More than 400 high school students will overtake the Duke Ellington Ballroom Thursday, March 3, as participants in the sectional Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) competition.
Students from 47 area high schools will compete in four divisions based on the schools total enrollment (division 300, division 700, division 1,500, division unlimited). Students will take tests on two separate disciplines: biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering graphics, English, math and physics.
The Academic Challenge competition is a series of tests created and administered by Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering and offered to high school students in Illinois and Missouri. The tests are offered by more than 40 community colleges and universities and are designed to present a challenge to the brightest students. Students compete as individuals and as part of a team.
Questions are presented in multiple-choice format, and students have 40 minutes to complete tests that range in length from 30 questions (computer science) to 100 questions (English). The Academic Challenge test material is drawn from high school senior and college freshman curricula to present a bridge between secondary and higher education.
Tests are written by teams of faculty members at colleges and universities. Each team produces sets of tests that increase in level of difficulty in a progression from regional, to sectional, to state finals.
Winning scores are rewarded with team trophies and ribbons for first, second and third place in each division. Additionally, each competitor is awarded a medallion for placing first, second or third in their subject matter for each of the four divisions.
For more information on the competition, or to volunteer, contact Tricia Maxwell of the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at (815) 753-9961 or psmaxwell@niu.edu.
