The Kansas Science Olympiad takes place in Wichita Saturday. Students from 30 middle and high schools across the state will compete in events like bridge building, thermodynamics and robotics.
Wichita State University has hosted the Olympiad for 26 years.
The director of WSU's Fairmount Center for Science Education, Greg Novacek, says some events are closed to the public so that all students are tested fairly, but many of the most popular ones are open; like the mouse trap propelled vehicle event, the robot arm event and the event that has participants launch gliders with heavy-duty rubber bands.
The top-performing teams gets to go on to the National Science Olympiad in Dayton, Ohio.
Novaceck says the kids really get into the competition.
"We had a kid that won a medal a few years ago that did a back flip off the stage of the CAC theater. We kind of held our breath as he did that! But they get really excited," he says.
Around 1,100 students and coaches from across the state are expected to be at the event.
More information is available at the Kansas Science Olympiad website.
