Idaho State University Hosts 2026 Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad

Local students tested their STEM mettle on the campus of Idaho State University. 

The ISU Department of Physics recently hosted the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad in Pocatello. Teams from five middle schools in Pocatello and Chubbuck competed in the day-long competition that tested their knowledge and experimental skills in events featuring Rube Goldberg machines, hovercrafts, crime scene analysis, and more.

“It was great to have so many future scientists and engineers on campus for the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad,” said Steve Shropshire, professor of physics at Idaho State University. “All of the participants were amazingly motivated and knowledgeable for their age. It was obvious that many of them spent a long time preparing for this competition.”

Students earning first, second, and third place in each event were presented with gold, silver, and bronze medals. Meanwhile, the teams with the highest composite score across all events were awarded $200, $150, or $50 to support science education, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello. A team from Franklin Middle School took home the first-place honors, and rounding out the top three were a team from Grace Lutheran Middle School and a team from Pocatello Community Charter School, taking second and third, respectively.

The Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad was made possible by volunteers from Idaho State University’s Departments of Physics and Biological Sciences, as well as the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello, Idaho STEM Ecosystem, and ISU alumni. Donations from Don Wyckoff and Robert Richway helped pay for materials and supplies used during the event.

“Thank you to all of our volunteers for their hard work on the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad,” said Shropshire. “They made this experience possible, and I cannot thank them enough.”

For more information on the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad, contact Steve Shropshire at shrostev@isu.edu or (208) 282-2212.