Ogden News

Physical Connections is the theme for the 2022 Western Kentucky Physics Olympics on Feb. 19.

WKU’s Department of Physics & Astronomy invites teams of high school students to register by Feb. 14 for the event that will be held in Snell Hall and Kelly Thompson Hall.

Teams of four will participate in the half-day competition consisting of a pentathlon of challenging problem-solving activities that reward teamwork, creativity and communication. Online pre-registration is required; deadline is 4 p.m. Feb. 14. Register at http://physics.wku.edu/olympics/registration.html

Before the on-site competition commences, each team will have completed its efforts for the Graphene Model Delivery event, by having designed, constructed, and safely delivered via the U.S. Postal Service a model of interconnected monolayer of carbon atoms. For ElectroMagnetic Connection each team will demonstrate their ability to construct a battery powered magnet, by lifting the longest magnetically connected collection of paper clips. This year's "Calculation/Communication Challenge" will have one pair of each team providing written instructions so the other pair can accurately recreate three dimensional structures. As usual, the "On-the-Spot Activity" and "Order-of-Magnitude Quiz" will remain cloaked in secrecy until those events commence.

Each of the four contestants on the team with the best score in the overall competition will receive a $500 scholarship to attend WKU. A plaque for the school is presented to the coach of the overall winning team. Medals for the team members will be awarded to the top three teams in the overall competition. Certificates will be awarded to the top three teams in each event.

Additional information about this year’s competition is online at http://physics.wku.edu/olympics/.

Contact: Physics Olympics, olympics@physics.wku.edu