BC STEM Hosts Physics Olympics for Local High School Students

Monday, April 27, 2026

Last week, the STEM Department at Bakersfield College hosted their annual Physics Olympics for local high school students. The event took place on BC’s Panorama Campus and participants competed in a variety of physics activities. More than 200 students from twelve local high schools competed in the event, and one school went home with an award for earning the most points throughout the day.

Stephen Waller, Dean of Instruction at BC for Math, Science & Engineering, has helped coordinate this event for more than 15 years. “Today, we are hosting our annual Physics Olympics that we coordinate with Kern High School District,” he said, “which includes competitions set up by Physics faculty from the local high schools that cover different areas of physics including catapult launches, egg drop, bridge building, paper airplanes, and more.”

When asked about why an event like this is important, Dean Waller replied, “I want our local high school students to come here and experience our college and see our facilities,” he said, “and I want them to see that physics is fun and they can think about coming back to BC as students.”

High school students were seen walking around campus, often carrying their physics creations like airplanes and catapults. It was a fun-filled day of activities that hopefully piqued interest in Physics and STEM for many of the participants. Thank you Dean Waller, Kern High School District, and all the faculty and staff who helped put this event together. We are looking forward to another Physics Olympics in 2027!