In an age of limited resources, high school students need to be aware that the answers to many of society's problems will require biological or technological solutions. To stimulate an interest in biology careers, the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University sponsors a single-day, hands-on, problem solving competition known as the Bioathlon.
High schools are invited to enter a team of four students to compete in this fun-filled day of biological sciences competition. Each school may enter only one team. Each team will work on the same set of four problems relating to biology, although the sequence will vary. For our 30th Annual Event this past May, we had 13 schools competing for the top prize!
2019 Project Topics
Through these projects, students must demonstrate organizational skills, knowledge of facts and concepts, laboratory skills, and creativity.
Dissection
Students will dissect a preserved vertebrate animal and identify a list of organs and other anatomical structures. Students will not have access to dissection guides. Their identifications will have to base on their memory and knowledge of comparative anatomy. All tools and personal protective equipment will be provided. Students will be graded on the quality of their dissections and number of correct identifications.
Medical Laboratory Science
Medical laboratory scientists seek to improve and extend life by acting as diagnostic specialist. They serve as key members of the medical team by detecting disease through a variety of analyses of tissues and body fluids. This activity will have students completing a series of case studies. Standard operating procedures will be provided to students to complete common laboratory procedures in hematology, urinalysis, clinical chemistry, and medical bacteriology in order to answer the cases.
Field Ecology
During a brief field trip, students will search for some common organisms. This search will require general knowledge of ecology including identification of common plants and animals and familiarity with their obvious external structures. Based on their findings, students will separate their specimens into trophic levels. Students may not use guidebooks, notes or any electronic devices while out in the field. Students should be prepared to go outside in all weather conditions.
Forensic Science
There's been a crime and students will have to apply their knowledge of biology to help solve the case! Students will be given standard operating procedures to help examine a variety of evidence, which will include: latent fingerprints, blood, hair, DNA, and other surprises. All tools and personal protective equipment will be provided.
2019 Winners
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
