EIU Media Relations

27th Academic Challenge Set for March 6; 61 Illinois High Schools Set to Participate

Sixty-one Illinois high schools will send some of their brightest students to Eastern Illinois University for the sectional level of the WYSE Academic Challenge competition to be held on Thursday, March 6.

Individuals and teams qualified for the sectional level of competition by placing either first or second at regional competitions held in February.

During the Academic Challenge, students demonstrate their abilities in two of the following areas: biology, chemistry, computer fundamentals, engineering graphics, English, mathematics and physics. The exams have been compared to the Advance Placement tests that qualify high school students for college credit, and were authored by college professors from various universities around the state.

After a welcoming ceremony by EIU President William Perry and Mary Anne Hanner, dean of EIU's College of Sciences, participants will begin testing at 9:40 a.m. Hanner and Leonard Storm, chair of pre-engineering studies, will present individual awards and team trophies, beginning at 1:40 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the MLK Jr. Union.

Division 1500 and division unlimited teams advancing to Eastern include Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Charleston, Decatur Eisenhower, Danville, Mahomet-Seymour, Mattoon, Mt. Zion, Rantoul and University High in Urbana.

Division 700 teams advancing to Eastern include Bismarck-Henning, Cumberland, Edwards County, Maroa-Forsyth, Monticello, Newton, Oakwood, Robinson, St. Teresa, Sullivan, Teutopolis and Tolono Unity.

Division 300 teams advancing to Eastern include Armstrong, Atwood-Hammond, Central A&M, Heritage, Hutsonville, Lutheran School High School Association, Martinsville, Neoga, Oblong, Schlarman and St. Anthony.

Eastern's sectional competition is sponsored by Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering, based in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois, and the Pre-Engineering Studies Committee at Eastern. This is the 27th year that Eastern has co-sponsored this competition.

Competition day results will be posted at http://www.eiu.edu/pre-eng/.