The university will welcome nearly 700 middle and high school students who possess both strong academic achievements and great interest in STEM fields at the annual event, part of a national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition. NJIT has hosted the regional gathering since 2007.
At the NJSO, more than three dozen student teams from Northern New Jersey will compete in more than 20 hands-on competitions called “events,” which test skills on a range of subjects from anatomy and physiology and invasive species to optics and wind power.
The teams work on their projects in NJIT classrooms with coaching from their science teachers. NJIT professors and student volunteers, along with representatives from UPS, PSE&G and Northrop Grumman Corp., will supervise some events.
Team registration and event impound will begin at 8:20 a.m., followed by event sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. and award presentations starting at 3:30 p.m.
“The Science Olympiad brings together hundreds of students interested in STEM for a fun day of team competitions,” said Suzanne Berliner Heyman, director for program operations and outreach at the Center for Pre-College Programs, which coordinates the NJSO. “It also exposes the students to NJIT, a top-ranked national university, and its prominent professors, which we hope further spurs their interest in STEM.”
Some of the NJSO competitions include:
- Wind Power: Teams will build a blade assembly that consists of any kind of propeller/pinwheel/rotor attached to a CD, which will be used to capture wind power.
- Write It/Do It: A technical writing exercise where students write a description of a contraption and other students will attempt to recreate it using only the written description.
For a full list of contests, visit:
- For Middle School: http://njscienceolympiad.org/events/b/descriptions/
- For High School: http://njscienceolympiad.org/events/c/descriptions
Participating high schools by county:
- Bergen: Bergen County Academies (2 teams), Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington),
- Pascack Hills
- Essex: Golda Och Academy (West Orange), Livingston (2 teams), Millburn, Montclair
- Hudson: Rising Star Academy (Union City)
- Morris: Mendham, Montville, Morris Hills, Parsippany, Parsippany Hills
- Passaic: Al-Ghazaly (Wayne), West Milford
- Somerset: Hillsborough
- Sussex: Sparta
- Union: Westfield
Participating middle schools by county:
- Bergen: Alpine, Eisenhower (Wyckoff), Tenakill (Closter)
- Essex: Buzz Aldrin (Montclair), Glenfield (Montclair), Golda Och Academy (West Orange),
- Heritage (Livingston), Renaissance at Rand (Montclair)
- Hudson: Hoboken Dual Language Charter, Rising Star Academy (Union City)
- Morris: Mount Olive, Randolph, Robert R. Lazar (Montville)
- Passaic: Al-Ghazaly (Wayne), Paterson Academy for the Gifted and Talented
- Somerset: Montgomery Upper (Skillman), Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter (Somerset),
- Central Jersey College Prep Charter (Somerset)
- Union: Roosevelt Intermediate (Westfield)
Participating elementary schools by county:
- Monmouth: Avon (new to NJIT)
For more information, visit www.njscienceolympiad.org.
About NJIT
One of the nation's leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century.
NJIT's multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,400 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering, and cybersecurity, in addition to others.
NJIT ranks 5th among U.S. polytechnic universities in research expenditures, topping $121 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey.