Columbia Science Olympiad (L to R): A. Radin, Y. Yang, S. Xin, N. Montiel, A. Rain, K. Nagel, S. Koblensky, S. Sill, P. Sergay, F. Howard, N. Laya, K. Grifferty, A. Chang, H. D’Angelo, W. Grasso, ( Missing from photo – C. Plowinske and E. Vlieg)
Columbia Science Olympiad finished ninth out of 71 teams from across the country at the MIT Invitational on Saturday in Boston. Affectionately known as “Nationals 1.0,” the tournament is a chance for teams from as far away as California, Texas and Florida to compete against the best of the best in academic events.
Columbia was led by its six returning seniors who contributed incredible performances. The team amassed top 10 finishes in 11 different events and earned seven medals, a new record against such impressive teams.
With the help of his partners, Abby Radin and Natasha Montiel, senior Yang Yang finished 3rd, 4th and 8th in Disease Detectives, Microbe Mission and Forensics, respectively.
Congratulations and good luck to the team as they continue their preparations for the regional tournament that will be held at The College of St. Rose on February 4.
Top 10 Finishes
| Place | Event | Students |
| 3rd | Disease Detectives | Yang Yang & Abby Radin |
| 3rd | Remote Sensing | Will Grasso & Sydney Sill |
| 3rd | Fermi Questions | Peter Sergay & Sydney Sill |
| 4th | Microbe Mission | Yang Yang & Abby Radin |
| 4th | Hovercraft | Sam Koblensky & Peter Sergay |
| 5th | Invasives | Elizabeth Vlieg & Allie Radin |
| 6th | Optics | Will Grasso & Sam Koblensky |
| 8th | Forensics | Yang Yang & Natasha Montiel |
| 9th | Material Science | Albert Chang & Peter Sergay |
| 9th | Wind Power | Katie Grifferty & Sam Koblensky (special thanks to George Culver) |
| 10th | Experimental Design | Haley D’Angelo, Albert Chang & Abby Radin |
Additional Notable Finishes
| Place | Event | Students |
| 13th | Towers | Sarina Xin & Albert Chang |
| 14th | Robots | Fritz Howard & Neil Laya |
| 15th | WGYN | Cameron Plowinsky & Kelly Nagel |