Middle schoolers to compete in Alaska Science Olympiad

Middle schoolers to compete in Alaska Science Olympiad

The Alaska Science Olympiad Division B will convene March 27-28 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Troth Yeddha' Campus.

The olympiad is part of a nationwide competition consisting of hands-on, team-based tournaments designed to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Science Olympiad Division B includes students ranging from grades 6-8.

Approximately 120 students from 11 middle schools across Alaska will form 12 teams to compete in 17 events. Students will travel to Fairbanks from Palmer, Kenai, Seldovia, Cordova, Minto, Valdez, Nome and Utqiaġvik to compete with Fairbanks North Star Borough students.

Contests include not only written tests but also construction challenges. Students will build a boomilever (a cantilevered beam or truss structure), a helicopter, a scrambler (a device that transports an egg safely along a track) and a hovercraft.

The Alaska Science Olympiad gives Alaska middle school students a chance to experience a taste of college campus life. They'll sleep overnight in UAF dormitories, eat in the Wood Center dining hall and visit several campus buildings and the Student Recreation Center for the competition events.

The public is welcome to watch the tournament's "build" events at the Patty Center on Friday. The boomilever and helicopter events take place concurrently between 8 a.m. and noon. Scrambler and hovercraft events take place from 1-5 p.m.

The first place winning team will advance to compete nationally at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, on May 22-23, 2026.

The Alaska Science Olympiad is organized by the Alaska National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the UAF College of Engineering and Mines, the UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics and the UAF Makerspace.

Sponsors of Alaska Science Olympiad include ConocoPhillips, Alaska 529, the Alaska Blue Economy Center, the UAF College of Engineering and Mines, the Alaska IDeA Network of Biological Research Excellence, UAF faculty member Brian Rasley and UAF Residence Life.

You can learn more about the Alaska Science Olympiad on the website.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Tara Borland, Alaska EPSCoR associate director, [email protected]; Courtney Breest, Alaska EPSCoR outreach coordinator, [email protected]