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Conquering the Most Prestigious MS Science Competition

Closing out middle school as an 8th grader, I faced many challenges and distractions from the people, technology, and projects that were around me and competing for my attention. Joining Tumwater’s Science Olympiad team gave me an opportunity to take up the most time-consuming projects I did all year, and the most fun ones too.

Ironically, out of the 3 projects I took on, the one I undoubtedly spent the most time on was also the one that I ranked the lowest, 4th place. I earned gold medals for each of the other two projects. But, this building project, known as Wheeled Vehicle, was a challenge for my partner and I, considering our lack of prior experience with design, construction, and continuous iteration. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Bio Process Lab, one of the most well-known middle school Science Olympiad events. This event didn’t require nearly as much preparation for my partner and I, as both of us had done many chemistry-related programs and competitions in the past like You Be The Chemist. Many of the questions regarding microscope use, lab safety, hypothesizing, measurement, and charts were extremely familiar to both of us. With only the biological side to cover, we quickly went through bacteria, cells, adaptation, etc., and earned a gold medal.

My other project was called Fast Facts. It was really a general knowledge memorization challenge. This project was the most individual out of all 3 events, requiring immense amounts of memorization of scientific concepts. Or, so we thought as the actual competition paper was nothing like what we had prepared for. Through our adaptability and quick thinking, we finessed most of the test paper. During the evening ceremony, we were surprised to learn that we earned a gold medal in 1st place position for this project!

Overall, my journey with the Science Olympiad team was a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and the joy of curiosity-based learning. Despite the setbacks and challenges, the experience enriched my understanding of science and helped me build friendships and connections that will last a lifetime.

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Constructing a “Wheeled Vehicle”

The most challenging project in my Science Olympiad project trio was the Wheeled Vehicle build event. My partner and I were tasked with creating a 4-wheeled vehicle powered solely by elastic energy. We incorporated a braking system using a wingnut and a pencil launcher activated by a trigger. The wingnut braking system wasn’t required but was essential to achieving maximum speed and stopping accurately when needed.  The two criteria that our score was dependent upon were:

1. The time it takes to make the run (ie, speed)
2. Proximity to the target (ie, accuracy)

During the competition, we had to navigate a distance between 9 and 12 meters, which was disclosed only at the competition. Thinking on our feet, my partner and I calibrated the vehicle by spinning the wingnut a specific number of turns, ensuring it would come to a stop at the desired 9.6 meters mark. The diagrams below can help you visualize what we were spinning.

Vehicle Diagram (angled view)
Vehicle Diagram (top-down view)
Run 2 of our Wheeled Vehicle for 9.6 meters

Despite being just a few centimeters off from our target, we were awarded 4th place at the ceremony, while we had hoped for 2nd. We lost to a team who, in my opinion, abandoned the core spirit of creativity and purchased a predesigned kit aptly called the Champion’s Kit – a kit that was optimized to be faster and more accurate than amateur kits created by participants. Reflecting on the experience, I realized that paying closer attention to every step, such as the angles when gluing the vehicle’s base and balancing its weight, could have made a significant difference to our results. Maybe I’ll pick up that hobby project at a later date.

Building the vehicle taught me the value of thorough planning. Rather than going with the flow, careful consideration and detailed planning play a vital role in achieving success. Architects and builders spend a considerable amount of time sketching ideas and creating plans before actual construction, and this event underscored the importance of such an approach.

If given the opportunity to participate in Science Olympiad again, I would take the chance to do another build event. Armed with the knowledge gained from this experience, I would ensure to plan every detail and set myself up for success before the construction even begins.