Science Olympiad state tournament hosted on campus

Helicopters, forensics, hover crafts, microbe mission, wind power and robot arms may sound like things of the future, but these are all projects done by high school and middle school students in the region through a program called “Science Olympiad.”

Students competed in the state tournament on Saturday. Events were hosted all over USD’s campus and at the Vermillion High School.

“The Science Olympiad is basically the Olympics for science-based events,” said Clark Bennett, an event organizer. “I say that because they get gold, silver and bronze medals for their events.”

The university has hosted this event since 1985. It can be a unique opportunity for recruiting high school prospects, Bennett said.

“The students get to interact with the very professors they would eventually be working with, so I think that’s very advantageous on both sides to get a preview of each other in a formal yet informal way,” he said.

“Robot Arm,” one of the day’s competitions, required competitors to build a robot arm on their own and command it to pick up a stack of pennies. Katie Hammond and Jess Jussel, two sophomores from Yankton High School, worked as a team to build their arm. The pair have been competing since the 7th grade.

“We started 3D printing most of our parts, and we had to reprint them,” Hammond said. “We had to order motors and some of those didn’t work. Putting it together took a while, then testing was probably the longest.”

Parents can’t help their students while they compete, but they can help in the building stages.

Hammond said the event was a learning experience.

“It really tests your patience,” she said. “It’s like telling your middle schoolers and high schoolers to go and learn college-level stuff all on their own.”

Jussel said he’s enjoyed participating in the Olympiad.

“This is my first year on the high school team,” Jussel said. “We do a lot of studying and research. Time is key.”

The Science Olympiad promotes resourcefulness and STEM-related careers, Bennett said.

“It’s showing knowledge, ingenuity,” he said. “I enjoy it. It’s a very good thing to try to promote science and try to get people into STEM. I just want people to come, have fun and learn something and for everybody to have an equal chance.”