For the 14th year in a row, NJIT will host the New Jersey Science Olympiad (NJSO). The university expects upward of 700 middle and high school students on campus Jan. 6, 2020, (snow date Jan. 13) for the event, which is part of a national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition. Participants must possess both strong academic achievements and a great interest in the STEM fields.
Forty-four student teams from throughout New Jersey will compete in 19 hands-on activities (or “events”) that will test their skills in a range of STEM subjects, from experimental design to geologic mapping to protein modeling and more. They will work together to perfect their projects, with coaching from their science teachers, in classrooms and other locations across the NJIT campus. NJIT professors and student volunteers, along with representatives from Merck, Northrop Grumman, PSE&G and Stryker, will serve as supervisors.
The day will begin with team registration and event impound at 8:20 a.m., followed by event sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. and award presentations starting at 3:30 p.m. Based on event scores, six winning teams from both the middle and high school divisions will be selected to move on to the statewide Science Olympiad, where they can then potentially advance to the national competition.
“As we head into our 14th year of hosting the NJSO Regional at NJIT, we look forward to having some of New Jersey’s brightest middle school and high school students on campus to compete in scientific, technological and engineering challenges,” said Suzanne Berliner Heyman, director for program operations and outreach at the Center for Pre-College Programs, which coordinates the NJSO. “We are excited to have eight new middle and high schools that will be competing in the Olympiad for the first time, and we are running some new events this year, such as Ornithology and The Garden State.”
Among the 2020 NJSO competitions are:
• Boomilever: Teams will design and build a boomilever to support a minimum load and achieve the highest structural efficiency.
• Disease Detective: Teams will use investigative skills in the scientific study of disease, injury, health and disability in populations or groups of people.
• Experimental Design: Teams will be given a set of unknown objects to design, conduct, analyze and write up an experiment.
• Machines: Teams will complete a written test on simple and compound machine concepts and construct a lever-based measuring device prior to the tournament to determine the ratio between two masses.
• Ornithology: Participants will be assessed on their knowledge of North American birds.
• The Garden State (trial): Participants will use content knowledge and process skills to complete tasks and answer questions about best environmental practices related to gardening and agriculture, as well as questions about New Jersey as the Garden State.
Participating high schools by county:
Bergen: Applied Technology (Paramus), Bergen County Technical (Teterboro), Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township)
Essex: Golda Och Academy (West Orange), Millburn
Hudson: High Tech (Secaucus), Rising Star Academy (Union City)
Mercer: Princeton International School of Math & Science
Monmouth: High Technology (Lincroft)
Morris: Mendham, Montville, Morris Hills, Parsippany, Randolph
Passaic: Al-Ghazaly (Wayne), Paterson Arts and Science Charter School, West Milford
Somerset: Academy for Health and Medical Sciences (Bridgewater), Bridgewater-Raritan Regional, Central Jersey College Prep Charter School (Somerset), Hillsborough
Union: Hillside, Union County Vocational-Technical (Scotch Plains), Westfield
Participating middle schools by county:
Bergen: Alpine, Ben Franklin (Ridgewood), Eisenhower (Wyckoff), Haworth, Hackensack, Tenakill (Closter)
Essex: Glenfield (Montclair), Golda Och Academy (West Orange), Hoboken Charter School, Maria L. Varisco-Rogers Charter (Newark), Renaissance at Rand (Montclair)
Hudson: Hoboken Dual Language Charter, Rising Star Academy (Union City)
Morris: Randolph, Robert R. Lazar (Montville)
Passaic: Al-Ghazaly (Wayne), Macopin (West Milford)
Somerset: Central Jersey College Prep Charter School (Somerset), Montgomery Upper (Skillman)
Union: Carl H. Kumpf (Clark)
For more information, visit njscienceolympiad.org.
For a full list of contests, visit:
• https://www.njscienceolympiad.org/events/b/descriptions/
• https://www.njscienceolympiad.org/events/c/descriptions/
