UALR will host the fifth annual Arkansas Science Olympiad from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday, April 18, giving hundreds of Arkansas middle and high school students the chance to participate in the National Science Olympiad.

The Science Olympiad was previously schedule for March 7, but had to be rescheduled due to winter weather conditions.

The theme of the state competition is “Mad Scientists and Eccentric Geniuses” and encourages students to pursue all STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) disciplines while exposing them to practicing scientists and career choices.

Students will explore topics such as cellular biology, astronomy, and environmental sustainability among others.

The Science Olympiad utilizes a team problem-solving approach. Each team consists of up to 15 students who prepare for months prior to the competition. Two to three students per team compete in each event.

Over 27 teams will compete in the state competition according to Dr. Eric Kaufmann, state director of Arkansas Science Olympiad and a professor of mathematics and statistics in the UALR College of Science and Mathematics.

The state competition begins at 8:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony and the competitions run until approximately 3:45 p.m. when the closing ceremony begins.

This year, Olympiad will also feature “Awesome Science” experiments by Kevin Delaney, director of visitor experience at the Museum of Discovery. Delaney has showcased his presentation on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The closing ceremony will include a presentation of medals to the winning teams in each event, and a presentation of trophies for the top three teams in each division.

The top teams will go to Nebraska to compete in the national Olympiad in May at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

For more information, go to the Arkansas Science Olympiad website or contact state tournament co-chairs, Kaufmann at erkaufmann@ualr.edu or Tony Hall at tahall@ualr.edu.