Indiana Science Olympiad at IUB March 23

COAS’ Tina Gilliland directs the state competition that elevates brain power to Olympian proportions

By Rose McIlveen

“It cost Indiana University, specifically my department, the repair money to fix that floor. I knew from experience that these students didn’t intend to cause any damage,” said Tina Gilliland, for whom troubleshooting is only part of the job description.

Gilliland, who will oversee the 2002 Indiana Science Olympiad on Saturday, March 23, on the IU Bloomington campus is both the project coordinator for Undergraduate and Science Outreach Programs in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, as well as director of the Indiana Science Olympiad.

Planning for the invasion of some 1,000 middle and high school science buffs is old hat to Gilliland, who’s been working with the state Science Olympiad for a decade. Teams from Hoosier schools compete in 36 science events, and awards are given out at the end of the day.

Preparation for the state competition include months of scheduling, fund-raising and volunteer recruitment. Nearly 300 volunteers are culled from IU faculty, staff and students, and others from the community, including event coordinators from the Crane Naval Base and the “eyes and ears” of the Bloomington Amateur Radio Club, all of whom pitch in to make the competition a success.

“We’re dependent on the radio club,” said Gilliland. “They are my eyes and ears all over campus. They help me solve many problems without having to even step into a building.”

Students who will participate in the state Science Olympiad are winners from seven regional contests held at IU Southeast, IU Northwest, Butler University, Purdue-West Lafayette and Calumet, Goshen College and St. Joseph’s College. Competition covers every aspect of science—biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, engineering, earth and atmospheric sciences and geology.

Winners will get the privilege of competing in the national Science Olympiad.

Are the months of planning worth the production?

“Yes, it is,” said Gilliland. “It is worth every minute because, just for a moment, those kids are winners in the science venue. They are Olympians.

“When you can make a difference in a young, aspiring scientist’s life with just a broken floor tile once in a while, I guess it is truly worth it.”

http://www.indiana.edu/~coasinfo/science/olympiad/