Science Olympiad  Class Page

General Resource Links

State Science Olympiad Website - ScienceNC

National Science Olympiad Website - SOInc

Science Olympiad Wiki - SciOly (Division C)

Schedule

• Competition - Saturday, March 22, 2013 - Catawba Valley Community College
• Log Checks
• December 13
• December 20
• January 
• Material Checks
• January 10
• February 5

Class Requirements

• Work on 3 Events - One Building, Two Lab or Test
• Maintain Log
• Date
• Time Spent
• Event
• What did you do, what did you find out, sources used  
• Work diligently to prepare materials for competition 
• Milestones expected to be reached throughout the trimester
• Sources identified
• First practice test taken
• Notebook built
• Materials gathered
• Goggles
• Notebook
• Commerical Books, CDs purchased
• Building Materials
• Final
• Product
• Bring-In Notes
• Help other groups 

Competition

• 23 Events
• 6.5 Building Events
• 16.5 Testing

Event List

2014 C EVENT DESCRIPTIONS

(BENNETT SAKHEN) Anatomy & Physiology  - This event encompasses the anatomy and physiology of selected body systems, this year limited to nervous, integumentary, and immune systems. Can be done as written test or stations.

(ZACHERY MATT C) Astronomy - Teams will demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts of math and physics relating to stellar evolution and variable stars. Can be done as a powerpoint in an auditorium style room, written test, or stations.

(MATT S DREW) (BUILD) Boomilever – Students will build a cantilevered wooden structure with the greatest structural efficiency possible. New for 2014- the boomilever will be mounted to the testing wall by hooks rather than bolts. Spectator friendly.

(JOHN O DAVID) (BUILD) Bottle Rocket – NC Only. Prior to the competition teams will design, build, and test up to two 2 liter bottle rockets that may use any recovery system (parachutes are allowed this year) to achieve the greatest time aloft. Launched outdoors in anything but lightning and/or hail. Spectator friendly.

(SAKHEN BENNETT) Chemistry Lab - Teams will demonstrate chemistry laboratory skills related to chemical reactions/stoichiometry and equilibrium. Requires lab space. Combination of written test and lab work/stations.

(JOHN B JAMES) Circuit Lab – NEW. (High School version of Shock Value). Students will compete in activities involving understanding of electricity, magnetism and simple electrical devices. Station event.

(EMERSON NICK) (BUILD 1/2) Compound Machines – New. This event includes activities and questions related to simple and compound machines. Part 1 is a Combination of written test and activities on simple / compound machines, and Part 2 is pre-built device testing.

(NONE) Designer Genes – (High school version of Heredity) Students will solve problems using their knowledge of genetics, molecular genetics and biotechnology. Either stations or a sit down test.

(NICK EMERSON) Disease Detective - This event requires students to apply principles of epidemiology to a published report of a real-life health situation or problem on the topic of Environmental Quality. Typically done as a written test.

(NONE) Dynamic Planet - Teams will work at stations that display a variety of earth science materials and related earth science questions. (topic - Glaciers). Can be done as stations or a written test.

(SAKHEN BENNETT) (BUILD) Elastic Launched Glider – Students will design, build and test up to two

elastic launched gliders capable of the greatest time aloft. This event should be held indoors, in a gym

or other large space. Spectator friendly.

(EMERSON MATT C) Entomology – NEW. Students will identify, describe, and answer questions about various insects

and their characteristics. Official insect list is provided. Run as stations.

(MATT S DREW KELSIE) Experimental Design – Teams will prove their understanding of the scientific process and their

ability to use it. There are 2 possible setups for this event. Either teams will work through a series of

stations, where given a set of information/ objects, teams will perform tasks according to parts of the

scientific method and answer questions relating to that step of the scientific method, OR Teams will

design, perform and write up an experiment from start to finish using the materials provided to them.

Teams of 3.

(KELSIE ZACHERY) Forensics – NC VERSION Teams will identify the perpetrators of a crime by using only analysis of

powders, fibers, and firearms and toolmarks found at the scene of a crime. This is a chemistry event,

so the largest portion of the test will be on powder analysis. Requires lab space.

(JAMES JOHN B) GeoLogic Mapping – NEW. Teams use topo maps, geologic maps and cross sections, and other

diagrams or images to answer questions about earth’s features. In 2014 the event will focus on floods,

landslides, earthquakes, and subsurface structure. Sit down test or stations.

(MATT S DREW) Green Generation – NEW. NC Only. Students answer questions involving the history and

consequences of human impacts on our environment, solutions to reversing trends, and sustainability

concepts. 3 parts- PART ONE: Concentrates on our environment and changes to our environment that

humans may not survive. PART TWO: Revolves around solutions to reversing trends and / or protecting

our environment. PART THREE: applying the concepts in part two in a lab practical.

(NONE) Materials Science – Teams will answer questions and complete tasks involving the scientific

processes of chemistry focused in the areas of materials science. The 2014 topics are material

performance and atomic/molecular structure, including general properties of materials classes,

material characterization techniques, and intermolecular forces and surface chemistry. Combination

hands on and written test.

(JOHN B JAMES) (BUILD) Mission Possible - Prior to the competition, participants will design, build, test and document a "Rube Goldberg-like device" that completes a required Final Task using a sequence of consecutive energy transfers. Spectator friendly.

(MATT C NICK) (BUILD there) Mystery Architecture – NC Only. Teams will be given a set of mystery materials and a challenge to complete (tower, boat, ramp, cantilever, catapult, etc). The challenge won’t be revealed until the competition begins.

(JOHN O DAVID H) Rocks and Minerals – Students will identify, describe, and answer questions about various rocks/minerals and the rock cycle. Official rock list is provided. Run as stations.

(ZACHERY KELSIE) (BUILD) Scrambler – NEW. Competitors must design, build and test a mechanical device, which uses the energy from a falling mass to transport an egg along a straight track and stop as close as possible to a terminal barrier without breaking the egg. Falling mass may or may not travel with the vehicle. Spectator friendly.

(NONE) Water Quality –Teams will evaluate aquatic environments. Topic: Marine/estuaries, Coral Reef ecology. 3 parts. Part 1: general testing questions on ecology, water cycle, nutrient cycle, food webs, etc. Part 2: This section will examine coral reefs and the effects of pollution on reef ecosystems. Part 3: Water monitoring and analysis-, interpret data related to salinity, pH, phosphates, turbidity, dissolved O2, etc. Test a pre-built salinometer.

(JOHN O DAVID H) Write It, Do It -- A technical writing exercise where one student writes a description of a contraption and the other student will attempt to recreate it using only the written description. Needs 2 rooms, 1 for Writers and 1 for Doers.