For the first time in school history, the Wydown Middle School Science Olympiad Team has advanced to the 33rd Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament based on their second place finish at the State competition held on April 8. The WMS students have spent countless hours before and after school this year preparing for the opportunity to face off against 119 of the country’s best Science Olympiad teams on the national stage. The National Tournament will be held on May 19-20 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Science Olympiad was introduced at WMS four years ago, in part, due to interest from Washington University students who were passionate about the program and wanted to support the next generation of scientists. Through Science Olympiad, students compete in events pertaining to various scientific disciplines, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. Students typically select two-to-three events in which they would like to compete. During their practices throughout the year, the students worked with their teammates, teachers and Washington University coaches to prepare for their events.

Congratulations to the following students, their Washington University coaches and their staff advisers, WMS Science Teacher Barry Crook and Gifted Specialist Sandy Sermos.

Team Members
Daboh Ahn
Koray Akduman
Luka Bassnett
Eliot Blackmoore
Pablo Buitrago
Josie Gillette
Max Keller
Rachel Liang
Daniel Love
Isaac Millians
Siddhi Narayan
John Poor
Robert Rosas
Zach Wang
Carol Zhang

Alternates
Miguel Buitrago
Soumya Rao

Individual Event Results
Luka Bassnett & Pablo Buitrago, First Place - Optics
Carol Zhang & Robert Rosas, First Place - Reach for the Stars
Luka Bassnett & Pablo Buitrago, First Place - Hovercraft
Max Keller & Siddhi Narayan, Second Place - Ecology
Siddhi Narayan & Rachel Liang, Second Place - Invasive Species
Eliot Blackmoore & Daniel Love, Second Place - Disease Detectives
John Poor & Robert Rosas, Third Place - Bottle Rockets
Koray Akduman, Third Place - Wind Power
Carol Zhang & Eliot Blackmoore, Third Place - Rocks & Minerals
Eliot Blackmore & Isaac Millians, Third Place - Fast Facts
Josie Gillette, Daboh Ahn, & Robert Rosas, Third Place - Experimental Design
Koray Akduman & John Poor, Third Place - Microbe Mission
Max Keller & Pablo Buitrago, Third Place - Dynamic Planet
Josie Gillette & Daboh Ahn, Fourth Place - Write It Do It
Pablo Buitrago & Carol Zhang, Fifth Place - Towers
Luka Bassnett & John Poor, Fifth Place - Wright Stuff