Hundreds of young students from across the state descended on the University of Mary Washington campus last Saturday to test their skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as part of a Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) competition.

The event brought together “Olympians” from third grade through high school to showcase their STEM skills in practical and creative ways – such as the “Bungee Drop,” where participants designed elastic cords to conduct drops from given heights. In “Wind Power,” homemade devices measured voltage and were tested on the principles of alternative energy. In “Crime Busters,” students were given a scenario, evidence and possible suspects to perform a series of tests to solve a crime.

Rigorous standards were applied to each of this year’s 24 categories, including Air Trajectory, Ecology, Potions and Poisons, Fossils, Disease Detectives and Astronomy. Judges timed the teams, collected measurements, scrutinized entries for parameter violations or missing log data and marked score sheets.

“We are so grateful to be able to host such talented students from across Virginia in our facilities for another year,” said UMW Senior Lecturer of Biology Michael Stebar, who helped coordinate the event on campus. “Mary Washington has a proud history of hosting this competition, which helps reinforce our commitment as a public university to meet the needs of the Commonwealth.” Read more.

The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of about 4,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Virginia, which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers.