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Young scientists travel near and far for tournament
(by Sue Hoffman - February 18, 2009)
Young scientists travel near and far for tournament
By SUE HOFFMAN
Solon High School and Solon Middle School were buzzing with excitement recently as hundreds of young science buffs got together from as far away as Georgia and suburban Philadelphia for a Science Olympiad invitational tournament.
Events ranging from model airplane races and elevated bridges to science crime busters were going on throughout the schools.
"I know Drew Kirian runs an excellent meet," Mary Wilde, a teacher and coach from Booth Middle School in Peach Tree City, Ga., said of the middle school tournament. "You've got to travel, and we wanted to go where it was snowy and cold." Cleveland was the natural choice, she said, and the students weren't disappointed, with several inches of snow on the ground. Booth Middle School, which earned national championships nine years, placed fifth in the nation last spring.
That's when the Solon Middle School team, coached by Mr. Kirian for 21 years, took first-place among middle school teams, and the Solon High School team, coached by Donna Ross for 11 years, took second in the nation among high schools.
With ninth-graders who previously served on the winning middle school team now on the high school teams, senior co-captains Alex Chaitoff and James Gao expressed enthusiasm.
"I think our team is really strong," said James, who took sixth place nationally in "Herpetology," the study of reptiles and amphibians. "It's crunch time, and everyone is competing harder."
"We have an unusually talented sophomore class," said Alex, who focuses his talents on the "Remote Sensing" and "Earth Science" events and medaled in "Oceanography" at nationals. "We're kicking into gear as we approach the state tournament."
While Solon High School doesn't reveal its scores or take trophies at its own tournament, the school's two teams took first and second place at last weekend's invitational tournament in Mentor. Mentor won the Solon High School invitational.
On paper, Solon's two middle school teams came in first and third at the Solon invitational, and Booth Middle School took second place.
"We don't give trophies out to our kids," Mr. Kirian said. So Booth went home with a first-place trophy.
"Overall, this team is very focused, and they showed a lot of talent," Mr. Kirian said about his team. "It's one of the most talented and positive teams I ever had. Our goal is to make it back to nationals and give everyone a run for their money."
Several new events at the high school level have added to the excitement this year, Mrs. Ross said. They include: "Egg-o-naut," in which a bottle rocket is launched with a raw egg in it; "Elevated Bridge," in which students construct a bridge to hold heavy mass; and "Trajectory," in which participants construct a device that hurls a mass at a set target.
Among the new events at the middle school, Solon eighth-graders Thomas Yi and Tony Zhu had built a bridge out of balsa wood for "Elevated Bridges."
"Balsa is lighter than most woods and is still sturdy," said Thomas. The bridge is judged on the height and efficiency of the bridge, he said.
It's designed to hold over 1,000 times its weight, Tony said.
Inside the classroom, a bridge was being tested. A block of wood attached to a bucket of sand was placed on the bridge, and more and more sand was added. All eyes were on the bridge, which finally collapsed.
In the snowy field outside the high school, Claire Dorsett, a junior at Chardon High School who won several medals at nationals two years ago, was getting ready for "Egg-o-naut." On a 2-liter bottle, she stacked empty yogurt cups that would serve as a capsule for the egg. She also attached a parachute to the capsule. In "Egg-o-naut," the idea is to have the longest time in the air, said Claire, whose bottle rocket glided gracefully to the snow in about 10 seconds, egg intact.
An invitational tournament is a "learning experience," Chardon parent coach Linda O'Donnell said. "We see how we compete with others." Chardon's team has learned well, going to nationals three times.
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