January 28, 2016
Dear Biology Instructor,
The TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL Bioathlon will take place on Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Please reply
by Thursday, March 24.
In an age of limited resources, students need to be aware that the answers to many of
society's problems will require biological or technological solutions. To stimulate the interest of high
school students in biology careers, for the last 26 years the Department of Biological Sciences at
Michigan Technological University has been sponsoring a “hands-on” problem solving competition in
which students carry out four assigned projects relating to biology.
Each school may enter only one team composed of four students. Although team members
do not have to be sophomores they must not have had formal course work beyond the traditional
sophomore level general biology. In the spirit of competition we discourage you from sending
members of previous year’s team unless it is the only way to field a team.
A responsible adult chaperone, who is usually the biology teacher, must accompany the team.
We are planning activities for the teachers to enjoy while their students are competing.
A tentative schedule for is on the Department’s outreach page. In brief, after a short
orientation meeting at 9:00 AM Eastern Time Zone, the teams will disperse to individual classrooms
and laboratories to begin work on their problems. Each team will work on the same set of four
problems, although the sequence will vary. Problems include the dissection and organ identification
of a preserved animal, carrying out two experiments with materials provided, and a field identification
problem. The competition portion ends at 3:30 PM. After a brief break, the awards ceremony will
take place at 4:00.
Each participant will receive a Certificate of Participation and a Bioathlon T-shirt. Students on
the first place team will each receive $100. Those on the second place team will each receive $50 and
third place team members will each receive $25. All three winning teams will be added to our
honorary plaque displayed in the Dow ESE building. Lunch and snacks will be provided for all
participants.
To reserve a place for your team, go to:
www.mtu.edu/biological/department/outreach/bioathlon/ and fill out the Entry Form found in the
Bioathlon resources. If you have problems with it please let me know immediately. The entry form
must be completed by March 24, 2016. We cannot guarantee placement in the competition after this
date. In addition, please print out a copy of the Model and Image Release Form for each student
and a parent to fill out. Please either send them in the mail or bring them with you the day of the
competition.
We anticipate this will be a positive and reinforcing experience for your students and look
forward to your response. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to call me at
906.487.3435 or e-mail jclewin@mtu.edu.
Sincerely,
Jeff Lewin, Coordinator