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Michigan Tech invited dozens of high school students to a biology competition that featured challenges in the field and in the laboratory.
The 26th Annual Department of Biological Sciences Bioathlon brought together roughly 60 students from 15 different high schools as they compete for cash prizes using basic biology skills.
West Iron County High School Sophomore Kailey Garavet says it’s one way to take the students out of the classroom and get their hands dirty with science.
Garvet said, “Digging in the dirt for worms and plants and anything you can think of that’s out here, and different mosses and you need to know what’s on them and everything. We came here in vans and when we got out we got the instructions. We got twenty baggies and thirty items that we needed to get and forty minutes to do it.”
The teams earn points for completing the exercises and though the students really enjoy it, Departmental Laboratory Supervisor Jeff Lewin says they come to win.
Lewin said, “It’s for fun and educational but it is a competition. Some of the smaller schools have done very well year after year and they are very proud of that they can hold up the floor with the larger districts as well.”
Winning the competition was the team from Calumet High School with members Ilhan Onder, Trevor Kangas, Hailey Wickstrom and Jessica Erkkila with instructor Jennifer Peters.
West Iron County High School won second place and Bessemer’s A-D Johnston High School won third.
The members of the first place team get $200 each, $100 for second-place team members and $50 for the third.
