Volpe Center: Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School wins the 1999 Massachusetts Science Olympiad

Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School wins the 1999 Massachusetts Science Olympiad

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In a daylong event on Saturday, March 20, the students from 30 public and private high schools participated in this year's competition at Framingham State College. The Science Olympiad is a national competition with over 12,000 K-12 schools participating across the nation. There are 3 levels of competition: Regional, State, and National.

Events at the Science Olympiad cover all aspects of science including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Nature, and Communication Skills. Most of the events involve a team of people taking a test, doing a lab, testing a construction, and/or running a contraption. The majority of events test how well students apply the scientific method, as well as their own ingenuity.

John Hopkins, Peter Osgood, and Dick Chutter of the Volpe Center worked with the Rindge students present at the Olympiad on their various projects. Each school was permitted to enter up to 12 students in 21 events. At the beginning of each event, participating students were given a page of instructions with clues on how to solve a particular science problem. These events varied from Practical Data Gathering, to Cell Biology, Water Quality, Physics Lab, Disease Detectives (which required the students to apply the principles of epidemiology in order to solve a problem), to Write-It/Do-It (a technical writing exercise). The enthusiasm of the students at the Olympiad was contagious and all seemed to have a good time.

As a result of their good work, Rindge students who participated in the 1999 Massachusetts Science Olympiad recently found out they have just been invited to participate in the National Science Olympiad Competition!

An article appeared in the last Volpe Voice about Cambridge Rindge School of Technical Arts students who participated in a class that challenged them to design, model, and test an emergency exit that will provide an improved method of unattended evacuation of rail passenger coaches. Along with Dick Chutter, Stephanie Markos participated in this class. During the course, Stephanie stressed to the Rindge students that there are many issues associated with assisting the traveling public in emergency situations. In particular, she demonstrated the importance of exit signs and their design.

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