How tall can students build a tower of cards without using tape, glue or other material? Find out the answer at this year’s Science Olympics which is scheduled for Saturday, March 17, starting at 10am at Mount Saint Agnes Academy. The friendly competition will see more than 100 students participate from government and private schools. The competition allows teams of up to five students to test their science skill and ideas to develop creative solutions to problems.

Science Olympics organiser, Charlene White, said, “For the past six years MSA has been sponsoring the Science Olympics. Any Bermuda school offering science instruction to students at the primary and middle school level is invited to participate.” She added the competition includes four events, one of which is pre-planned. Students will work on the pre-planned project before the day of the competition to determine the best possible answer and be judged on the day of the Science Olympics. The other three events are given to the groups on the day of the competition where they will test their science knowledge and ingenuity.

This year’s pre-planned event for primary school is the Card Tower. Students will have up to 104 playing cards to build the highest structure without the use of glue, tape or other material that may hold the cards together. However, scissors may be used to cut the cards.

The middle school teams will build a pasta bridge that has to span 75cm. Students will have to build the bridge deck big enough to allow a single 8cm tall, and 8cm wide vehicle to pass from one end of the bridge to the other. The bridges will then be tested for load support on the centre of the bridge with weight being added every three seconds until the bridge fails.

Ms. White said, “The competition promotes skills important not only in Science but in all subject areas-collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It provides an opportunity for students in public and private schools to have some fun doing science.”

Schools participating in this year’s event include BHS, MSA, and Saltus in the middle school competition and BHS, MSA, Northlands, Port Royal, Purvis, Saltus and Somerset in the Primary School Division.