Curiosity, creativity, research and problem solving are just some of the elements that combine providing middle- and high-school students with the unique ex-

Eisenhower Middle School sixth-graders Lazaro Nunez-Monreal and Rachael Johnson work on the Crime Busters event at the Regional Science Olympiad Competition held at Rock Valley College. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

perience that is Science Olympiad.

Recently, the Science Olympiad team from Eisenhower Middle School in Rockford participated in the Illinois Midwest regional tournament at Rock Valley College. The 32 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students competed against teams from other Illinois middle schools in the following science topics: Life, Personal and Social Science; Earth and Space Science, Physical Science and Chemistry; Technology and Engineering and Inquiry and Nature of Science. Some of the Eisenhower team members do research and take tests in these science topics; while others partner up to build rockets or other hands on science projects.

Angela Doss, a science teacher at Eisenhower and Elizabeth Russo, a professor of life science at Rock Valley College are the volunteer coaches for the program, which is in its sixth year at EMS. Russo started the Eisenhower team and also began a team at Guilford High School three years ago. Doss sees Science Olympiad as a way to expand the current middle school science curriculum.

“There are many science topics that middle school students would not get the opportunity to explore and learn about until high school or even college,” she said. “Most of the topics are advanced and rigorous for this age group, which prepares them and enhances their academic success.”

Russo agrees and says that sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders are excited to explore new subjects which is one of the goals of Science Olympiad.

“Middle school is an important time where students are open to new ideas and they are beginning to decide what their interests are and what they will do in the future. Science Olympiad offers students a hands-on, personal experience with science. Students can pursue topics of interest in a focused environment. They are also being exposed to many other topics and events by watching what is going on around them, during the weekly meetings and at the competitions,” she said.

Preparing for the Science Olympiad regional tournament means twice weekly practices for the Eisenhower students; after school and on Saturday mornings at the RVC Jacobs Center for Science and Math.

Russo is part of a team that plans for the tournament months in advance of the March date.

“The other regional tournament directors are Natalie Bader and Ryan Daylen from Harlem High School, Mike Manke from Rockford Christian Middle School and Fred Kunz who is retired from the Rockford School District. We are responsible for organizing the 46 events (23 for middle school and 23 for high school). That means we must find event supervisors who will write/facilitate each event and prepare all the equipment and supplies needed for each event. We are also very pleased to have ThermoFisher contribute funds to the Science Olympiad program,” she said.

Science Olympiad coaches, directors and volunteers are most rewarded by seeing students actively engaged in learning about science and the world around them. At this year’s tournament, some students donned safety goggles, gloves and lab coats to participate in Crime Busters.

For this event, students are given forensic evidence in order to solve the ‘crime’ that has been committed and convict the ‘culprit.’

“Crime Busters teaches you how to identify different powders, metals, liquids, fibers, hair, DNA and fingerprints along with learning about different crime scene techniques used in the real world. We also have to learn effective time management,” said Eisenhower eighth-grader, Cara Conner.

In the Bottle Rocket event, EMS seventh-grader, Sophia Durbin used a two liter pop bottle and other household items to construct a launchable rocket.

“It’s fun to do the experiments, I like to build things and I like seeing what the other kids are working on,” she said.

Durbin participated in the Bio-Process Lab event in addition to Bottle Rocket.

This is the first year that Jackson Durso, a sixth-grader at Eisenhower has participated in Science Olympiad. His events at the tournament included: Air Trajectory, Experimental Design and Bridge Building.

“With Bridge Building, you have to try different methods when constructing your bridge. I like the trial-and-error part of this event, because you can learn from your mistakes,” he said.

Experimental Design, Elastic Launch Glider, Disease Detectives and Food Science rounded out Eisenhower eighth-grader Dori Russo’s Science Olympiad tournament day. Russo said her favorite event was Food Science.

“During the competition, you get to make food. This year, it’s dairy products, so after we make the foods, we have to take a test on dairy products. I think it is interesting to learn about the chemistry of food and what causes things to spoil,” she said.

Another interestingly named Science Olympiad event is the Scrambler.

“Scrambler is an event where the students build a device called an Egg Transport Vehicle, that has a large grade A uncooked egg mounted to its front,” Doss said. “The vehicle should then travel a distance of 9-12 meters along a straight track as fast as possible. The device should stop as close as it can to the center of the terminal barrier; going as straight as possible without hitting the wall.”

Win or lose, the Eisenhower Middle School Science Olympiad team logged a full day of learning and fun made possible by the volunteer efforts of the coaches, organizers and event facilitators.

With Rockford’s large manufacturing industry, Doss is eager to recruit volunteers from the fields of engineering, science and technology who can serve as event facilitators for upcoming seasons of Science Olympiad.

“Volunteers from the community play a vital role in the success of this program. We have two professors from surrounding colleges/universities and a retired engineer who all help in various ways to enrich the program. But we are always looking for more professionals in the science/technology field to help with Science Olympiad,” she said. “I think those who are invested in our program will see the return on this investment as the students in Science Olympiad go on to pursue future careers in technology, engineering, science and manufacturing therefore bringing this talent back to the Rockford area.