BOZEMAN — Nearly 900 middle and high school students from 80 teams across Montana will compete at the Montana Science Olympiad State Tournament, set for Friday, April 19, at Montana State University. The event features competitions in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines.
Teams from Belgrade, Billings, Bozeman, Chinook, Choteau, Clancy, Conrad, Corvallis, Darby, East Helena, Ennis, Fergus, Fromberg, Gallatin Gateway, Hamilton, Hardin, Harrison, Helena, Huntley Project, Kalispell, Laurel, Lewistown, Libby, Livingston, Manhattan, Noxon, Reed Point, Roundup, Shepherd, Sidney, Thompson Falls and Whitefish, among other communities, are slated to participate.
A full list of participating teams is available on the Montana Science Olympiad website at montana.edu/smrc/mtso/school_teams.html#team_numbersB.
The Montana Science Olympiad is one of the largest STEM competitions in the state, with middle and high school students participating in events related to life sciences, chemistry, engineering and more. MSU’s Science Math Resource Center, part of the College of Education, Health and Human Development, hosts the annual state tournament.
Two MSU students who previously participated in the Science Olympiad – Addie Rohlman and Amanda Boelman – are helping organize the event. Rohlman serves as a student intern for the Science Olympiad and is president of the Science Olympiad Student Club, while Boelman is the club’s vice president.
Students from schools from across the state register for the Montana Science Olympiad as a team, with pairs or trios of students competing in individual events. Students can earn medals, and the school with the highest cumulative score wins the state championship. The state champions are eligible to compete at the national tournament, which will be hosted this spring at Michigan State University.