This Saturday, more than 1,200 of the brightest Ohio middle and high school students will gather on the university campus to compete in the Ohio State Science Olympiad Tournament – one of my favorite days of the year!
Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of 23 team events in each division. Each school-based team is allowed to bring 15 students who cross-train for a variety of events in their skill set. These teams function much like a football or soccer team, requiring preparation, commitment, coaching and practice throughout the year.
Much like in other extra-curricular activities, successful teams progress during the academic year from Invitationals to Regionals to States and to Nationals (altogether there are more than 300 tournaments held each year). Regional tournaments are 
held at various locations around the state, such as Case Western Reserve University, University of Cincinnati’s Blue Ash campus, Lorain County Community College and Marietta College.
All Ohio Science Olympiad activities are coordinated through the Ohio State office of Distance Education and eLearning. Ohio has hosted the National Tournament several times, including at Wright State in 2013 and Ohio State in 2003. Hence, this program is a wonderful example of a long-term successful collaboration between many of Ohio’s outstanding academic institutions.
Teamwork is a required skill in most scientific careers today, and Science Olympiad encourages group learning by designing events that forge alliances. Each year, a portion of Science Olympiad events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology.
By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved and work together. For example, in Wheeled Vehicle, an engineering whiz and a kid from wood shop can become gold medalists. Similarly, a talented builder and a student with a good science vocabulary can excel in Write It Do It, one of Science Olympiad's most popular events.
On a personal level, my involvement in Science Olympiad goes back over two decades, to when I was a high school competitor. It clearly stoked my interest in STEM fields and helped steer my career path.
Since then, I’ve strived to ‘pay it forward’ by volunteering my time in a variety of roles, ranging from helping coach a local team, to running events, to helping organize tournaments and to writing rules. Currently, I’m the National Physics 
Committee chair, responsible for six physics-related events each year. Brian Guilfoos, HPC Client Services Manager here at OSC, also has been involved over the years, in roles ranging from competitor to coach and to event supervisor.
Both Brian and I will be running events on Saturday. My event is Circuit Lab, which tests students on their electrical engineering knowledge via both hands on activities and a written test. Brian will be running the MagLev event, where students race magnetically levitated vehicles down a track.
Brian’s event, like many others, is open to spectators and quite fun to watch. If you happen to be near campus Saturday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., feel free to stop by the French Field House and see how the next generation of potential OSC users is exploring and experiencing science!
