➡️ This community is for anyone navigating elite pre-college STEM — science fairs, Olympiads, research programs, summer programs, and the foundational skills that make all of it possible. Parents and students are both welcome here. A few things to know: You don't need to introduce yourself. Lurk as long as you want. A lot of the most useful people in communities like this never post — they read, they absorb, and occasionally they drop one comment that's worth ten posts. That's fine here. When you're ready to engage, start here: ➡️ What grade is your student in (or what grade are you in), and what's the one competition or program you're most trying to figure out right now? That's it. No name, no school, no backstory required. What you'll find here: ➡️ Raw information plus honest takes on which programs are worth the time and which aren't. Competition timelines and what "early preparation" actually means in practice. Curriculum ladders for building real skills. Best practices for competitions, and real discussions from people who are in it or have been through it. --- I'm Andy Steinbach — PhD in physics, Bay Area STEM parent, and founder of Bay AI Institute. I started this because the pre-college STEM path rewards families who understand it — and most of that knowledge is scattered, tribal, or buried in Reddit threads. This is where I share what I know. Brief posting and comment rules: ➡️ Be constructive, be respectful (being real allowed), and no Reddit-style "Chance Me" posts Ask anything. 😊