Troy High School students Lucas Chen, 15, left, and teammate Dylan Xiang, compete in the bungee drop during Orange County Regional Science Olympiad on Saturday, February 14, 2026. They had to drop a water bottle attached to a bungee cord from a second story and come as close to the pavement without touching it. They came 1 centimeter from the ground. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jeremy Wang, 13, from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, launches a “helicopter” during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Vista Verde Middle School students Kevan Helm, 11, left, and Dylan Ebal, 13, concentrate on launching handmade “helicopter” during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lucas Chen, 15, right, hugs teammate Dylan Xiang, after the Troy High School students finish competing in the bungee drop during Orange County Regional Science Olympiad on Saturday, February 14, 2026. They had to drop a water bottle attached to a bungee cord from a second story and come as close to the pavement without touching it. They came 1 centimeter from the ground. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Portola High School student Suhrith Muvvala, 18, passes the time between competitions during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sunny Hills High School Students watch the bungee drop competition during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Suin Kim, left, and Jeremy Wang, both 13, from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, react as their “helicopter” hovers in the air for close to two minutes during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. Teams are judged on how long their object stays in the air. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Northwood High School students Aashi Suresh, 16, left, and Leanna Lo, 17, launch their hovercraft during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. The object of the contest is to get the handmade unit across the finish line in a specific range of time. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Suin Kim, left, and Jeremy Wang, both 13, from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, launch their “helicopter” during the Orange County Regional Science Olympiad at UC Irvine on Saturday, February 14, 2026. Teams are judged on how long the object stays in the air. Theirs hovered for almost two minutes. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1 of 9
Troy High School students Lucas Chen, 15, left, and teammate Dylan Xiang, compete in the bungee drop during Orange County Regional Science Olympiad on Saturday, February 14, 2026. They had to drop a water bottle attached to a bungee cord from a second story and come as close to the pavement without touching it. They came 1 centimeter from the ground. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
They showed their knowledge of biology and coding, geology and machines; they solved crimes, built hovercraft, decrypted encoded messages and classified rocks and bugs.
Some 1,200 middle school and high school students competed in the 2026 Orange County Regional Science Olympiad this weekend, hosted at UC Irvine. They represented some 50 schools across the county.
Depending on the grade level, schools could choose from nearly two dozen topics within the world of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, to compete in. Up to 15 students from each school could participate, and they competed across several categories.
The UC Irvine School of Physical Sciences helped sponsor the event and more than 150 of the college’s students volunteered for the event.
