Science Olympiad draws top middle and high school STEM students to USC
More than 2,000 of the nation’s top middle and high school STEM students gathered at USC May 22–23 for the 42nd annual Science Olympiad National Tournament, one of the country’s most prestigious team science competitions and the first to be held in California.
The Olympiad brought 120 teams from across the United States to USC’s University Park Campus after they advanced through state competitions from an initial field of nearly 7,000 teams. Students competed in events spanning science, technology, engineering and math, including knowledge-based, lab and engineering challenges. A Global Ambassador Team from Okayama Asahi Senior High School in Japan also participated.
“This was a fantastic opportunity for USC to welcome some of the country’s most talented young scientists, engineers and problem-solvers,” said Selena Zhang, a neuroscience major at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and volunteer with SciBAT, a USC student organization whose members helped bring the event to campus. “Seeing them compete, collaborate and imagine what’s possible was exactly the kind of energy we hoped to bring to campus.”
More than 400 volunteers, including about 200 Trojans, supported the tournament, helping to guide teams and staff competitions, and to welcome students and families to campus.
The opening ceremony featured remarks from Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, who framed the tournament as an “Olympia of the mind and of the spirit,” with STEM as its arena of competition. He urged students to become not only problem solvers, but “trustworthy problem solvers” who combine competence with character.
In his keynote address, USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock spoke to students about the James Webb Space Telescope, using it as an example of how great engineering enables great science — and how scientific ambition can drive extraordinary engineering.
Bullock, an astrophysicist whose research explores galaxy formation, dark matter and fundamental questions about the universe, described the Webb telescope as a “civilization-defining achievement” and “perhaps the greatest engineering marvel of our generation.”
He also highlighted discoveries made possible by the telescope, from revealing how stars are formed to helping scientists study dark matter and detect galaxies that existed billions of years before Earth formed.
Looking at such an enormous and ancient universe can make people feel small, Bullock told the students — but he offered another way to see it.
“I want to remind you of something: You’re a member of the species that figured this out, and we have a lot more figuring out to do. And that’s your job.”
Throughout the tournament, which was co-sponsored by USC Dornsife and USC Viterbi, students tested their knowledge and skills in events such as Heredity, Forensics, Remote Sensing, Disease Detectives, Engineering CAD, and Water Quality. Other hands-on and device-based events included Hovercraft, Robot Tour, Electric Vehicle, Boomilever, and Helicopter.
The event also included a STEM Expo featuring hands-on activities, career exploration and college-going information from university departments and outside organizations.
The tournament ended with California teams taking top honors: Sierra Vista Middle School of Irvine earned the Division B national championship, while Monta Vista High School of Cupertino captured the Division C title.
Dan Nichols, executive director of Science Olympiad, reminded students that the event was about more than the final results.
“Science Olympiad has never been about medals or rankings or placements,” Nichols said. “It’s about learning how to persist when the answer is not obvious. It’s about trusting your teammates when the pressure is high, and it’s about discovering that growth often comes from the moments that challenge us the most.”
For many competitors, the weekend offered not only a national stage, but a glimpse of what their futures in science, technology, engineering or math could look like.