BINGHAMTON, NY -- Binghamton University will host the 34th annual NYS Odyssey of the Mind Finals on Saturday, March 23. The competition theme this year is “Monster Mash.”

Competition begins at 8:00 a.m. in various locations on the University campus including the University Union, West Gym, C4, the Anderson Center and the Events Center. Odyssey of the Mind organizers expect more than 4,000 people to attend the event.

In keeping with the theme, special exhibits will be open from several local organizations including Roberson, Kopernik, the Binghamton Zoo and the Odyssey Mascot, OMER will be roaming campus to greet teams.

The Odyssey State Tournament will close with an awards ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Events Center.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Students apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state and world level.

New York State has the largest number of Odyssey of the Mind participants in the United States. For more information and a full schedule, see the New York State Odyssey of the Mind website at http://www.nysoma.org/.