By Madison Narain
“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. It is a way of skeptically interrogating the universe, with a fine understanding of human fallibility,” a quote credited to Carl Sagan, an influential American astronomer, science communicator, and author, explores how science is not simply memorizing facts and formulas, but rather adopting a mindset that allows one to think inquisitively, be skeptical, and be unwilling to adopt ideas without questioning them first. Sagan refuses the classification of science as a static subject, rather illustrating it as a continuous process. Sagan alludes to how scientific success heavily relies on learning to work together, learning from past mistakes, and looking at the world from a perspective that not only values critical thinking, but also curiosity. This mindset is crucial for Science Olympiad, an extra-curricular where students are prompted to value this approach. As of recently, Nyack High School has introduced Science Olympiad as a club for the next school year.
Science Olympiad is a team-based club where students work together in pairs or small teams in preparation for their participation in events that focus on various STEM fields. These events encourage learning firsthand through handwritten exams, laboratory experiments, and design-and-build competitions. This specific formatting calls for students to embrace skills that are crucial in STEM environments such as learning to collaborate, grow scientific skills, build communication and teamwork, and increase efficiency. Each school year, members of the club attend the New York State Science Olympiad competition where schools from across the region put forth teams to compete in challenging and insightful events. These events imitate problem-solving within the real world as they integrate scientific approaches under time limits within intense and competitive environments. These arduous and captivating events give students the opportunity to earn recognition, medals, and advancement into higher level tournaments. Students' success highlights their ability to individually prepare, as well as their ability to work as a team with other students. Science Olympiad is more than just a competition, student participation in Science Olympiad club allows students to appreciate the work people within the STEM fields do and inspires them to get involved in engineering, science research, and innovation.
As shared by Carl Sagan, science can be more than just a subject, but rather a mindset. Scientific understanding can be demonstrated not solely through memorization, but also through one's curiosity and willingness to question. To exercise this frame of mind, join the Science Olympiad Club for the 2026-2027 school year. To sign up, email kmattsen@nyackschools.org, madison.narain@nyackschools.org and aminah.ishtiaq@nyackschools.org expressing your interest.