Susan Odell Taylor School hosts Science Olympiad

Related Media

RPI graduate student Mitul Shah assists Taylor School student Matthew deNoronha with constructing a suspension bridge designed to hold a chalkboard eraser.

• Taylor School students Alex Smith and Seiji Akera anxiously await the results of their egg drop experiment from Academic Director Kelly Magoolaghan.
• Taylor School Students Delaney Morin, Meredith Gaylord, and Claire Mankin measure the mass of a variety of objects using a pan balance and gram cubes. The students predicted which items were heaviest.

TROY, NY (03/03/2011)(readMedia)-- Students from the Susan Odell Taylor School in grades kindergarten through 6th competed in various scientific experiements last evening at the Troy school. Parents and local experts in the field assisted with the events. For example, researchers from R.P.I. led "operation egg drop", a pilot led the event in "aerodynamics aloft", and an engineer led "building bridges".

The Olympics will continue on Tuesday March 8th, from 2-3:00pm with the preschool and prekindergarten grades doing their scientific explorations during the day.

The events included:

Kindergarten/First Grade Teams:

A-Weigh We Go- Teams of students used a primary balance to test predictions of the weights of common objects. They recorded their results and completed a bar graph to represent their data.

Fill The Bill -Teams of student conducted simulations at four different stations set up to determine which type of "bird beak" is best at catching food in various environments.

Color Explosions-Teams of students worked together to complete two experiments designed to help them discover the properties of different liquids and how they reacted together.

Second/Third Grade Teams:

Color Explosions- see above.

Building Bridges-Teams of students used materials provided to build the longest bridge possible that would support a chalkboard eraser in the center.

Aerodynamics Aloft-Students learned the principles of flight as they designed, built, and tested their own airplanes.

Fourth/Fifth/Sixth Grade Teams:

Aerodynamics Aloft- see above

Operation Egg Drop – Using only the materials provided, teams designed and constructed a package that enabled an egg to survive a fall from a designated drop point without damage to the egg's shell.

Gummi Bear Long Jump- Using a catapult device, students collected data and determined if a Gummi Bear launched at various settings would hit a target area.