BINGHAMTON, NY – Binghamton University will host the 37th annual NYS Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Finals starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 2, in various locations on campus, including the University Union, Lecture Hall, West Gym, Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4), the Anderson Center and the Events Center.  

The theme for this year’s event is "weather." Special exhibits will be open from several local organizations, including the Ross Park Zoo, Roberson Museum, the Binghamton Amateur Radio Association/SKYWARN and the National Weather Service. Attendees can expect to see a showcase of creativity from the teams that qualified to advance from the 17 regional tournaments held throughout the state.

OM organizers expect more than 4,000 people to attend the event, as New York state has the largest number of OM participants in the country. The Odyssey State Tournament will close with an awards ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Events Center.  Students then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state and world level. All first place, second place, and Ranatra Fusca winners will go on to the World Finals in May at Iowa State University.

OM 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.

For more information and a full schedule, visit the New York State OM website at http://www.nysoma.org/.