Can you make an artificial plane that is powered by rubber bands? Students at I.S. 98 Bay Academy in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, can. How about a mini tower made of toothpick-like wood that can hold a five-gallon bucket of sand? The students can do that too — and more — which is why they are the first NYC public school kids to compete in the National Science Olympiad Tournament.
I.S. 98’s Science Olympiad Team is an after-school club of science-loving middle-schoolers who can give Bill Nye a run for his money. When Science teacher, Chris Caputo, found out his team was the first from a NYC public school to ever qualify for the national competition, he was ecstatic.
“It was an insane feeling. We put a lot of work into it,” he said. “We worked with the kids almost every day since September to get here.”
The National Science Olympiad Tournament is a nationwide tournament that consists of 23 science-themed events in which students compete against other schools to win medals, accolades and academic achievement. It is a rigorous competition of tests and project-building where young students have to master college-level science concepts in subjects including biology, chemistry, physics, Earth science and engineering.
This year, the tournament will be held at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., May 24 to 25.
Throughout the school year, the budding scientists from Brooklyn created projects, collected data and conducted field work in anticipation of making it to the tournament.
Needless to say, the students are thrilled to have the opportunity to compete in this fierce challenge. The journey to nationals started in September when students tried out for the team. Although 45 talented kids participate in the club, only 15 of them are heading to the competition.
And they’ve put their work in, meeting three days a week for three hours after school, as well as time on weekends, to craft their array of science projects. The projects are mostly physics-themed and are all designed with the goal in mind of heading to state and national competitions.
One of the projects the students developed is called ‘Tower,’ and it tests a feat of strength.
“They had to build a tower out of very thin and light balsa wood that had to hold 15,000 grams of sand.”
They also had to create a mini plane, powered by rubber bands, and have it stay in the air as long as possible. Its record is 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
“It’s run by a rubber band that you wind up,” Caputo said. “The key for this project is learning how to properly make it fly. You have to figure out the right position for the wings, how to tilt it, and the right way to wind the motor.”
Caputo and the kids would come in extra early at 6:30 a.m. all year to use the school gym as an airport for their project.
“It was the only time we had the gym during the school day,” he said.
Students also had to build a car that can travel through cans and stop at a specific distance. And a device that could shoot a ping pong ball into a designated target a certain distance away.
The coach said he is ready for the big day. The team will pack up their materials to head cross country by bus to the tournament next week. It will be a 10 to 11-hour trip, but Caputo said he is not nervous — not this time, anyway.
“Leading into states I was super nervous,” Caputo said. “Because last year at states we missed qualifying by six points, which is astronomically close. You never really see it that close. So this year when we won at states, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. They deserve it with how hard they worked.”
The I.S. 98 will compete against schools across the country next week, but whatever happens, they will come out winners.
