the Augusta area, as estimated by the Augusta Convention and Visitor's Bureau, as more than 3,500 participants, coaches, family members, and volunteers converge onto the city that week.

"It is an honor for any school to be chosen to host a national event in any discipline; to be selected is an indication of the respect a national organization has for a program/site within a state.

Georgia's Science Olympiad program is well-respected by the national organization for many different reasons—one being that Georgia schools typically place in the top one-third of schools at the national competition," says William Wellnitz, director of the state's Science Olympiad and organizer of the 2009 competition at Augusta State.

The Science Olympiad began as a grassroots assembly of science teachers and has evolved into one of the premiere science competitions in the nation, providing rigorous, standards-based challenges to teams from nearly every state. Teams of up to 15 students compete in 46 different events that test knowledge and application in all areas of science and engineering.

It takes much private support to produce the national Science Olympiad. Sponsors who are supporting the event at Augusta State include the ASU Foundation, AT&T, the City of Augusta, PCS Nitrogen, Georgia Power/Southern Company, Bridgestone Firestone of South Carolina, and Lockheed Martin. For more information, contact Dr. William Wellnitz, Olympiad coordinator and professor of biology, at 706-731-7993 or visit http://www.aug.edu/nso/.