By Aleah James – Staff Reporter

A Jonathan Law Science Olympiad duo has proven that in the high-stakes world of competitive engineering, the most effective strategy is to ignore the competition.

​Junior Rishvansai Koduri and his teammate junior McKenzie Forte recently won a medal in the Hovercraft event at the Harvard University Invitational Science Olympiad by prioritizing project development over the performance of rival schools. This mindset allowed the team to maintain their composure and precision necessary for their first-ever building event.

​”Always worrying about others causes you to have insecurity and feel less confident in yourself, but if you block out the competition and focus on yourself and your project, then you will be more confident that you can do well,” Koduri said.

​The 30-member squad, led by advisor Ms. Turcotte, meets every Monday to design creations ranging from electric vehicles to robots. These meetings include mentorship, where experienced upperclassmen help new members navigate the engineering and data collection.

​”I feel like the upperclassmen play an incredibly important part in welcoming new members and helping them have fun,” Forte said.

​Technical success for the hovercraft specifically required sourcing a precise motor to provide the necessary propulsion. Forte spent hours traveling across Connecticut to find the perfect components, eventually mastering the physics of the build with help from a retired teacher.

​”I came across many difficulties throughout my engineering process, such as getting the correct power for the back fan that pushed the hovercraft,” Forte said.

​The team views their success at a Harvard invitational as the motivation for the upcoming championship season. While the requirements are demanding, the students emphasize that the preparation and the bonding that follows the event are the most exciting aspects of being apart of the team.

​”It’s not even about winning medals, but it is about doing as well as we can,” Turcotte said.

​The Law Science Olympiad team is scheduled to compete in the State Competition on April 25.