What is NJ Odyssey of the Mind? @ NJ Odyssey of the Mind

What is Odyssey of the Mind anyway?

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their igenuity and creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the regional, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and about 25 other countries from around the world participate in the program.

So where's New Jersey fit in?

Odyssey of the Mind has its roots in the Industrial Design classes of Dr. Sam Micklus. Dr. Sam (as he's affectionately known in Odyssey circles) was a professor at Rowan University right here in Glassboro, New Jersey (formerly Glassboro State College). Dr. Micklus challenged his students to create vehicles without wheels, mechanical pie throwers and flotation devices that would take them across a course on a lake. He evaluated them not on the success of their solutions, but on the ingenuity applied and the risk involved in trying something new and different. Students had fun. Word spread and the students' activities attracted attention from the local media. Soon, people on the outside wanted a part of the action. This public interest led to the development of a creative problem-solving competition for school children. In 1979, Odyssey of the Mind was born. It is because of this history that the New Jersey chapter of Odyssey of the Mind is proud to be known as the birthplace of creative problem solving.

What is this "CU in NJ"?
New Jersey Odyssey of the Mind is sponsored by Creativity Unlimited in New Jersey (CUinNJ), a non-profit organzation developed for the sole purpose of bringing OotM to the students of New Jersey. We hold two regional competitions (Liberty and Lighthouse) annually in the spring, followed by the NJ State Finals. These competitions are judged by volunteers from the schools and families of our competitors, and the winners from the State Finals in each problem and division advance to the World Finals, where they join in competition against kids from around the globe. We hope you can join us and look forward to seeing you at this year's competitions!

Okay, great! Odyssey of the Mind rocks ... but I need help signing up! Is there anyone I can talk to?!?

We want to provide our new schools, memberships and those who want to be our new schools and memberships the opportunity to get all their questions answered! Tim Tower, our Membership and Recruitment Director is just the person to do so. If you have a question about Odyssey of the Mind, how to join this fabulous program or are even just having trouble registering, please fill out the email from below and we will get back to you quickly!