Middle and high school students from seven counties will converge on The University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the regional competition of the N.C. Science Olympiad Feb. 26.

The competition will take place between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. inside the Science Building and the Health and Human Performance Building and outside Elliott University Center. In the event of snow, the Olympiad will be held March 19.

Teams of no more than 18 students will compete in events including building a battery-powered vehicle to traverse a specific course; testing a white powder to determine as many properties as possible; reading maps; and solving astronomy problems. Teams from Alamance, Chatham, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Rockingham and Stokes counties are expected to attend.

Dr. Robert Muir, UNCG associate professor of physics and astronomy, said, “The Science Olympiad provides students that have an interest in science an opportunity to compete and to receive recognition of their achievements. It is a nice counterpoint to athletic competition and recognition.”

The top performers in this regional tournament will compete in the state tournament held at North Carolina State University April 15-16. The top two middle and high school teams at the state tournament will go on to the 2005 National Tournament.

For more information, visit the website for the N.C. Olympiad.