Our hope is to spread our enthusiasm to these fine students and that they will spread it to their schools and communities. This is one of the ways that we can make a difference for science education literacy in this country. We hope it is a portent of good things for the future and will create stronger bonds between these institutions. Olympiad competitors will demonstrate their knowledge of science, mathematics and technology as well as problem-solving skills and teamwork while competing in a wide variety of events. Eight events on the University campus are open to the public, including bottle rockets, in which contestants fly rockets made from two-liter plastic pop bottles, and trajectory, in which students use devices of their own creation to launch tennis balls into a target area of sand.
Teams attain a spot in the national tournament by winning local, regional and state events.
It gave me a little more incentive to learn the material, to be prepared for the tests, or to learn the physics or the chemistry that I was applying in the construction events or in the labs. Jeunnette's former team, New Mexico's Albuquerque Academy, is making its sixth consecutive trip to the national tournament this year. A member of the University's cross country and track teams, Jeunnette said competitors experience intense pressure both in academic and athletic contests. Frayed nerves and high tensions also are common at the national tournament. It really depends on the team.