WKU News

Seventeen teams from six area high schools will compete in the 2014 Western Kentucky Physics Olympics on Saturday (Feb. 22).

Teams from Allen County-Scottsville, Bowling Green, Franklin-Simpson, Greenwood, South Warren and Warren Central high schools will compete in the event sponsored by the Department of Physics & Astronomy. The competition consists of a pentathlon of challenging problem-solving activities that reward teamwork, creativity and communication.

This year’s event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at WKU’s Snell Hall, rooms 2113 and 3110.

Each member of the overall top scoring team will receive a $600 scholarship to attend WKU, while members of the overall second-place team will receive a $200 scholarship. Medals for the team members and a plaque for the school will be awarded to the top three teams in the overall competition. Certificates will be awarded to the top three teams in each event.

The 2014 Physics Olympics will begin with two activities that involve competitors arriving at the event ready to compete with devices they have designed, constructed and tested. The Roto Drop event requires each team to design and construct a helicopter type device to safely lower an egg when dropped from a fixed height. For Balloon Rockets each team constructs air-powered racing craft to self-propel along the track for the greatest distance. This year’s “Calculation/ Communication Challenge” is titled Instrumental Navigation and will require each team to divide into pairs and cooperatively direct a flight to its desired destination. The “On-the-Spot Activity” and “Order-of-Magnitude Quiz” will remain a secret until the day of the event.

Contact: Richard Gelderman, (270) 745-6203.