5th Annual Northwestern University Science Olympiad Tournament

WHO WE ARE

Science Olympiad (SciOly) is a national program that engages pre-college students in STEM through competitions in fields including biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and mathematics. Schools register teams of 15 students, who compete as duos or trios in 23 different events. SciOly at Northwestern is both a registered NU student organization and an alumni chapter of the National Science Olympiad organization. We aim to host an annual invitational for high school teams across the nation, particularly for schools in northwest Illinois and surrounding areas. Our event would give student competitors the opportunity to test their knowledge of sciences and prepare for regional/state/national competitions–all while providing exposure to the beautiful Northwestern campus and collegiate environment.

Our mission is to foster a healthy relationship between students and the STEM disciplines through competition that seeks to motivate, challenge, and inspire students through connecting like-minded peers. Science Olympiad has had a profound impact on the pre-college experiences of many NU SciOly members, who have formed lasting friendships, discovered new passions in STEM, and even found inspiration for their future career endeavors. As undergraduate and graduate students, we hope to provide opportunities for similarly meaningful experiences through hosting a high-quality invitational.

While this is only our fifth year as a registered student organization at Northwestern, we have accumulated experience in hosting four successful invitationals–one online and three in-person. In 2022, we successfully hosted our first in-person tournament, which drew 33 teams across the nation–including teams among the top 10 in the country. In 2023, our second in-person tournament brought similarly encouraging results. Our champion and runner-up continued onwards to place 9th and 11th at the 2023 National Science Olympiad Tournament, respectively. In our third in-person tournament in 2024, we hosted 40 teams including teams from California and Nevada. Finally, during our 2025 in-person tournament, 42 teams participated. This was a promising expansion from years before that we will continue to build upon. We received a lot of positive feedback from students and coaches, along with suggestions for improvement. This year, we hope to fulfill their wishes and provide an even better tournament experience that students will fondly remember as a highlight of their year.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

Putting on any Science Olympiad competition is a huge undertaking. There are many supplies like chemicals and measurement devices that are needed to run certain events. We need a lot of space to host so many people for nearly an entire day, and thus need to reserve large sections of campus buildings. These elements are vital for a successful tournament that encourages high school students to become scientists, and we need your help to obtain these resources.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate! Even $5 makes a huge difference towards increasing the quality of our event. That could mean another reagent or piece of equipment we can provide for our chemistry events, or being able to print tests for an event. If you cannot contribute, no worries! Please share with family and friends to help us accomplish our goal!

The benefits and services provided by Northwestern University’s student groups are available to all students without regard to any category protected by the law. The University believes different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds are critical to a dynamic and vibrant University community, and as such all students are welcome and encouraged to join each group. Any student interested in exploring establishing a new affinity group should contact SOA.