Lee hosted a regional Science Olympiad tournament for the first time. Each team, made of up to 15 students in middle or high school, competed in 23 events based on the subjects of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology.
“My goal for the students at the tournament was first and foremost to have fun but to also realize how exciting science can be,” said Dr. Lori West, the regional tournament event coordinator and associate professor of biology at Lee.
The participating middle schools were Athens City Middle School, Blount Home Education Association, Christ’s Legacy Academy and Girls Preparatory School. High school teams included Cedar Springs Christian, GPS, Hixson High, Christ’s Legacy Academy, Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, and individual students from Walker Valley High School and The King’s Academy.
In the middle school division, Athens City placed first, while Blount Home Education Association placed second. Cedar Springs Christian placed first in the high school division. All teams received a trophy and will advance to the state tournament on April 11.
“We had overwhelming support from the faculty, staff, and students of Lee, along with several community members,” said Dr. West. “We could not have done this event without the help of so many.”
Faculty and staff that served as event coordinators, developed or monitored event exams, and/or helped run the tournament included Dr. Blayne Carroll, Mrs. Kate Chapmann, Dr. Ben Christmann, Dr. Jonathan Cornett, Dr. Joe Daft, Dr. Paul DeLaluz, Mrs. Courtney DeLay, Dr. Michael Freake, Dr. John Hearn, Dr. John Hisey, Dr. Mike Iosia, Dr. Sherry Kasper, Dr. David Pigg, Dr. Sarah Schlosser, Mrs. Allison Sneed, Dr. Lori West, and Dr. Robert West.
Community members that helped make it possible, according to West, are Jennifer Baker (Bayer), Matt Baker (Benchmark), Kelly Cox (Lee Alum), Janice Griffin (NRC), Matt Lawson (Lee Alum), Doug Simpkins (NRC) Larry Stinnett (Former TVA), and Chris West (Salient).
Over 100 Lee NSM (Natural Science & Mathematics) students also helped to run and evaluate events as well as set up and take down.
Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing male, female and minority interest in science, creating a technologically-literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. These goals are achieved by participating in Science Olympiad tournaments and non-competitive events, incorporating Science Olympiad into classroom curriculum and attending teacher training institutes.
Dr. West, a native of East Tennessee, joined the Lee University faculty in the department of Natural Science and Mathematics in the fall of 2006. Since at Lee, she has taught courses such as Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Biotechnology. Along with her involvement in Science Olympiad, Dr. West has been actively involved in science education at the secondary and elementary level through several grants (MIB, MIB 2.0, and E=MC2) funded by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
For more information on Science Olympiad, please visit www.soinc.org or contact Dr. West at lwest@leeuniversity.edu.