The Xtreme Rat Challenge
Welcome to Nebraska Wesleyan University, the home of "The Xtreme
Rat Challenge." For the past 30 years,
Nebraska Wesleyan University, located in Lincoln, Nebraska,
has held its rat competition, which showcases athletic skills
learned by live rats in a "Basic Learning Principles"
psychology course. In January 2003, the United States Olympic
Committee (USOC) requested the annual event undergo a name change
because the organization owns exclusive rights to the word
"Olympics." As a result, we had to change the event's name.
We held an online contest, chose a new name and unveiled it at our competition last year. Please
submit your suggestions and then rate your favorites in the Rat
Controversy section of the site.
To further make you a part of our event, our web site
allows you to become actively engaged with our student trainers
and their rats during their preparation. This web site includes
an introduction to this year's competitors and weekly training
updates including training footage and data. For high school
students and instructors, we've included interactive teaching
modules designed to explain how our students teach the rats their
new tricks.
