SALINA — Teams from 25 schools will participate in a regional Kansas Science Olympiad hosted by Kansas State University Salina Wednesday, Jan. 11.

The Kansas Science Olympiad is a statewide competition that challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge, ability and skills in all areas of science, with competitions in biology, physics, chemistry, earth science, engineering and inquiry.

Competitions include everything from written tests and lab experiments to building structures and robots.

The Salina regional competition, will feature more than 400 students and 50 coaches. It consists of Division B for grades 6-9, and Division C for grades 9-12. Team members usually compete in pairs and enter about four events each.

Although individual victories are essential, teamwork plays a large part in the competition.”This is truly a team sport,” said Don Von Bergen, head of the department of arts, science and business at K-State Salina. “Advancement to the next level of competition rests on the team’s ability to excel in many events, not just a few. This takes a team effort as one student can only compete in a maximum of four of the 23 events.”Along with promoting teamwork, the goals of Kansas Science Olympiad are to increase the interest and proficiency of Kansas students in the study of science, to recognize outstanding student and teacher achievements in science, and to improve the quality of science education in Kansas.”The Science Olympiad makes science fun and competitive, while giving the students an opportunity to be formally recognized and rewarded for their academic abilities and efforts on a regional, state and, for some, a national level,” Von Bergen said.

This is the 28th year of Science Olympiad. K-State Salina has been host to a regional competition for 19 years.”This event doesn’t happen without help from many willing volunteers from the community and within the university,” Von Bergen said.In addition to K-State Salina, other regional Olympiads will be in Garden City, Hays, Lenexa, and Wichita.