On January 5, the JP Stevens Science Olympiad team attended the Science Olympiad Regionals at Union County College. The greatest minds of JP competed in a wide variety of build, lab, and study events against 20 other equally competitive teams from Central New Jersey.

Science Olympiad is a competitive club where participants compete by testing in specific subjects, such as Anatomy, Astronomy, and Forestry, and conduct experiments in events like Chemistry Lab and Forensics. Participants also build devices for events like Air Trajectory, where a group of people build a machine that will launch a projectile on a set target. The team had been preparing since late October when they held tryouts to decide on an Alpha and Beta team. Since then, they held multiple weekly meetings, where the young scientists took practice tests, built devices, and prepared lab materials.

The plethora of events in Science Olympiad allowed each participant to display his or her knowledge and skill in a unique area of science. For example, in the Optics event, participants answered questions about the physics of light as well as the anatomy of the eye. 

“Our final score consisted of an exam score and a laser shoot score, which is where we have one attempt to shoot a laser to a target point using mirrors,” said sophomore Tanav Kiran. “Optics fascinates me because of its numerous applications to the real world.” 

Another event was Write It Do It, where one team member would write a set of instructions on how to put together a structure, and the other would try their best to assemble it based on the writer’s instructions. Build events included Scrambler, where participants created a device that transports an egg, unscathed, to a wall, and Tower, where participants created a tall structure under certain constraints. 

Aside from placing second overall, the team earned several event-specific awards. They placed first in Chemistry Lab, Codebusters, and Ecology. The team also got second place in Fossils and Scrambler as well as third place in Optics. 

“Our members have a work hard, play hard mindset—we study for hours a week but we try to have fun the entire time, and that’s what accounts for our success,” said senior captain Armaan Bilimoria. “We could certainly refine our team coordination and collaboration skills, but I have no doubt that our shared love of STEM disciplines will bring us all even closer together by the end of the year.”

The JP Stevens Science Olympiad team is looking forward to continuing working hard and hopes to do well at the New Jersey State Tournament this March.