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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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Connecting Biology & Chemistry to get the Gold

Participating in the Bio Process Lab event as a member of Tumwater’s Science Olympiad team in 2023 was a highly anticipated experience. Our preparations had been thorough, and we approached the competition with enthusiasm and confidence. However, the competition test paper left us feeling a bit underwhelmed until we were presented with the gold medal.

Food chains & food webs (article) | Ecology | Khan Academy
Food Chain Diagram

In the lead-up to the event, my partner and I diligently reviewed various chemistry concepts, drawing from prior experiences like the You Be the Chemist competition. As the dreaded March 18th state competition neared, we shifted our focus to mastering biology concepts by delving into topics such as cell functions, food chain, reproductive systems, bacteria, and genetics.

What is a Compound Microscope? | Microscope World Blog
Microscope Diagram

Under the guidance of our coach, Poulami aunty (my partner’s mother), we visited Portland Community College’s lab facilities. There, we honed our skills in operating compound microscopes, triple beam balances, vernier calipers, and handling chemical mixtures. We felt these hands-on sessions would better prepare us for the challenges we would face on the day of the competition.

When competition day arrived, we entered the room at the University of Portland with a mix of excitement and nerves. The professor briefed us on safety instructions and rules before directing us to our designated station, Station 4, where our test would start.

Each partnership received a paper with sections corresponding to five different stations positioned around the room. Each station covered diverse biochemistry topics, including mitosis, cell biology, bromothymol blue & pH, and more. As we progressed through the stations, we found the tasks seemingly getting easier, culminating with the final station involving weighing with a balance.

Upon completion, the professor inquired about our thoughts on the paper. Surprisingly, every single group, including ours, expressed that they found it relatively easy. This left us with an uncertain feeling about our ranking since it appeared that other groups might have performed as well or better than we did.

Later that evening, during the eagerly awaited awards ceremony, the tension among Tumwater’s entire team was palpable. We were all hoping to hear the magical words, “Tumwater Triumphant,” as they announced the gold medal winner for the celebrated Bio Process Lab event. When the moment finally arrived, and the announcement for “Stoller Legends, 2nd place” was made, excitement rippled through us. We knew that the gold medal was ours!

In a moment of confidence and anticipation, we began walking down the center aisle even before the final announcement. As the words “Tumwater Triumphant, 1st place” echoed through the air, we stood before the crowd, basking in the proud moment of victory as the gold medal was ceremoniously placed around our necks. The triumphant feeling was unforgettable and made the entire journey worth the effort we put in.

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Memorizing for nothing

Fast Facts is Science Olympiad’s general scientific knowledge and memorization test. It can be considered as two individuals combining their general knowledge and information, working together as a partnership. The majority of my memorization was done with the support of family and using flashcards, documents, and Google searches on scientific topics for more hours than I can remember.

The event is 3 rounds. Each round consists of a 5×5 grid paper, as shown below. We have to fill out the paper with words or sentences in each box that fit within the category at the top of the column and the starting letter on each row. Each round is 6 minutes. Correct spelling doesn’t count, but the judge must be able to comprehend your handwriting and the word.

Your score is determined based on how many grid spaces you fill with words or sentences that are deemed “accurate”. Multiple grid spaces in the same column or row give bonus points quadratically.

One correct term in a row / column1 point
Two correct terms in a row / column2 points
Three correct terms in a row / column3 points
Four correct terms in a row / column4 points
Five correct terms in a row / column5 points
Scoring guide

At our first partner meetup, we were dumbfounded. Most Science Olympiad events come with a suggestions guide or examples of prior questions either from the Wiki or the Starter Pack. This event’s wiki literally stated, “There is no one exact way to prepare for this event, as each competition will be different from the last.”

There was no guidance given us on which categories of scientific topics we could field questions from. This made it extremely difficult to study, and very ambiguous whether the many hours we were putting into preparation would actually be meaningful for the test.

We would have to come up with a strategy that would give us the most amount of memorization in the least amount of time. After some research, we decided that we would both study a word that starts with every letter from a list of scientific categories that my partner and I would split up. This strategy worked, but it took a lot of time! We were each spending at least half an hour every school day staring at text and then taking our 5×5 tests created by our families.

Later on, we were able to find a list of common categories made by a past Fast Facts participant. It came in handy when we had run out of categories we could come up with, and this helped us continue our studying into the 2 weeks before March 18th.

Then came the competition. And the first unfortunate event was our realization that it wasn’t going to be quiet. The classroom that was holding Fast Facts was packed and already had another event going on. As the professor went over the rules, we frantically tried to remember everything we had been memorizing for the past 4 months. At that moment, we received the first paper, just as the 6-minute timer started. I stared at the categories in shock. “This is nothing like what I’ve studied!” I thought in a panic. The categories were so arbitrary and random that they didn’t even make sense. “Go Green” and “Water Fishes” are 2 that I can recall.

My partner’s composure was at odds with my initial shock. She quickly jotted down a few climate action words that fit the “Go Green” category. Once I got over my dismay, I focused on identifying current events that could suit any category. This approach proved to be a winning strategy as both of us efficiently filled out 80% of the sheet.

As the first round concluded, I felt better about our chances, having successfully recovered from the initial shock. However, we remained unsure of how other groups were faring. The subsequent two rounds followed a similar pattern, with abstract categories challenging us to think about ongoing world events.

During the award ceremony, the announcement of “Fast Facts” as the first event to have its awards announced immediately spiked our anxiety. Thankfully, the announcer said “Stoller Legends, 2nd place” loud and clearly, which was our guarantee of the first-place award. Despite the countless hours spent on memorization, our efforts proved to be anything but in vain. Harnessing the power of adaptability and quick thinking, we emerged victorious, claiming the coveted gold medal.

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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.