May 10, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact(s):
Capt. John Elolf, United States Air Force Academy, (719) 333-7581
Tom Hutton, University Relations, CU-Colorado Springs, (719) 262-3439

CU-COLORADO SPRINGS, AIR FORCE ACADEMY TO HOST YOUNG SCIENTISTS

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO -- When Steve Jacobs was a kid watching "Mr. Wizard" on television, he never dreamed he would go on to earn three university degrees and star in his own science-focused television show.

But Jacobs, star of the Fox program "Jake's Attic," guest of "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno and resident "stink bomb" expert used science to help him reach his dreams.

Jacobs will join with University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and United States Air Force Academy faculty to inspire more than 2,000 junior- and senior-high schools students from across the county May 18 as part of the National Science Olympiad hosted by CU-Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy.

Jacobs will give the keynote address at the opening ceremonies that begin at 6 p.m. May 18 at the World Arena in Colorado Springs. Teams from all 50 states and Canada will assemble at 5:30 p.m. in preparation for the competition on May 19 to determine the nation's best young scientists.

Speakers in addition to Jacobs include Elizabeth Hoffman, president, University of Colorado; Linda Bunnell Shade, chancellor, CU-Colorado Springs; Brig. Gen. David A. Wagie, dean of faculty, United States Air Force Academy; and Gerard Putz, president, National Science Olympiad. Ron Sega, dean, CU-Colorado Springs College of Engineering and Applied Science will be the Master of Ceremonies.

And while Jacobs isn't saying exactly what he'll do to illustrate science, he's sure to pull something from his extensive bag of tricks.

As a guest on the "Tonight Show," Jacobs devised an experiment with large dill pickle, which he turned into a light bulb. But more than a show, Jacobs was able to illustrate that the pickle's salt and vinegar provide ions to promote current flow.

Jacobs' talk is expected to last about 30 minutes but will serve as kick off for the events that follow including:

· 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Friday, May 18. Students from all 50 states will participate in a "swap meet" where they exchange icons of their respective states. In past years, students have brought inflatable cows representing the state of Wisconsin, cowboy hats representing Texas as well as myriads of pins and other representative examples of their home states.

· 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Saturday May 19. Competitions ranging from the "Robot Ramble" where students construct and operate robots to the "Cow-A-Bungee" where students design a bungee cord drop of an inanimate object are scheduled on the grounds of the CU-Colorado Springs campus, and "The Wright Stuff" where modern airplanes are floated in the USAFA Field House.

· 6:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Saturday May 19. Banquet and awards ceremony for Division B (junior high school and middle school) students. Arnold Hall Theater, U.S. Air Force Academy.

· 8:45 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., Saturday May 19. Banquet and awards ceremony for Division C (senior high school) students. Arnold Hall Theater, U.S. Air Force Academy.

The Science Olympiad is a national, non-profit organization designed to promote scientific literacy among all students, a goal shared by education, business, industry and government. Putz is the science center director for the Macomb (Michigan) Intermediate School District. He designed the competition with Jack C. Cairns, science supervisor, Delaware Department of Education.

The tournament director is R. "Dan" Dandapani, chair of electrical and computer engineering, CU-Colorado Springs College of Engineering and Applied Science.

For more information, visit the web site http://web.uccs.edu/scioly/ or contact Dandapani, (719) 262-3572.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs is the fastest growing university in Colorado, offering 25 bachelor's degrees, 15 master's and two doctoral degrees. The university consists of the colleges of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Nursing, Education and the Graduate School of Public Affairs.