No Pressure, Right?
by Anthony Lowdnes, The Groundwater Foundation
I stepped into the
role of Program Manager at The Groundwater Foundation in mid-January of 2015,
knowing I would face some challenges and pressures. Part of my responsibilities
was coordinating a project involving Science Olympiad (SO) and a trial event
created by the Foundation, Hydrogeology: Water for the World. The event challenges students, through
investigation and computer modeling, to identify potential groundwater
management solutions.
I had never been part of SO before, and coordinating the
logistics on top of being the event supervisor for a trial event was a full
emersion into the world of competitive science. Hydrogeology was set to be a
full event in 2016 thanks to the hard work of past staff member Amy Kessner and
Groundwater Foundation President Jane Griffin over the last two years; all I
had to do was not screw it up. No pressure, right?
Thankfully I was able to practice running the event on a
smaller scale at two Regional Tournaments. Both tournaments were small but
fiercely competed. On to State Tournaments. With a total of 11 teams competing
in Nebraska and many others in Washington, Maryland, California, Utah, Illinois,
and Indiana the pressure was on to coordinate all the event supervisors and
ensure success to guarantee the National Tournament event would be well
attended.
The morning of the
National SO Tournament, held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I still did
not have an exact number of competitors.
I knew this would be a bigger, more competitive crowd and I had prepared
the event’s test to be much more difficult than any previous. There were a
total of 40 teams participating, with almost every state represented. Despite
some mild hiccups while getting the event started, I was pleased with the outcome.
It was amazing to see so many students engaged in a rigorous, science-based
competition! The level of sportsmanship was incredible and I can’t wait to do
it all over again next year. There were no changes to the rules and the
committee agreed to move the event to full status for the 2016 tournament
season!_________________________
12 Weeks Until the 2015 Groundwater Foundation National Conference and 30th Anniversary Celebration!
30th Anniversary Story Teller Sponsor
Marshfield Utilities
30th Anniversary Story Teller Supporter
National Ground Water Association
Marshfield Utilities
30th Anniversary Story Teller Supporter
National Ground Water Association
No comments:
Post a Comment