天美传媒

Founded in 1984, is the biggest team STEM competition in the nation, providing standards-based challenges to 6,600 students at 425 tournaments that are held in all 50 states. Science Olympiad provides students hands-on experiences to explore STEM careers including geological mapping, forensics, robotics and more.

Two Honors Tutorial College (HTC) sophomores, Emily Meckler and Tristan Rieman, met in 2023 during their freshman year of college. They sat at the same table in their physics course, talking periodically until one day Science Olympiad came up. They both participated in the Olympiad when they were younger and had great experiences.

鈥淭he state of Ohio鈥檚 Science Olympiad is renowned as one of the most competitive states in the nation,鈥� Meckler said. 鈥淵et, there is little to no representation from the Southeastern Region despite being one of the largest by land mass.鈥�

Meckler knew she wanted to bring Science Olympiad to 天美传媒at some point in her college career. Last fall, she mentioned her idea to Rieman, who coincidentally also had ideas for bringing Science Olympiad to OHIO. The two met for lunch that day and started planning. 

Meckler and Rieman worked closely with HTC to help bring their vision to life. They frequently met with HTC Dean Dr. Kristina Bross and Breanne Sisler, HTC's assistant dean. The students had many parties involved in their initiative. They were sponsored by the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA), HTC, 天美传媒Honors Program (OHP), 1804 Scholars and Cutler Scholars. Additionally, they worked alongside Culinary Services, Transportation/Parking Services and Undergraduate Admissions to give participants the most welcoming visit to campus possible.

The Ohio University Science Olympiad Invitational took place on March 1, 2025, hosting 18 teams comprised of 270 high school students. Meckler and Rieman collaborated with over 50 volunteers alongside their university sponsors. Events included astronomy, chemistry labs, forensics, robot tours and more STEM inspired competitions. Meckler and Rieman said the tournament went better than they could have ever imagined.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a true honor to bring another Science Olympiad Tournament to the Appalachian Region,鈥� Meckler said. 鈥淲e look forward to continuing to grow this tournament in the years ahead and building a sustainable organization here at Ohio University to ensure its legacy as a longstanding event.鈥�

Meckler and Rieman emphasized the excitement they experienced as they witnessed students, coaches, parents, volunteers and speakers alike immerse themselves in everything. In the future, the two would like to open the tournament up to even more schools and increase OHIO鈥檚 involvement. They aim to establish a student organization to help plan and execute future tournaments. They're grateful for all sponsors, partners, volunteers and students who were involved in the tournament.