Science club opening options for exploration to aspiring scientists

Branches of science combine for an ultimate test of wit and scientific knowledge in this year’s Science Olympiad. This year, students from the science club will be preparing for the olympiad and the events that are available this year. The events are listed below:

1. Anatomy/Physiology
2. Astronomy
3. Bridge
4. Cell Biology
5. Chemical Lab
6. Codebusters
7. Detector Building
8. Disease Detectives
9. Dynamic Planet
10. Environmental Chemistry
11. Experimental Design
12. Forensics
13. Gravity Vehicle
14. Green Generation
15. It’s About Time
16. Ornithology
17. Ping-Pong Parachute
18. Remote Sensing
19. Rock And Minerals
20. Trajectory
21. Wifi Lab
22. Wright Stuff
23. Write It Do It

“Science club provides an opportunity to learn about topics in science that students would not get to learn about in their regular classes,” science club adviser Erin Sliwinski said. “There is a wide range of events from every area of science. Some events have students taking a test, while others may have them designing a lab or building a conductivity device or a gravity vehicle.”

Events included in the Science Olympiad require students to proactively use team-building skills, not only bringing students together for a common interest, but also creating possible friendships, as explained by sophomore Abigail Sliwinski, who is participating in the Science Club. “My favorite thing about science club is that I get to get together with other people who like science and have fun learning about topics I’m interested in with people who feel the same way. For example, I really like fossils and we don’t really learn about paleontology in school, but it was an event for the Science Olympiad, so I got to learn about fossils with another girl who was enthusiastic about fossils. Without science club, we never would have had a reason to get together and do research.”

And the community of science club members is only growing. “I am excited about this year’s team. We have enough kids for two teams at the Science Olympiad this year, which we haven’t had before,” Erin said. “I think we have a good shot at winning a team trophy. CFHS has had a lot of individual event medals in the past, but never a team trophy. I am also taking a team to the Paper Roller Coaster Challenge next month.”

“The people in science club are very supportive,” Abigail said. “We like to have fun and mess around sometimes, and we’re almost never on top of things like we should be. We’re also mildly competitive, some of us more than others. It is our goal to beat the Ames team in as many events as we can because they always win.”

Erin agreed with the strength of the science club community. “The best thing about science club is having a community of students with common interests working together. They work together all year to prepare for the State Science Olympiad competition. I also really enjoy the competition days. Everyone has a lot of fun, and it is great to see everyone’s hard work pay off.”

“Other than meeting other science-lovers and learning some interesting things, science club connects me with opportunities and colleges all over the state. UNI gives scholarships to medal winners so participating in the Science Olympiad can help make it easier to get into a good school and save money,” Abigail said.

So if one wants an amazing scientific experience that will bond you with other students at the high school, the science club is a great place and opportunity to do so. The club meets on Thursdays first shift of power hour.