Physics students square off

Central Iowa’s top high school physics students are competing in today’s Physics Olympics at Drake University. The event features a variety of challenges like building toothpick bridges, ping-pong ball catapults and small cars powered by mousetrap springs.Dr. Jack Gerlovich is an education professor at Drake and directs the Physics Olympics, which has drawn 150 students from 15 high schools from towns including Carroll & Knoxville. One event which Gerlovich says sometimes leads to disaster is the student-powered water heater, where kids have to take an amount of water and heat it using only their bodies.There are no cash prizes or big flashy trophies, only ribbons for the winners, but Gerlovich says those things are unnecessary in these Olympics.The events run until 1:30 p-m. Winners of this competition go on to the state contest to be held in Cedar Rapids in April.