Conen Morgan is a former NC Science Olympiad participant, national judge, regional director, and emcee of NCSOs biggest award ceremonies. Conen has spent the past 30 years championing the Science Olympiad program and giving back to students across the country. 

Conen joins The STEM Yard to share his Science Olympiad experience. Conen and Alonzo talk about the value of the Science Olympiad program, tips for success and Conen's vision for the future of the NC Science Olympiad.

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

Ivy Thompson is a new Science Olympiad coach from Hickory Day School in Hickory, North Carolina. Ivy is a former competitor with a passion for advancing STEM education and sharing her love of Science Olympiad with her middle school students. 

Ivy joins The STEM Yard to discuss her experience as a former competitor and her journey as a new coach. Ivy and Alonzo talk about the importance of having fun in STEM, the role of parents, and what she hopes to get out of the 2023 tournament season. 

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

Kimberly Turk is the Unifour Regional Director and has been involved with Science Olympiad for over 13 years. She started out as a supportive parent and eventually, ended up looped into helping out the Science Olympiad as one of our long standing Regional Directors. Kimberly was awarded the Jason Painter Distinguished Service Award in 2022 by North Carolina Science Olympiad.

Kimberly joins The STEM Yard to discuss her experience as a Regional Director and her journey with the Science Olympiad. Kimberly and Alonzo talk about the importance of promoting STEM for children, volunteering at tournaments, and her favorite events.

Volunteer at the Unifour Regional | All NCSO Volunteer Opportunities 

The STEM Yard

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

Did you know that homeschools can compete in NC Science Olympiad? In this week's episode, Alonzo chats with Coach Kristin Russell and teammate Azlyn Raja of DaVinci’s Dragons. DaVinci's Dragons is one of oldest and the largest homeschool team in North Carolina. Kristin and Azlyn share their experience including the challenges and perks of running a homeschool team, how to manage sibling dynamics and Kristin's essentials for Sci Oly success.

Resources
Coach Companion Guide | Student Companion Guide
*These guides were developed by former DaVinci's Dragons head coach Cara McLauchlan

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

Jonathan and Nathan Hiser are brothers and Car Event Leaders for North Carolina. The Hisers' join The STEM Yard to discuss their background with Car events, coping with failure while competing, and the importance of family connections in Science Olympiad. 

The STEM Yard

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

John Toebes is the Science Olympiad National Event Leader for Codebusters and State level event leader for North Carolina. John joins The STEM Yard to discuss his background with Codebusters, tips for forming a well-rounded team, the importance of diversity and tricks for decoding faster. In the second half of the episode, John answers listener-submitted questions that cover a wide variety of event-specific topics, including the fractionated morse cipher, Patristocrat and Cryptarithm. 

About Codebusters

In this event, teams decode encrypted messages using cryptanalysis techniques, or show skill with advanced ciphers by encrypting or decrypting a message.

Resources

Solving Guides | Tyro Tutorial | Division B Codebusters | Division C Codebusters
American Cryptogram Association

About John Toebes

John has an unusual background with skills in a number of areas. He is  an avid innovator with 114 issued US patents (and counting) and over 175 Issued patents world-wide. John's 100th US Patent issued issued on June 23, 2015. In 2018, North Carolina State University Computer Science department inducted John into their Hall of Fame. John was awarded the Jason Painter Distinguished Service Award in 2021 by North Carolina Science Olympiad.

Learn more about John

The STEM Yard

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

In our new series, we are delving into Teams on the Rise. What does that mean exactly? In North Carolina Science Olympiad, the competition for the top two spots at the State Tournament is fierce. Teams on the rise refers to the teams building momentum to unseat the top two squads who typically qualify for Nationals. 

In this episode, we sat down with Emmaline and Yichen, Co-presidents of the Chapel Hill High School Science Olympiad, to learn more on how to build and manage a top performing team and what it is like to be a competitor while also being a student leader. 

The STEM Yard

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

In our new series, we are delving into Teams on the Rise. What does that mean exactly? In North Carolina Science Olympiad, the competition for the top two spots at the State Tournament is fierce. Teams on the rise refers to the teams building momentum to unseat the top two squads who typically qualify for Nationals. 

In this episode, we sat down with Isaac and Misha, Co-presidents of Green Hope High School's Science Olympiad, to learn more about their challenges competing in middle school versus high school as well as the pressures of leading a team.

Green Hope High School Twitter
Green Hope High School Instagram

The STEM Yard

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

In our new series, we are delving into Teams on the Rise. What does that mean exactly? In North Carolina Science Olympiad, the competition for the top two spots at the State Tournament is fierce. Teams on the rise refers to the teams building momentum to unseat the top two squads who typically qualify for Nationals. 

 In this episode, we sat down with Alston Ridge Middle School coach Michelle Gainey, to learn more about her challenges as year-around Science Olympiad coach, the Alston Ridge community and the importance of getting school administration support. 

Connect with Alston Ridge Middle School
Alston Ridge MS Twitter  |  Coach Michelle Gainey Twitter 

The STEM Yard

🖱️Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.

In our new series, we are delving into Teams on the Rise. What does that mean exactly? In North Carolina Science Olympiad, the competition for the top two spots at the State Tournament is fierce. Teams on the rise refers to the teams building momentum to unseat the top two squads who typically qualify for Nationals. 

In this episode, we sat down with Davis Drive Middle School Coach Elizabeth Crowell, Co-coach Meredith Walrod and team member Nishka Nerkar, to learn more about them and take a closer look at their strategies, game plan, and teamwork to learn how they plan to advance in the ranks.

The STEM Yard

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The STEM Yard is a production of The Science House at NC State University. Our show is produced by Valerie Bass with assistance from the NC Science Olympiad. We are supported by funding from The Backyard Foundation.