Troy Team Hopes to Engineer a Repeat Win

Troy High School sophomore Mark Rudner has been poring over his physics textbooks for a month, building to meticulous detail his Rube Goldberg, a 2-foot-tall contraption that will bear witness to his engineering skills.

Three balls starting at different points race through a maze and land in a cup within two minutes. Any minor flaw at Saturday’s National Science Olympiad in North Carolina could threaten his school’s championship title.

Amid news that California students’ science knowledge is abominable, Troy High School stands out as a major exception. Students from the Fullerton technology magnet school placed first and broke the tournament’s national record last year.

On Thursday, the Fullerton team of 15 junior scientists headed to Raleigh, N.C., for a second shot at winning what is widely considered the most comprehensive and rigorous science tournament in the nation. About 2,000 science students from throughout the United States and Canada will compete at the 12-year-old Olympiad that runs all day Saturday.

Their expertise notwithstanding, the students know from embarrassing experience how the scientific method doesn’t work every time. Like the parachute that didn’t open when the rocket was launched in front of the judges. It had worked flawlessly the day before.

Or the egg that splattered last year after a catcher device failed to cushion the fall in the egg-drop contest. The different climate in Atlanta was to blame.

Still, the Troy team recently placed first in the Southern California competition, qualifying them for Saturday’s national level.

The contest will test students in 23 categories ranging from tree specimens to physics laws to geology. Some students also will compete in intensive on-site demonstrations in which they analyze data, engineer mechanical devices and display their homemade science projects.

A report released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Education gave California’s eighth-graders a D in science knowledge, ranking them behind 65% of their peers across the country.

California officials ruefully admit that the statistics are disappointing and say that’s why they encourage magnet programs such as Troy’s.

But the magnet high school’s success in science would be difficult to duplicate on a statewide basis. It relies on highly motivated science students who apply to attend and on scientific equipment that many schools could not afford.

About 1,000 Troy students take on seven-period daily schedules heavy on math and science, at a school decked out with the latest computers and fully equipped science laboratories. By their senior year, they are expected to complete an internship at high-level labs in UC Irvine and Rockwell International Corp.

Students must go far beyond even that level of work to prepare for the national competition. Team members have sacrificed lunches, weekends and holidays to review chemistry formulas, quiz one another and comb the library shelves at nearby Cal State Fullerton for scientific journals, reference books and other study materials.

“These students have spent several hundred hours studying for the competition and building these projects,” such as bottle rockets and model bridges,” said Dan Jundanian, Troy High biology teacher and one of the coaches traveling to the competition.

Junior Matthew Lee, who’s competing for a second time, remembers how he drew a blank last year when asked how many Fridays there are in a year. “I’ll never forget, there are 52,” the bespectacled 16-year-old said.

And for junior Jessica Tan, who competed in two previous years, speed is the key to scoring high on the 120-question genetics exam. Last year, time was up before she reached the last set of questions.

The Fullerton team say they are better equipped this year.

Rudner’s Rube Goldberg machine was boxed and planted in its own airplane seat next to Troy Principal Bob Schoner to ensure it stays intact throughout the flight. Freshman Jonathan Buenaventura’s egg catcher is wrapped in a temperature-controlled container to prevent last year’s splatter.

To clinch the winning title again, the students shared some final tips. Mental might and a chat with God are in order for Buenaventura. A bucket stocked with candy bars will boost junior Shane Markstrum’s energy.

“I’m going to test the Rube Goldberg Friday night,” Rudner said. “It’s important that we win.”