Science Olympiad tournaments are academic competitions that consist of a series of individual and team events for which students prepare during the school year. The Awesome Aquifers is one of the Science Olympiad events. It is designed to increase middle school students' understanding of groundwater concepts. It provides hands-on, experience-based groundwater education to students who participate in Science Olympiad tournaments. Prior to the tournaments, students learn about groundwater and practice building model aquifers. During the competition, students build aquifers and demonstrate:
• an understanding groundwater in the hydrologic cycle
• the physical makeup of an aquifer
• changes to the groundwater system. Students also take written tests covering their knowledge of groundwater basics and vocabulary, their abilities to apply what they've learned, and their abilities to use scientific references.