Real Life Disease Detectives

One of the latest modifications to the Saint Anselm College campus is the addition of a COVID-19 testing lab in the Sullivan Ice Arena. Each week the college conducts nearly 700 tests on a random selection of students, faculty, and staff to monitor and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus. The testing is done using the Quiden Sofia SARS Antigen Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA), a cutting edge little machine that can provide rapid test results in 15 minutes. Health Services and Sports Medicine run the show with the help of a few student workers. One of these students is the voice behind many of these blogs and a Science Olympiad alumnus, who competed in Disease Detectives many years ago. The on-campus COVID-19 testing lab is just one example of the many things that Saint Anselm College has done to keep everyone safe and on the Hilltop until Turkey Day!

Saint A's Class of 2024 Science Olympiad Scholars

Classes are in full swing again on the Saint Anselm College campus! Many things are different now to accommodate the safety of students, faculty, and staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most of our favorite parts of the Hilltop remain and we're all so happy to be back!

This year, Saint Anselm College welcomed five Science Olympiad alumni into the incoming Class of 2024. We reached out to get to know them a little better and to let future Science Olympiad scholars know why they should choose Saint A's as their future home too. 

Stephanie Firth, a forensic science and criminal justice double major, says that she chose Saint A's because of the strong sense of community that comes with going to a small school. Stephanie competed in events like Forensics and Anatomy & Physiology, which helped push her towards studying forensic science and criminal justice in college. While it's still early in the semester, her favorite part of Saint A's so far has been the great resources she's found, such as her professors and student orientation leaders. 

Caroline Berolini is a nursing major, who competed in the Massachusetts Science Olympiad competition during high school. Caroline says that she knew she wanted to be a nursing major before participating in Science Olympiad and found the competition helped introduce her to topics that she's now studying in college. Caroline said she chose Saint A's because it has a fantastic nursing program and just like Stephanie, she was drawn to the welcoming campus community. So far, her favorite Saint A's experience has been Friday nights with her roommate, using their new projector to watch movies. 

Amelia Zheng is also a nursing major, who says that Science Olympiad guided her to choosing a science major in college because of how much she loved all of the Science Olympiad topics and experiments. Amelia participated in events like Invasive Species and Bridge Building. She chose Saint A's for many reasons including the distance from home, our great nursing program, and because she had so much fun at Science Olympiad here that she knew she had to come back!

We're so excited to have everyone back on campus and to welcome all of our new Science Olympiad alumni this fall! Make sure to keep checking back in for NH Science Olympiad updates!