426: How Science Olympiad prepares the next generation of innovators – with Jennifer Kopach

How product managers can get involved in inspiring the next generation’s workforce

Today we are talking about preparing the next generation of innovators. If you are a parent, have a nephew or niece, or want to help influence future innovators, this will be a very helpful discussion for you, especially if the kids you can influence are in grades 6-12 or will be in the future.

Joining us is Jennifer Kopach, the CEO of Science Olympiad and President of the Science Olympiad USA Foundation Board.

Summary of some concepts discussed for product managers

[2:06] What is Science Olympiad?

We’re one of the largest STEM competitions in the United States. We have school teams in all 50 states and have been around for almost 40 years. Science Olympiad is creating the next generation’s workforce. Right before the pandemic, we had about 8,000 teams of kids in grades 6-12 and almost a quarter of a million students competing.

The way Science Olympiad works is there are 23 events for each division. Kids form a team of 15 in their school. They practice just like an athletic team, and they advance through levels of competition from Regionals to State to Nationals. Every year we have alumni who graduate, go on to college, and go into STEM careers or other careers, and from Science Olympiad they take the soft skills of collaboration, teamwork, and intellectual curiosity that are the hallmarks of Science Olympiad. We hear from our workforce partners that when the alumni show up at work, they have those teamwork skills already embedded in their processes. They’re problem solvers, creative, not afraid to take risks, and not afraid to fail. In Science Olympiad, students work with people they might not necessarily know. They learn from them and learn different skill sets. Science Olympiad includes a lot of cross-column learning. Some people are more interested in engineering, others in study skills or lab skills, and they come together and learn from each other.

[5:54] What do you tell parents about why their kids should be in Science Olympiad?

I like to share the participants’ comments. The thing I hear the most is that Science Olympiad was that “one thing” in the student’s life. It was the thing that really brought them to school. It’s what kept them going to school. It’s what kept them interested in the subject matter that connected the real world to what they were learning in the classroom. Sure, there are lots of great students, and they’re obviously going to excel, but Science Olympiad allows them to choose the topic they want to excel in. They can apply their learning in ways the classroom doesn’t offer. Parents who are looking to give their kids a nudge in the direction of certain activities should know Science Olympiad will definitely create a skillset in a student that they can take throughout their time in college and entire career.

[6:16] Tell us more about how Science Olympiad is structured and what students learn in Science Olympiad.

Science Olympiad was founded by a group of people who were super committed to science education. They wanted to share the love of all sciences. Science Olympiad is not just robotics olympiad or biology olympiad or chemistry olympiad. They wanted something for everyone, so they created this great system of 23 events across different columns: life science, earth and space science, physics and chemistry, tech and engineering, and inquiry of science. There are 15 kids on a team and 23 events, and students work in pairs on each event, so they’re never working alone and they each have do more than one event. If a student is really into studying, they can do a bio event, but they could also try a building event and a chemistry event. We really encourage students to branch out and try different things and we make sure we also help the teachers by making the events aligned to the ...