A large group of middle and high school students dressed in formal and semiformal attire pose outside a building with geometric windows, some wearing medals and matching ties, representing their Science Olympiad team.

Ann Arbor high schoolers compete in Science Olympiad nationals with support from NERS

The Pioneer High School Science Olympiad team competed at the 2025 Science Olympiad National Tournament.

By:

Sara Norman

Last month, the Pioneer High School Science Olympiad team traveled to the 2025 National Tournament at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, held May 23–24—and returned home with an impressive 14th place overall finish. The University of Michigan Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) was proud to support the team as a Gold Sponsor.

Science Olympiad team members dressed in suits and dresses smile around a long table during a group meal in a university dining hall. Plates of food and dessert are scattered on the table as students pose for the photo.
Pioneer Science Olympiad team hours before nationals eating dinner at Harper Hall, University of Lincoln Nebraska.

Competing against 60 of the best teams from nearly every state in the country, Pioneer earned medals in four events:

  • Forensics, 1st place – Aaron Kou and Maddy Buza
  • Disease Detectives, 2nd place – Aurora Janevic and Michael Wu
  • Air Trajectory, 5th place – Jay Bala and Rex Bajcz
  • Bungee Drop, 5th place – Rex Bajcz and Vedha Joshi
A man in a suit places a red, white, and blue medal around a female student's neck during an award ceremony, while another student looks on. The red backdrop features large white "N" letters for the University of Nebraska.
Junior Aaron Kou and Sophomore Maddy Buza winning first place in Forensics.

Pioneer also earned top 15 finishes in several additional events, including:

  • Robot Tour, 8th – Asher Suter and Annabelle Yan
  • Experimental Design, 9th – Aurora Janevic, Maddy Buza, and Vedha Joshi
  • Codebusters, 10th – Hyunsung Woo, Margaret Hsu, and Michael Wu
  • Chemistry Lab, 11th – Aaron Kou and Raymond Li
  • Entomology, 11th – Amy Liu and Radhika Bhide
  • Fossils, 12th – Aaron Kou and Theo Sacks-Thomas
  • Electric Vehicle, 14th – Asher Suter and Michael Wu
  • Helicopter, 15th – Asher Suter and Theo Sacks-Thomas
  • Microbe Mission, 15th – Amy Liu and Annabelle Yan

“The support of the University of Michigan’s Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science department was a major boost for the team, helping us keep the costs to team members for attending Nationals down to a manageable level. We are so grateful for this help,” said the team’s head coach, Jon Hanson, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. 

NERS’s support helped enable the team’s travel to nationals and continues a broader departmental effort to promote K–12 STEM education. Many of the team’s standout events require problem-solving, motion control, and material optimization, all of which overlap with real-world challenges in nuclear engineering.

Two students in matching purple "PIONEER" shirts test a wooden tower structure at a Science Olympiad event, while a judge observes and takes notes. Equipment and buckets are set up around them in a modern auditorium.
Asher Suter (Freshman) and Rex Bajcz (Senior) positioning their build device at the National Tournament.

“As a co-captain, I am blown away by how outstanding this season was,” said Radhika Bhide, a junior at Pioneer High School. “We started off with more than 50 active team members, the largest participation we’ve had in Pioneer Science Olympiad history, and ended the season ranked among the nation’s top teams once again. I am very excited for future seasons, where I expect to see continued excellence.”

Beyond the tournament, NERS has invited the Pioneer team to participate in the department-hosted NEA Global Forum Symposium this fall. Students will have the opportunity to display their build devices and explore how the skills they’ve developed connect to advanced energy systems and scientific research.

“Science olympiad is not about choosing an event and sticking to it, but rather being excited to try a variety of different sciences and engineering subjects,” said Jocelyn Wong, a freshman at Pioneer High School. “We learn to push through wins and losses and take on any test that comes our way. This open-mindedness and persistence is what makes our team so well-rounded and what makes science olympiad an incredible opportunity. We are shaping the future of our nation’s scientists one competition at a time.”

“We’re always proud to support students who show this level of drive, teamwork, and ingenuity,” said Todd Allen, NERS chair. “They represent the kind of future innovators and engineers we hope to inspire.”

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