BINGHAMTON, NY – Binghamton University will host the Southern Tier Science Olympiad competition, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at various locations on campus.

Hundreds of area high school students, representing more than 15 schools, will face off in a day-long series of contests designed to test their knowledge in diverse fields such as chemistry, cell biology, structural engineering, astrophysics and mathematics. A total of 20 different events, held in locations across the campus such as the East Gym and the Lecture Hall, will test students' engineering and scientific skills. A closing ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. in Lecture Hall 1. 

The winning teams will move on to the state competition at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., on March 11-12, and to the national competition at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis., on May 20-21.

The Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education and creating a passion for science. The Olympiad provides recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. The mission of the Science Olympiad is "to promote and improve student interest in science and to improve the quality of K-12 science education throughout the nation."

This event is sponsored by the Binghamton University Chemistry Department and the Binghamton section of the American Chemical Society.

For more information, contact Paul Tanui at ptanui@binghamton.edu, or call 607-777-4205 (office) or 607-761-4999 (cell).