Southern Miss to host 20th Mississippi Science Olympiad March 27

Fri, 02/20/2026 - 09:07am | By: David Tisdale

Middle and high school students from across the state will converge on The University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus Friday, March 27, for the 20th annual Mississippi Science Olympiad (MSO). Competitions will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with an awards ceremony at 5 p.m.

The MSO features rigorous academic interscholastic competitions that include a series of team-oriented events for which students prepare throughout the year. The purpose of the event is to improve the quality of science education, increase student interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) academic programs and careers, and recognize outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.

Dr. Allison Downing, state director for the MSO and associate professor in the Southern Miss School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, said the annual event allows students to work collaboratively while also building critical thinking skills.

“Students who participate in MSO get to interact with STEM in a way that classroom settings do not always allow,” Downing said. “Events span all areas of STEM, giving students a variety of choices such as entomology, rocks and minerals, forensics, or building a device to test on-site, including helicopter, Boomilever and electric vehicle events.”

First-place middle and high school teams will advance to the National Science Olympiad, to be held May 22–23 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

For more information about the Mississippi Science Olympiad, including how to serve as a volunteer for the event, contact Downing.