Club Profile: Science Olympiad

River Johnson, Senior Staff Writer

Students that thoroughly enjoy taking required science classes may be excited to know that there is a way to take it one step further! In the Science Olympiad Club, not only will students learn about interesting topics of their choice, but they can learn about them up close, hands on, and in depth.

“Basically what we do is we compete in 23 events, and all of the events are science related in different aspects. So, for example, one of them was like detector building and I had to build the temperature sensor, which is related to the internet and things. And so our club really fosters engagement in science and cultivates student’s interests in various aspects around science,” says Elliot Kang, one of Science Olympiad’s Co-Presidents. 

This year, the officer team hopes to encourage more members to take part in competitions, and experience a hands-on atmosphere. 

“Well, yeah, so this year we’re planning on attending more competitions, not just a normal Bay area, regional competitions that we all used to do. We’re planning on attending invitationals, specifically one called Golden Gate Invitational, that’s being held by students from UC Berkeley and Stanford,” said Ellie Huang, another Science Olympiad Co-President.

The club asks interested students to try out for the club, to ensure that everyone involved is prepared to compete and create at a high level. 

“We take in everybody who’s willing to put in the effort to actually study and participate in all of our club events. We ask people to try out in our club, make sure they are up to the skill level and can compete in the club, and then we ask them whether they want to compete in Barstow and, and the other invitationals, and what we’re planning to do this year,” said VP of Operations, Anusha Mahishwary. 

Participating in the club allows members to experience a whole new level of science that a high school course just doesn’t have time to offer. 

“I felt like Science Olympiad gave me an opportunity to explore so many different STEM topics that I wouldn’t be able to learn at school. For example, I learned about water quality and I didn’t really learn that topic in normal science classes in our schools, such as chemistry or physics, and so I really enjoyed that. I was introduced to a variety of topics,” said Archita Mandal, Science Olympiad’s VP of Communications.

The most impactful part of Science Olympiad is that it gives students who aren’t initially interested in science a chance to explore their options, and students who have always loved science a chance to develop their skill set. 

“I know a lot of you guys love science. Come on, it’s science! So just hands down like this is like the most science you can get,” said Kang.

Meet the 2020-2021 Officers!

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