Dr. Martin Eggensperger
POCAHONTAS, AR. Oct. 29– Dr. Martin Eggensperger, Black River Technical College president, is serving on the Arkansas Science Olympiad Board of Directors, as the Associate State Director, and as the Higher Education Representative. Eggensperger has served on the board since its inception in Arkansas in 2011 and has served as an applied science and physics judge at the state competition almost every year.
According the website, “Science Olympiad is a nationwide organization dedicated to promoting science education through conducting competitive science tournaments.” Every year students from Arkansas schools compete as a team in Science Olympiad tournaments; the tournaments test students’ knowledge and skills in biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, and technology. Students competing in the Olympiad also have the opportunity to see demonstrations conducted by professors and scientists at the host institution.
Overall winners at the state competition compete at the national level, and winners at the national level generally are given scholarships to an ivy league or other prestigious university. In fact, several Arkansas students have gone on to the ivy league universities after competing in the Olympiad.
The upcoming state competition is slated for Saturday April 3, 2020, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Olympiad will be adapting its competition procedures.
For more information about the Arkansas Science Olympiad, visit https://ualr.edu/scienceolympiad/, and for more information about Black River Technical College’s course offerings, visit the website.