DuPont and The George Washington University will host more than 800 middle and high school students, parents and educators from across the United States at an Invitational Science Olympiad Tournament on Jan. 26, on the university's Foggy Bottom Campus in Washington, D.C. 

The one-day tournament prepares emerging Science Olympiad teams for their regional and state tournaments, leading to the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament  May 30 - 31, in Washington.  The national tournament, also sponsored by DuPont and hosted by The George Washington University, is expected to draw over 5,000 students, parents and educators to the university's Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses.

Dr. Sujata K. Bhatia, a medical research scientist with DuPont Central Research and Development, will deliver the keynote address at the Jan. 26 Invitational's opening ceremonies. 

"The mission of the Science Olympiad is to promote student interest in science and to improve the quality of K-12 science education throughout the United States," said Uma Chowdhry , DuPont senior vice president and chief science and technology officer.  "DuPont is a science company.  We embrace the mission of the Science Olympiad organization -- 'to create a passion for learning science by supporting elementary and secondary schools at all levels, with an emphasis on teamwork and commitment to excellence.'  We have actively supported science education since our founding in 1802."

Competitions in 50 events will include a series of team events, aligned with the National Science Standards and balanced among the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology.  The competitions require knowledge of science concepts, process skills and science applications.  Teams reach the national tournament after winning local, regional and state competitions throughout the United States.

For more information, go to: http://scienceolympiad.gwu.edu/.