Division C --Event Resources
This page provides event resources from the national and regional levels. Content is added regularly and noted by date. Please bookmark this page and check often. If you have resources to add, please contact Liz Jablecki.
San Diego Regional Competition events follow:
1. The rules in the Coaches Manuals
2. Clarifications on the National Science Olympiad web site
3. Additional clarifications, if any, from our Regional Event Captains
Nothing else counts.
Jump to: Astronomy | Cell Biology | Chem Lab | Disease Detectives | Dynamic Planet | Ecology | Egg O Naut | Electric Vehicle | Elevated Bridge | Environmental Chemistry | Experimental Design | Forensics | Fossils | Health Science | Herpetology | It's About Time | Junkyard Challenge | Physics Lab | Picture This | Remote Sensing | Technical Problem Solving | Trajectory | Write It Do It
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ASTRONOMY (C)
Teams identify deep sky objects and solve astronomy problems.
Resources from National SO
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CELL BIOLOGY (C)
Students will demonstrate their understanding of cell biology and biochemistry.
Resources from National SO
Added: 10/15/08 -Cell Bio will be a written test only
Added: 10/03/07 -Cell Bio Test & Answers 2004
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CHEM LAB (C)
Teams will demonstrate chemistry laboratory skills related to selected topics.
Resources from National SO
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DISEASE DETECTIVES (C)
This event requires students to apply principles of epidemiology to a published report of a real-life health situation or problem.
Resources from National SO
Added: 8/1/08 - Disease Detectives Sample Exam
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DYNAMIC PLANET (C)
Teams will work at stations that display a variety of earth science materials and related earth science questions. (earthquakes/volcanoes).
Resources from National SO
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ECOLOGY (C)
Students will answer questions involving content knowledge and process skills in the area of ecology and adaptation by examining different ecosystems.
Resources from National SO
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EGG O NAUT (C)
Teams will design, construct and launch rockets to stay aloft and carry a raw egg without breaking.
Resources from National SO
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ELECTRIC VEHICLE (C)
Students will construct a vehicle that uses electrical energy as its sole mean of propulsion.
Resources from National SO
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ELEVATED BRIDGE (C)
Teams will design, build & test the lightest bridge to carry a maximum load.
Resources from National SO
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ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY (C)
Teams will be asked questions pertaining to environmental chemistry, which may include chemical reactions, characterization, and quantification.
Resources from National SO
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EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN (C)
Given a set of unknown objects, teams will design, conduct, analyze and write-up an experiment.
Resources from National SO
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FORENSICS (C)
Students will identify polymers, solids, fibers, and other materials in a crime scenario.
Resources from National SO
Resources from 2007 or earlier
--Polymer information and a helpful flowchart can be found at: http://www.polymers.eezway.com/download/Enclosure.pdf
An example of a polymer sample kit: http://www.polymers.eezway.com
The best polymers to practice on come from your own recycling.
If you are interested in forensic entomology and possess a strong stomach, I recommend: A Fly for the Prosecution by M. Lee Goff.
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FOSSILS (C)
Students will identify, describe, and classify various specimens.
Resources from National SO
Added: 11/3/08 -Event Captain reommends the following preparation materials:
Smithsonian Fossil Book -click for link to order $20.00
Simon and Schuster's Guide to Fossils -click for link to Amazon ($11.56 new)
Audubon Field Guide to Fossils -click for link to Amazon ($14.25 new)
In the October issue of National Geographic, an article on Neanderthals.
Handout/Workshop materials from the Event Captain.
Added: 8/16/08 -Our excellent Rocks and Minerals event captan will do Fossils for both Divisions B and C this year. She has purchased fossil kits and each registered school will recieve one kit.
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HEALTH SCIENCE (C)
Teams will be tested on their knowledge of health concepts.
Resources from National SO
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HERPETOLOGY (C)
Official Event Description - Resources from National SO
Added: 11/6/08 -An important message From the regional Amphibians & Reptiles B Event Captain: Click here for a source for the Field Guides at modest prices. I would recommend the Western Field Guide to bring to the Competition. I believe the two references are listed in the event description to correspond to the Official National List of Amphibians and Reptiles, which is country wide in its coverage. Because there is a more thorough coverage of salamanders in the Eastern/Central, I would still include it, but because the Western covers more local examples, I would like the students to use it as their bring-in reference. I will try my best to instruct them when one reference lacks information included in the Official List, and when they'll need to use the other as a supplement. By themselves, neither covers the entire list.
NOTE: All teams from the same school will do these events at the same time, so each TEAM from your school needs to have its own Field Guide to take into the event.
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IT'S ABOUT TIME (C)
Using a pre-constructed non-electronic device, students will measure time in intervals.
Resources from National SO
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JUNKYARD CHALLENGE (C)
Students will partially pre-construct an device with final construction and adaptation onsite to complete a published challenge.
Resources from National SO
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PHYSICS LAB (C)
Teams will demonstrate physics laboratory skills related to selected topics.
Resources from National SO
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PICTURE THIS (C)
Draw representations of a set of scientific terms or concepts and guess the term being drawn.
Resources from National SO
Added: 11/20/08 - As of today, we do not have an event captain for this event, so the following are my interpretations
1. If there is a team of 3 students will both the non- drawing students be allowed to guess the term?
Yes - Then they rotate and the second sketcher draws. They rotate after each term whether they get it or not.
2. Will the students draw with pencil and paper or with a whiteboard and marker?
2.b. The event description asks the event captain to keep the papers with the team drawings on them for possible later dispute resolution. So, it will be on paper. I think that the students should bring whatever writing implements they want to use - pencils or pens.
3. Once the clock starts will it stop for anything before the 4 minutes is up?
I think the answer is No. I do not see anything in the event description that allows for stopping the clock.
4. We would like some clarification for what “desired response” means- if a student is allowed to nod her/his head when there is a desired response from the guessing student, could the desired response be close to the word/term, but not the exact term and the drawer could nod to indicate the guessing student is on the correct path? (For example nucleus is close to mitochondria, but not correct. A nod might encourage more guesses of organelles or cell parts.) Or can the drawing student not make any motion until the guessing student gets the absolute correct response.
Reading 2.d., I think that the drawing student should be allowed to shake her/his head to indicate whether or not the guessers are on the right path. But - no facial movements.
5. If a word has two meanings, could the drawing student draw the non scientific meaning? Examples: Iron or Kingdom.
Yes, you have pointed out something that we need to consider when we pick the words.
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REMOTE SENSING (C)
Teams use maps and remote sensing technology to explain human impact on the Earth.
Resources from National SO
Resources from 2007 or earlier
--Click here for a Remote Sensing powerpoint and Mars feature table pdf
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TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING (C)
Teams will gather and process data to solve problems.
Resources from National SO
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TRAJECTORY (C)
Teams will design, construct, calibrate and operate a device capable of launching a projectile into a target using energy provided by nonmetallic elastic solids.
Resources from National SO
Added: 11/17/08 - I sent the following to Nationals for a decision:
Question: Is a laser allowed for sighting the target?
Answer: This year's Trajectory rules do not address lasers or sighting devices, so they can be used as long as safety procedures are followed and the SO Laser policy is followed under Event Info. http://www.soinc.org/lasers
Added: 11/14/08 - Trajectory Score Sheet
note: this file states Trajectory B, but it also applies to Trajectory C
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WRITE IT DO IT (C)
A technical writing exercise where students write a description of a contraption and other students will attempt to recreate it using only the written description.
Resources from National SO
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