Latest news with #ScienceOlympiad
Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
PNW summer seminar helps students become better doctors
Ernest Talarico Jr.'s students, for a brief moment, had a serious-yet-somewhat amusing question to ponder: Should a middle-aged male triathlete wear boxers or briefs if he and his wife want to conceive a child? It took a minute for the students — many of them students, residents and doctors from Vietnam — to overcome the slight embarrassment of discussing the patient's 'tighty whiteys' — as Talarico called them — to lighten the mood Wednesday afternoon. The discussion, however, part of Talarico's Advanced Problem Solving course at Purdue Northwest, was but a small part of a complete case study on reproductive care. The answer, which the students also gleaned from slides of the case study's sperm sample, was no, the man shouldn't wear constrictive clothing, nor keep exercising at such high intensity and taking high doses of Omega-3 fatty acids and nitrous oxide boosters. He also needed to stop blaming his wife — also part of the case study — for the fact that they were having trouble conceiving, as the students discovered later. The course is part of what Talarico calls 'building a better doctor,' he said as the students read more of the case study. Each of them has conducted research that they'll present at a symposium on Purdue University's main campus in West Lafayette in the coming weeks, capturing their own images and designing posters, he said. He's also had the students practicing their patient-interaction skills, with one student acting as the doctor and the other as the patient. Cailey Weber, a Biology major from Hobart, had to role-play breaking it to the male patient that he was the reason his wife wasn't getting pregnant, while Sarah Sues, a nursing student from St. John, got to explain to the wife that while she had some issues, the issues weren't rendering her infertile. 'Relearning all this in a different environment is inspiring,' Sues said. 'It's been intriguing talking with the (Vietnamese students).' Additionally, the students train on a table that mimics conducting an autopsy, taking them through all the systems parts of the body. For Phuong Ngan Nguyen Ba, a medical student currently living in Chicago, that's been a game-changer. 'I've already been through medical school in Vietnam, and we didn't have the technology then for this,' she said. 'If I were just starting med school, I'd prefer the table to explore first before a traditional cadaver.' The Vietnamese students are here for the month, Talarico said. Dhruva Magesh, an incoming Junior at Lake Central High School, met Talarico during a Science Olympiad meet in 2024. This is his second time taking Talarico's class. 'There's so much more to (medicine) than we can even imagine,' Magesh said.
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Mohali: Govt to collab with foreign embassies for Punjab's educational growth, says Bains
In an initiative to promote Punjabi as the mother tongue at both national and international levels, the Punjab government has introduced the 'International Punjabi Boli Olympiad' as an annual event. This olympiad provides an online syllabus and a structured testing platform to assess proficiency in the Punjabi language, said education minister Harjot Singh Bains on Friday while distributing prizes to the winners at the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB). Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains (HT File) Minister Bains stated that the initiative aims to strengthen the connection of the younger generation with their linguistic roots. The olympiad, which began two years ago under the aegis of PSEB, honoured the winners of the International Punjabi Boli Olympiad 2024 with cash prizes— ₹5,100 for first place, ₹3,100 for second, and ₹2,100 for third position. The olympiad was open to students from Class 3 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. Registration began in August, followed by a mock test in November. The final examination was conducted on December 7 and 8, 2024, scheduled as per the time zones of Europe, Africa, America, Australia, and India to facilitate global participation. Commending PSEB for the successful execution of the event, the minister urged that it be made a permanent annual feature to promote the Punjabi language wherever Punjabi-speaking communities reside. Bains further announced that the Board would soon collaborate with foreign embassies and educational institutions to strengthen Punjab's global educational footprint. He added that in the near future, PSEB would be recognised internationally for its exceptional initiatives. Bains also revealed that a Science Olympiad would also be launched soon by PSEB. 'The Board is also set to launch its own YouTube channel to support educational outreach,' he added. Appreciating the efforts of teachers and subject experts involved in developing the Olympiad curriculum and coordinating related activities, the minister felicitated them during the event. While interacting with media persons, Minister Bains addressed concerns regarding vacant principal posts. He assured that 450 principals would be promoted soon, and that teachers' vacancies are being filled through the due process. Amarpal Singh, chairman of PSEB, thanked the education minister and reaffirmed the board's commitment to continuing the olympiad and launching the Science Olympiad.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
All they do is win, win, win at Merrimack High School
There's nothing trivial about Merrimack High School's success, students, teachers and parents say. And it's not just the Tomahawks' tenacious trivia team that triumphed for the first-ever three-peat in the New Hampshire high school TV quiz show 'Granite State Challenge' and dynastic fifth title in six years. The dominant big brains and talented students fan out over multiple avocations and disciplines. The Music Department had 19 All-State musicians and singers this year. The FIRST Robotics team recently made it to the World Championships, their third time in four years. The Science Olympiad team placed third in the state for its STEM expertise. Excellence is clearly not mutually exclusive at MHS. There's plenty of crossover and cross-pollination. Success begets success for kids in multiple specialties. Take for example, Erin Murray, a senior who captained the Granite State Challenge team this year and was on the team that won the title last year. Murray has also been selected for the New Hampshire Music Educators Association All-State Festival two years running as a vocalist. 'Honestly, at this point, I think we've created a culture around winning. Every year that excitement, that winning excitement rubs off on everyone else,' Murray said last week after the watch party for the Granite State Challenge championship on New Hampshire PBS. Tim Bevis, a senior captain of the FIRST Robotics team, known as Chop Shop 166, could've been on the Granite State Challenge team or perhaps even an all-state soloist as well, but there's only so much time in the day, he said. For him, the secret to Merrimack's success is dedicated teachers and an it-takes-a-village mentality that empowers students. 'The thing that it comes down to, from my perspective, is the teachers and mentors in those positions,' Bevis said. 'Dr. (Sara) Campbell, who runs the Granite State Challenge team, is incredibly dedicated to that and she passes that down to her students. Mr. (RJ) Beck and Mr. (Brendan) McWalter in the chorus and band department are incredibly dedicated to their job. And the students and the mentors here are incredibly dedicated to us (on FIRST Robotics).' Chop Shop 166 has a network of alumni, friends, parents, teachers and former coaches that continue to come back year after year. For the music department, this year has been especially rewarding with nine students making the All-State Festival for concert band, three students being selected for the orchestra, two students making the treble choir and five students making it onto the mixed choir after auditioning. 'A big part of our success is how strong our middle and elementary school programs are, especially our middle school band director, Holly Levine,' said Beck, the chorus director and music teacher. Last week, Merrimack Middle School's Levine was named the Outstanding Band Director of the Year by the New Hampshire Band Directors Association. McWalter, the high school band director, credited flexibility in the teachers' schedules to provide opportunities for real, one-on-one instruction and deeper individual lessons. He also praised the painstaking work of their predecessors, Patricia Cunningham and Ken Dugal. 'This program didn't just all of a sudden get here. We had teachers before us that really worked hard to build this program to where it is today,' said McWalter, who is in his second year at MHS. 'It was a long build.' School Board recognition The FIRST Robotics team was honored at last week's Merrimack School Board meeting, and Everett Olsen, the district's chief educational officer (superintendent) summed up the success of those students and other groups in the public school system. 'Sometimes taxpayers will use the terminology 'return on investment' and tonight was a prime example of the investment paying off in terms of some of the most outstanding students in the country right here,' Olsen said. School Board members said they will continue to honor the achievements of other student groups at upcoming meetings, but the list is long. Musical chops The All-State musicians at Merrimack High School include: Caoimhe Boyle Latzko, Rachael Cirillo, Ian Desilets, Jamie Halvorson, Leah Jobin, Paige Mason, Hikari McDowell, Colin Plumb and Dave Sharma. Plumb was also accepted as a tenor vocalist. McDowell and Sharma achieved the top scores for the tenor and baritone saxophones, respectively. Sean Jalbert, Ben Ricks and Owen Sabens made the All-State orchestra. Among the singers, Ava Lanier and Erin Murray were selected for the treble choir. Adelina Camerlin, Emmy Hartwell, Ben Pittman, Tristan Plumb and Simon Yasevich were part of the All-State mixed choir. Scientific swagger This was one of the most successful years in Chop Shop history with the team earning four medals and one blue banner. This year they won the Impact Award, the Engineering Inspiration Award, and finished as Event Finalist, twice. The team set new records, and were part of the winning alliance at the World Championships. Junior Laura Bevill of the FIRST Robotics team said the 'secret sauce' in Merrimack comes from the students pushing each other and being able to showcase their many different talents. FIRST Robotics has something for just about everybody from STEM skills to project management, communications and marketing. 'It's really about the ambition of the students,' she said. 'It takes a team to make something this good. It takes the efforts of every single person on this team to make something work.' Bevill said the best part of FIRST Robotics is the diversity of what students can learn. 'It's really all the opportunities you get, that fulfillment of just working and seeing what you put in can be put out right back to you like a boomerang, and being able to see the progression of people growing and gaining skills,' Bevill said. 'Being able to go from anywhere, from marketing standpoint to learning how a robot works.' For upcoming events or to learn more about Chop Shop 166, visit Unchallenged champs Led by teachers Campbell and Liz Dumais, the Granite State Challenge team doesn't rebuild, it reloads. Merrimack holds the GSC records for most championships (five) and most appearances (24) in the tournament. The Tomahawks easily dispatched the Tilton Rams, 570-310, in the championship, which aired May 15 on NHPBS but was taped in January. It was a tough task for students and parents not to let the news out until the final show. But that's become part of the routine and a running gag by Campbell, senior Maeve LaRock said. Every year Campbell has to hide her trophies for a while behind a poster with a different saying each year. This year, it read, 'Not a Trophy 5: Merrimack Strikes Back.' 'Everybody said, oh it was a rebuilding year for us. Yeah, it was a completely new team and I was completely new. I was excited to just go and do it all. Of course, there was a lot of pressure, but I was like, 'I'm going to do this. Let's go win,'' LaRock said. A senior, LaRock is also vice president of the Student Council and a former field hockey and lacrosse player. She plans to play rugby at the University of New Hampshire next year. Her best friend, Erin Murray, also had a little pressure on her shoulders in her second year on the team and as captain, and not just from her peers, from her own family. 'I have an older brother who was on the team for two years before me, and I have a younger brother who will hopefully be on the team next year. So, we have a little bit of a legacy going on,' Murray said. Campbell credited the kids' commitment to putting in the work, even one things like making sure they can buzz in faster than other teams to answer questions. Virtually no detail is too small for MHS to practice. 'It's the kids. I don't know if you noticed, but two of my kids who we were just celebrating, they're cleaning up now,' Campbell said after the team's championship watch party at the school. 'They asked where the broom was so they could clean up. That is entirely them and their parents. I have a little bit to do with it, but they're pretty much fully formed when they get to me.' Overall excellence Campbell said she's regularly amazed at how dedicated the kids are at MHS, and not just for Granite State Challenge. 'The students who have that work ethic tend to get involved in more than one thing, because they have a lot of passions. So they find those things that they love, and they get super-involved in all the things that they love,' Campbell said. 'I had a student one year who had the Science Olympiad, FIRST Robotics and a Quiz Bowl thing, all in one weekend. It was state-level competitions for all three. By the end, he was a little fried, but he was that involved and invested in all three of those things.' dpierce@
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'When it happened, it was bedlam. They were so happy.'
Apr. 23—URBANA — In the fall of 2022, two Urbana High School freshmen approached biology teacher Jeff Birdsley with an idea: They wanted to enter the Science Olympiad. And they wanted Birdsley as their coach. Birdsley's initial response: "What's that?' Because it wasn't a thing when I was a student." They explained it, and Birdsely said, "No." He had plenty on his plate already, with teaching and coaching Urbana's swim teams. "I just didn't have time." But within a few weeks, Birdsley stepped down from the boys' swim program, freeing up time for Science Olympiad. Good thing. After failing to qualify for the state finals the first year in 2023, Urbana finished 13th in '24. That set up one of the best finishes ever by an Urbana High School team in any activity: a second-place finish on April 12. Lisle High School won the competition. "We had a goal this year to place top five at state, thought that was realistic," Birdsley said. "The second-place finish was unexpected. Kind of a roller-coaster. When it happened, it was bedlam. They were so happy. The camaraderie was so fantastic." Urbana had six gold medalists in their events: * Colin Guth and Elliot Anderson, wind power. * Elliot Anderson and Natalie Pociask, helicopter. * Natalie Pociask and JJ Lee, materials science. * JJ Lee and Colin Guth, robot tour. * Cecelia Birdsley and Sydney Goeddel, entomology. Urbana's additional state medalists included: * Neha Bhargava and Mia Schroeder, optics. * Mia Schroeder and Natalie Pociask, forensics. * Cecelia Birdsley and Sydney Goeddel, bungee drop. The late-afternoon awards ceremony was held at historic Huff Hall. "It's just great for the culture at Urbana High School," Birdsley said, "Many thanks to my athletic director (Steve Waller) and principal (Jesse Guzman) for supporting us through this. They obviously know the value of having extra-curriculars." The second-place trophy will be going into the case at Urbana High School. And the final step to No. 1 seems like a good bet in 2026. Most of the team returns, including the core group of 11 freshmen who got the ball rolling back in '22. "I tell the kids, 'You absolutely have a chance to win a state championship next year,'" Birdsley said. Urbana competes in Division IA. Schools are seeded. Among the schools in Urbana's division were Palatine, Barrington, Urbana University High, Champaign Central and Centennial. Uni High finished fourth, and St. Thomas More finished in eighth place. "That marks the first time Urbana has ever come out ahead of Uni in the Science Olympiad," Birdsley said. "The kids were just as proud of that as the second-place finish." The stage The Science Olympiad is an annual state competition held on the University of Illinois campus. Teams of 15 students compete in 23 events. Every branch of science and engineering is represented: creating towers, bridges, helicopters, planes and ping-pong cannons on the building side. Most of the events are test-taking in various science disciplines. Fans and coaches were allowed to watch the building events. But the tests are students-only. To reach state, schools advance from a local competition. Urbana was at Parkland College this year, where it finished second and earned a spot in the state finals. Uni High won the local competition. It is a lot of work for the students. Nights and weekends. "Many, many, many hours of studying and preparing," Birdsley said. "They go home and make themselves experts on insects or build the best ping-pong air cannon that they could possibly build." The Urbana team had meetings before and after school, talking about goals. Looking ahead, the team will reconvene in September. A list of events for the 2026 Olympiad will be announced and the Tigers will start preparation. "I try to get kids into something they are going to get passionate about," Birdsley said. Background check Urbana had a Science Olympiad program in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are several regional trophies at the high school, but no state trophies. Until now. The school celebrated the accomplishments, with daily announcements the following week. Birdsley carried the trophy around the school. Birdsley has been a teacher at Urbana High School since 2020. He and his wife, Becky Fuller, who is on the UI faculty, have lived in Urbana for 20 years. Their son Sam is an Urbana High School graduate. Their daughter Cecelia has been a member of Science Olympiad from the start and is also an Urbana swimmer. This year, fellow Urbana High School biology teacher Alex Riley, a UI graduate, joined the team as a co-coach. His first year at the school was in 2023. "This was Alex's year to learn how Science Olympiad works and how to coach it," Birdsley said. "I'm still learning how to coach it." Birdsley and Riley welcome any student interested in participating.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Homeschool team wins state Science Olympiad Tournament
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A homeschool group in Colorado Springs has won the state title in a Science Olympiad tournament for both middle and high school. The Science Olympiad is a nationwide STEM competition, providing standards-based challenges to 6,600 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states. This latest competition was on April 5 at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), and Homeschool Science Colorado took home the gold. 'I feel ecstatic about it,' said Lydia Wickerham, who is in Division C of the Science Olympiad. 'None of us were really expecting it this year.' Cindy Puhek, head coach of the homeschool team, said the teams won the tournament against 30 other teams in each division that represented schools from all across the state. This is the third time the high school division has won the title, but the first time for the middle school division since 2021. 'It really is teamwork,' Puhek said. 'You have to do well across all 23 events to win, so you have to have everybody committed.' While most students are already accustomed to deadlines and working with others, Puhek said this is a challenge that homeschool students in general must overcome. 'Having hard and set deadlines, because within homeschool, sometimes we can let things slide, but a tournament is a tournament and that deadline is hard and fast,' Puhek said. 'The soft skills, being able to work as part of a team and work with partners, I think, is critical.' The students said they have created not only friendships to last a lifetime, but built those skills to give them a leg-up in life as well. 'Meeting new people, creating a network of young scientists and preparing me for my future in college,' Wickerham said. Homeschool Science Colorado will represent the state of Colorado at the National Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on May 23-24. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
