Science Focus Program students shine at national tournament

September 16, 2024

Lincoln Public Schools students shared their scientific knowledge of subjects ranging from astronomy to robotics at a national tournament in Michigan.
 
Thirteen Science Focus Program (SFP) team members traveled to Michigan State University for the 2024 Science Olympiad National Tournament. They competed in events that tested their knowledge in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields.
 
SFP team member Brynn Nickolaus said everyone enjoyed the trip from Lincoln to East Lansing. In addition to flexing their academic muscles in each contest, they also met other future scientists and engineers from all corners of the country.
 
“I really liked being able to go to nationals for what I enjoy,” Nickolaus said. “Science Olympiad has been a big part of my life since I joined the Science Focus team freshman year, so it was very important for me to have that opportunity. I also liked being able to compete with the other great people on my team. It was interesting to see the other states competing too because we got to learn from them.”
 
Students who represented SFP at nationals included Nickolaus, Lily Ardinger Stibal, Autumn Eubank, K.J. Hartman, Amalia Holtgrewe, Claire Johnson, Blake Marlar, Hyrum Moody, Liam O’Neal, Leyton Rausch, Malcolm Sattler, Jae Shallenberger and Gabi Young.

 
SFP co-head coach Brian O’Neal said he was thrilled to watch them compete on the country’s biggest Science Olympiad stage. The group qualified for nationals after winning the Nebraska Science Olympiad Tournament. East High School finished second at state and Millard North placed third.
 
“It’s been a privilege to watch this group of burgeoning scientists and engineers grow as individuals and as a team over the past several years,” O’Neal said. “Seeing their dedication and hard work culminate in a win at state was amazing, and watching them compete amongst some of the best young minds in the country at nationals was incredibly rewarding. I’m grateful to be on this journey with them, and we’re looking forward to applying the lessons that we learned from nationals as we compete this season.”
 
The 2024 achievement marked the second time SFP students claimed first place at the Nebraska Science Olympiad Tournament. The focus program also won a state title in the 2021-22 school year. The team attended a virtual national tournament instead of traveling to Cal Tech that year.
 
The annual Science Olympiad National Tournament takes place at American colleges and universities. It includes 23 team events that encompass a wide cross-section of categories. Middle and high school students learn about many STEM fields instead of focusing on one or two specialties.
 
O’Neal said it was important for students to become versatile scientists and engineers.
 
“We encourage members of our team to not only lean into their strengths, but to explore disciplines that fall outside of their comfort zone so that they can hopefully discover new and exciting dimensions to explore,” O’Neal said.

 
National high school events included air trajectory, anatomy and physiology, astronomy, chemistry lab, codebusters, detector building, disease detectives, dynamic planet, ecology, experimental design, Fermi questions, flight, forensics, forestry, fossils, geologic mapping, microbe mission, optics, robot tour, scrambler, tower, wind power and write it-do it.
 
Teams received points based on their ranking in each category. For example, a group that finished fifth in a contest would receive five points. Their goal was to accumulate the lowest number of points after all 23 contests were done.
 
SFP placed 46th in the 60-school field with 1,031 points. Monta Vista (Calif.) High School (239 points) and Solon (Ohio) High School (258) claimed the top two spots.
 
Nickolaus, a senior at East High School, said it was fun to square off against teams from Nevada to New Hampshire at nationals. She said the competitive aspect was one reason why she joined the SFP squad.
 
“Science is one of my favorite subjects because you are constantly learning,” Nickolaus said. “Science Olympiad allows me to explore different areas of science and has many opportunities for me to get better and learn new information. I’ve been doing Science Olympiad since seventh grade and have loved every competition the team has gone to, including the two times we made it to nationals.”

 
O’Neal said Science Olympiad gives students like Nickolaus a fun platform to sharpen their academic and problem-solving skills.
 
“I’m not aware of many programs like SciOly where any K-12 student can grab a copy of the rules, find an event that appeals to them and – with a bit of help from their school – form a team to compare their knowledge and skills to their peers,” O’Neal said. “Participating on a SciOly team also requires the development of effective collaboration skills, and some are called upon to be leaders within the team – great skills for anyone to have.”
 
LPS students will have an extra incentive to do well in the 2024-25 season. Science Olympiad officials announced this summer that the 2025 national tournament will happen May 23-24 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
 
East Honor
 
Tournament organizers also honored East High School graduate Hannah Tang. She was one of just five students from across the nation to earn a 2024 Founders Scholarship. She was the Nebraska Science Olympiad state champion in both the cell biology and chemistry lab contests as a senior.
 
Tang said she was grateful to be involved in science-based activities at LPS.
 
“Science Olympiad inspired me to expand on the wealth of experimental knowledge,” Tang said.
 
LPS has a robust science curriculum available for elementary, middle and high school students. The school district has developed a detailed scope and sequence of science courses for students in grades K-12.

To learn more about our science curriculum, visit our website at https://home.lps.org/science.

If you or your student is interested in the Science Focus Program, visit our website at https://science.lps.org/.
 
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