[INTEREST CHECK] Science Olympiad Student Organization at Iowa State University START UP

[nathanchen4914]

Hello everyone!

My name is Nathan, a student at Iowa State University. I was involved with Science Olympiad from grades 7-12, where my schools advanced to the National Tournament 5 years in a row and I was able to represent the State of Iowa and compete against brilliant students from all around the United States.

Once I entered college, the feeling of emptiness was ever-present, as I had spent large quantities of time devoted to perfecting my Science Olympiad events for the past 6 years. Now, I would like to dispose of that empty feeling by reentering the Science Olympiad community through a student organization at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

There are three main goals associated with a potential Science Olympiad Student Organization at Iowa State University. The first goal would be to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education throughout schools in Iowa by fostering enthusiasm and interest in STEM. The second goal of this organization would be to encourage teamwork and advocate sportsmanship. The third, and perhaps my favorite, goal would be to nurture the spirit of competition by providing opportunities for competition through the organization of an annual Iowa State University Science Olympiad Invitational Tournament, where middle school and high school teams from all over are invited to come participate and practice for Regional, State, and National Tournaments.

I also want to mention a long-term goal that this student organization may have: to have Iowa State University become the host institution of a future Science Olympiad National Tournament. (This would be the first in the State of Iowa!)

I believe students will find this student organization very helpful as it offers opportunities to improve communication, organization, and leadership skills as well as learn responsibility and time management. With all these aspects, Science Olympiad Student Organization at Iowa State University will do a good job of preparing students for a future in the professional world. Students will also find this organization particularly enjoyable by being able to interact with student competitors and being a part of the competitive spirit Science Olympiad has to offer!

With that said, a student organization must have members to be recognized by the university, provide effective leadership, and advance the goals of the organization. I am writing to ask if anyone here is attending Iowa State University in Fall 2018 and/or knows anyone who currently attends or will attend Iowa State University this fall and may be interested in joining this new (potential) student organization. I would love to meet all of you (in-person or online) and work with you to make this student organization a reality this year!

Please comment/reply if you will be attending Iowa State University or know someone who will be/currently attends and may be interested in joining this organization! You may also send me a private message on the forum!

Thank you for reading everyone!