By demonstrating sharp analytical thinking and strategic collaboration, three students from the Bachelor Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) – Main Campus clinched first place in the recently concluded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Olympiad 2025 at the Robinson Marasbaras, Friday, September 5.

The competition, spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Region VIII as part of their 2025 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW), aimed to bring together outstanding students from state universities and colleges in the region and to showcase their knowledge, analytical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.

Representing EVSU-Main Campus, the team was composed of Karl G. Tingzon, Chadnee Michael C. Tabungar, and Carlo Cesar F. Casido from the BSCE Department, along with DOST-EVSU Scholars’ Councilor for Leadership, Assistance, and Responsibilities (DOST-ESCoLAR) member Mr. Arvin U. Pacoma, who served as their coach.

Under the tertiary category, the EVSU team competed against 12 participating universities and secured second place with 29 points, only a point behind the first place, Southern Leyte State University, with 30 points.

Meanwhile, Karl Tingzon, one of the representatives, recalled his experience during the competition, especially the pressure felt since they were competing against various universities in the region.

“We were very worried at first because we got to compete with a lot of [students] from different schools all around the region. As time goes by, we got to see the pattern of the questions and we were very excited as each question was being asked,” Tingzon said.

Furthermore, he explained that during the second category, called the “Do-or-Die round,” became their deciding moment of the contest, the reason why their team almost won the competition.

During the said round, each team was given a chance to decide to either “Play Safe,” which would not affect their score even if they answer it correctly or incorrectly, or “Play Hard,” where correct answers would earn them points but wrong responses would result in deductions from their cumulative scores.

Tingzon further shared that their group’s decision not to take the risk, choosing “Play Safe,” cost them the top spot despite answering the question correctly.

“The second Do-or-Die question, we decided to play safe. There were only a few schools who decided to play hard. When we read the question, it was the easiest question to be asked in the whole competition. Sadly, nobody got the correct answer. The saddest part is, we answered the question correctly. Only then if we decided to play hard, we might have been the winner of the competition,” he shared.

The RSTW commenced last September 3-5 with the theme, “Building Smart and Sustainable Communities,” where it was spearheaded by DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr. during its opening ceremony.

Article by Carl Anthony Dotingco