By Pooja Yalavarthi
The University of Michigan Science Olympiad Invitational brings over 1000 middle and high
school students from around the country to central campus annually to compete in various
events focusing on subjects such as computer science, cellular biology, public health, and
physics. Our goal is to foster an interest in STEM in middle and high school students, and it’s
always a fun experience to see them so excited on the day of!
Much of our organization is led by students who competed in Science Olympiad as middle and
high schoolers, and we are excited to put on this competition to give back to the community that
led us to pursue our own STEM interests. Our tournament takes place in multiple buildings
across campus, including the IM, USB, and Mason Hall, and ends in an awards ceremony held
at Rackham.
We also held a STEM Expo for our high schoolers this year, where we had different major
departments and student organizations present to students to talk about their impact as not only
students in STEM but undergraduates at the University of Michigan. Students were able to ask
questions to an admissions counselor, learn about opportunities for high school students to get
involved in research, and also talk to different project teams about the work they do. We are
excited to continue holding this tournament to foster STEM excitement in middle and high
schoolers in the future.
