September 28, 200

Contact: Lynn Elfner (614) 488-2228

Ohio Academy of Science

Ohio State to host 54^th Annual State Science Day

Schottenstein Center site of high school ‘academic championship’

COLUMBUS -- The 54th annual State Science Day will take place on May 11, 2002, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of The Ohio State University.

Ohio State President William E. Kirwan, in a recent letter to Ohio Academy of Science Chief Executive Officer Lynn Elfner, lauded State Science Day as an exemplar of the important ways that Ohioans honor the extraordinary accomplishments of the many high school students and teachers who maintain the highest standards of inquiry-based science teaching and learning. State Science Day is the pinnacle of student originated, inquiry-based science education for Ohio’s students, Kirwan said.

The academic equivalent of a state athletic championship, this year’s event is one of the largest of its kind in the nation. Drawing from a base of 35,000 student participants at more than 1,000 local science fairs, approximately 850 seventh- to 12th-grade students from nearly 300 schools will be evaluated on their scientific research and communication skills. The students will compete for nearly 100 scholarships and awards valued at more than $150,000.

More than 40,000 students have participated in the annual event since it was first held in 1949. State Science Day is sponsored by The Ohio Academy of Science, American Electric Power, and The Ohio Environmental Education Fund. As event host, Ohio State will offer open houses for families and teachers by various academic departments and research centers. Sarah Sieling, who organizes Ohio’s Science Olympiad, is Ohio State’s Science Day site coordinator. Questions about State Science Day may be directed to Mr. Lynn Elfner, Executive Director of the Ohio Academy of Science, at (614) 488-2228.

A web site has been established for information and updates. The URL is: http://statescienceday.osu.edu/

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