The Pennsylvania Science Olympiad (PASO) Board of Directors welcome you to our website. We are a chapter of Science Olympiad, Inc. and responsible for coordinating and organizing tournaments in Pennsylvania for elementary, middle school, and high school students to compete in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related activities.
What is Science Olympiad?
Science Olympiad teams are similar to athletic teams in that students with very diverse ethnic, racial, and gender backgrounds compete as a team, not as individuals. Science Olympiad has opportunities for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Teams of 15 students are challenged by 23 STEM related events that span biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and inquiry. Females represent 40% of the students who compete on Science Olympiad teams. Students usually work in pairs building devices for testing at tournaments, studying for core knowledge challenges, and preparing for rigorous hands-on lab experiments. All this work prepares them for working as a team in a future STEM career.
We are a 501c3 non-profit organization made up of volunteers who work diligently to host local, regional, and state tournaments for Science Olympiad teams to compete and grow in their quest of mastering STEM concepts. To participate, all teams must be registered with PASO and have an adult coach. Teams come from private, parochial, and public schools and homeschools. Financial Equity Grants are available to assist struggling schools and schools that otherwise would not be able to compete. We have teams from Philadelphia to Erie, and from the Poconos to Pittsburgh. PASO sponsors seven regional tournaments and one state tournament in addition to invitationals in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. We are bringing STEM opportunities everywhere in Pennsylvania. While the majority of these opportunities are for middle school and high school students, a growing number of elementary school students are getting involved. Currently more than 4500 students and more than 650 teachers from 250 middle and high schools in Pennsylvania participate in PASO. The challenging and motivating events in PASO tournaments align with PA Science Standards as well as National Science Education Standards.
Science Olympiad teams are similar to athletic teams in that students with very diverse ethnic, racial, and gender backgrounds compete as a team, not as individuals. Science Olympiad has opportunities for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Teams of 15 students are challenged by 23 STEM related events that span biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and inquiry. Females represent 40% of the students who compete on Science Olympiad teams. Students usually work in pairs building devices for testing at tournaments, studying for core knowledge challenges, and preparing for rigorous hands-on lab experiments. All this work prepares them for working as a team in a future STEM career. 
We are a 501c3 non-profit organization made up of volunteers who work diligently to host local, regional, and state tournaments for Science Olympiad teams to compete and grow in their quest of mastering STEM concepts. To participate, all teams must be registered with PASO and have an adult coach. Teams come from private, parochial, and public schools and homeschools. Financial Equity Grants are available to assist struggling schools and schools that otherwise would not be able to compete. We have teams from Philadelphia to Erie, and from the Poconos to Pittsburgh. PASO sponsors seven regional tournaments and one state tournament in addition to invitationals in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. We are bringing STEM opportunities everywhere in Pennsylvania. While the majority of these opportunities are for middle school and high school students, a growing number of elementary school students are getting involved. Currently more than 4500 students and more than 650 teachers from 250 middle and high schools in Pennsylvania participate in PASO. The challenging and motivating events in PASO tournaments align with PA Science Standards as well as National Science Education Standards.
