Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) brought more than 500 middle school and high school students to Westminster College on Saturday for the Missouri Science Olympiad.
"The Board of Directors and I are extremely excited about the opportunities that moving to Westminster College present to us," Patty Palmietto, State Olympiad Director, said in a press release. "Because of the well-kept secret of Westminster's beauty and fabulous college, we will not have to compete for rooms and spaces, and with the smaller campus, students will not have to go as far for the changing of rooms during competitions. Their new Science Center is truly a sight to see. Very large and spacious labs with great working lab areas."
The statewide STEM was previously held at the University of Missouri, but Westminster will play host for the next five years. Teams that already won at the district and regional level competed in areas of forensics, bridge building, geological mapping, bungee drops, rocket building and more, according to a Westminster College press release.
"These competitions are student-centered activities as each project presents teams with problems they must solve independently," Westminster Education Professor Jim Concannon said in a press release. "They collect evidence and then draw conclusions that will lead to successful outcomes."