Science Olympiad

@JPNCGChicago @JapanEmbDC

On March 11, I attended the Consul General Leadership Dinners and Discussions organized by the Economic Club of Chicago at the Chicago Club. Twelve Consuls General, including myself—representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, and Ukraine—each hosted an intimate dinner for 10–15 guests, exchanging perspectives on our respective countries’ relationships with Chicago, Illinois, the Midwest, and the United States. In total, approximately 144 attendees—primarily founders, presidents, CEOs, and chairs of major Chicago-based companies—participated in the discussions. I had the pleasure of co-hosting a dinner with Mohan Rao, CEO of Expression Therapeutics, and was honored to be joined by distinguished guests, including Ruth Bahe-Jachna (Principal Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig), Stephen Potter (Chairman, Japan America Society of Chicago; retired Vice Chairman, Northern Trust), Robert Karr (Partner, Barnes & Thornburg), Jennifer Kopach (President & CEO, Science Olympiad USA Foundation), Piyush Goel (Founder & CEO, Beyond Key), Zena Naiditch (Founder, President & CEO, Equip for Equality), Shlomo Crandus (CEO, Wheels), Elle Ramel (Chief of Staff, World Business Chicago), Alexander Meyer (Managing Partner, Origin Ventures), Eleanor Gorski (President & CEO, Chicago Architecture Center), and Cori McKeever (Co-President, North America, and Global President of Healthcare, Golin). Our discussion focused on Japan–U.S. economic relations, including Japan–Illinois trade and investment ties, the 2025 U.S.-Japan Tariff Agreement, and the Japan-U.S. Strategic Investment Initiative. We also explored global security topics, as well as Japan’s long-standing ties to Chicago—dating back to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, where Japan exhibited the Hōōden (Phoenix Pavilion) and a Japanese garden that later became the Osaka Garden. Looking ahead, we discussed broader Midwest opportunities in AI, quantum technologies, startups, and data center development. It was a stimulating evening and an excellent opportunity to exchange perspectives with leaders in Chicago’s business community. My sincere thanks to the Economic Club of Chicago for organizing this remarkable event.

@JPNCGChicago It was an honor to send our CEO, Jennifer Kopach, to the dinner! Make sure to follow along with @AppinKoushien to learn more about the Japan High School Science Championship happening today, March 19! 🇯🇵🇺🇸🥇Thank you for your friendship.

@AppinKoushien Everyone at Science Olympiad awaits the winner! We cannot wait to invite our 15th Global Ambassador Team from Japan to Los Angeles this May! 🇯🇵🇺🇸🥇

【第15回全国大会】 全国大会の会場では、明日の開幕に向けて今も着々と準備が進められています💨 #アッピン も現場の総監督として、準備状況を入念にチェック🔎中。 じっと見つめる視線の先には何があるのかな？？？ #科学の甲子園

Behind every great Science Olympiad team is an incredible coach. 📷 We’re excited to recognize six exceptional coaches with our Coaching Excellence Award, including free registration to summer workshops! Help us celebrate them - nominate your coach using the link: soinc.org/form/2026-coac… #ThankYouCoaches #CoachingExcellence #ScienceOlympiad #STEM

When challenges showed up, the John Adams Red and Blue Science Olympiad teams showed out 🔬🔥 Competing against 15 high school teams at the Indiana University Northwest Regional Tournament, the squads powered through being down seven team members, with students stepping into events they hadn’t even trained for. They used every spare minute to prepare, rose to the occasion, and made it count. Next up, STATE! Photo credit: @SBJohnAdamsHigh

Congratulations to the Whiting Science Olympiad team on their 2nd place finish at the IUN Regional! The varsity (A) team medaled in 17 out of the 23 events and the JV (B) team medaled in 10 events. Both teams are going to state! Great job-very proud! @WHSOilers @IndianaSciOly

🚨 Calling all Science Olympiad High School Seniors! 🚨 We’re awarding $50,000 in Science Olympiad Founders’ Scholarships - including five $10,000 awards! Tell us how Science Olympiad helped shape who you are and how you’ll use that experience to make a difference for others. 🗓 Deadline: April 13, 2026 (midnight CT) 🔗 soinc.org/programs/schol… #ScienceOlympiad #Scioly #STEM #Scholarships #STEMStudents

Science Olympiad and the US Air Force are proud to announce a partnership to encourage high school students to consider STEM careers in the Air Force, capitalizing on skills developed in our events. Personnel will be on-site to meet students and their families at three State Tournaments this season: Montana on 2/19, Georgia on 4/4, and Florida on 4/11. . . . #scienceolympiad #usairforce #partner #scioly @USAFRecruiting @montanastate @GeorgiaTech @USouthFlorida

In January, UMBC buzzed with the energy of 1200+ high schoolers from across the Mid-Atlantic. For the 3rd year, UMBC CNMS hosted its Science Olympiad Invitational Tournament, transforming the campus into a vibrant hub of hands-on scientific discovery. umbc.edu/stories/1200-h…

Westhill HS participated in the Science Olympiad competition at Le Moyne College against 32 teams. Our students performed extremely well earning a total of 10 team medals & finishing 9th overall! This was a reflection of students’ dedication, teamwork, and academic excellence.🙌🏻

🔬 CV Science Olympiad competed at the MIT SciOly Invitational, the nation’s toughest competition! Battling 68 elite teams and a snowstorm, they finished 21st overall (best MIT result ever!) with multiple top-6 medals. We are #CVProud of our Eagles! 🦅 #PortraitOfAnEagle

🏆 Shenandoah Middle Takes 1st Place! 🥇We are incredibly proud to announce that we are the 1st Place Winner of the 25-26 Science Olympiad, presented by EduSmart & MDCPS! ​A special shoutout to Mr. Fernandez, our 8th-grade winning teacher! ​🧪✨

A group of students from Ramsay High School participated in the Science Olympiad, a team STEM competition, at Auburn University this weekend! #SuccessStartsHere

@PhilWongNYC Thanks for your support of Science Olympiad and the incredible students in our program!

I stopped by Grover Cleveland HS for the NYC South Regional Science Olympiad. Had a great conversation with students about their helicopter design that competed in today’s tournament as they waited for the results. Always impressive to see this level of STEM talent & teamwork.

New year, new Nationals locations 👀....we've been planning ahead! We’re excited to announce our next three national tournaments - starting at The Ohio State University, followed by Georgia Tech and the University of Illinois. #scienceolympiad #scioly #sonationals

Happy New Year! 🎉 Start January strong with our Science Olympiad webinar lineup - covering Materials Science, Astronomy, Crime Busters, Forensics, and Anatomy & Physiology. 🔗Register now: soinc.org/join/workshops #scienceolympiad #scioly #webinars

⭐️ Sending you warm wishes for a joyful holiday season from everyone at the Science Olympiad National Office! #happyhoildays #scienceolympiad #scioly

Peter Hung’s career at Caltech and beyond was kickstarted by the science outreach program, Science Olympiad. Now he’s giving back to help the next generation of students discover their passions. Read more: initiativeforstudents.caltech.edu/story-listings…

Today is Giving Tuesday! 💙 Thanks to our amazing Science Olympiad family, the Science Olympiad USA Foundation has invested over $1.4M in the future of STEM. This #GivingTuesday, your support, whether time, talent, or a donation, helps inspire the next generation of innovators. Thank you for being part of our journey 🔗scienceolympiad.app.neoncrm.com/forms/science-…  #GivingTuesday #ScienceOlympiad #Scioly

🌟 Happy National STEM Day! Science Olympiad thrives because of our incredible community of STEM enthusiasts - we wouldn’t be who we are without you! #scienceolympiad #scioly #NationalSTEMDay