Secondary San Diego Science Olympiad, San Diego County

Event Resources -Division C

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.

Boomilever (C)
Added: 01/15/08 -Students are allowed 10 minutes to load the sand into the buckets. They will certainly be allowed to use all of that time if they want to do so. However, they might want to consider that the longer the sand sits in the bucket, the longer their devices are under stress. No, they can not dump it all at once, but they might want to consider moving along at a decent pace.

At the Jan 10 meeting, our Event Captain for tower made this point. The weight of the bucket is transferred to the hook from which it hangs. It does not matter how the sand is distributed in the bucket, the weight is the same and the forces are the same on the hook. Some students spend a lot of time leveling out the sand in the bucket, an exercise that does not make much sense.

Added: 12/1/07 - Score sheet for 2008.
Please note: there may be changes to these score sheets. Please contact Liz if you discover any mistakes. The score sheets for construction events are intended to help students and coaches check their devices. Also, the event captains use them at the Competition to make sure that they have checked all of the necessary criteria.

Cell Bio (C)
Added: 01/15/08 - This will be a written test.

Added: 10/03/07 - Cell Bio Test & Answers 2004

Circuit Lab (C)
Added: 11/19/07 -This year the event will be a new test with multiple choice answers. This will simplify the grading. There will be about 50 questions and a hands-on simple circuit to build and demonstrate.

Disease Detectives(C)
Added: 01/12/08 -Notes from Event Captain January 10 Coaches Meeting--
Non-programmable calculators are allowed and will be really helpful for the students. The test will be long. The students are not expected to finish. They should know a lot of the vocabulary of epidemiology.

Ecology (c)
Added: 01/15/08 -Written Test. The Event Captain says that he usually writes questions that do not require calculators.

Electric Vehicle (C)
Added: 01/29/08 - From our event captain: I will be strict with the 4 cells/1 battery pack per run rule. If the students are smart enough to use a computer-controlled motor system, then they can buy or make a DC-DC voltage converter to get the proper voltage that they are allowed. That abides by all the rules and restricts the "additional energy storage devices" in 2.c.1 to potential energy sources such as springs and falling masses.

Added: 01/21/08 - UPDATED Score Sheet for 2008

Added: 01/15/08 -
1. There is no penalty for going past the finish line. The distance measured to the lines is an absolute value.

2. The "center line" must stay wtihin the OUTSIDE of the wheels. The Event Captain plans to use blue tape and says that he will watch the run to see if the blue tape shows up on the outside of the wheels.

3. The score sheet is being redone and will be posted here soon.

Added: 10/15/07
Q: Are we allowed to use remote control with our vehicles?
A. No. No remote control for Electric Vehicle C.

From the event description in the coaches manual:
#1 (Description) - second sentence - says, "They should be able to adjust the vehicle to travel a distance specified by the judges and to predict the time...." If you were able to use remote control to stop it, you would not need to be able to adjust it before the run to make it stop at a certain distance. Also, the use of remote control would allow you to slow or speed up the vehicle to match your predicted time.

#2g "The entire vehicle ... must move forward together." Anything used to control the vehicle is part of that vehicle and must move with the vehicle.

Five Star Science (C)
Added: 10/22/07 - Useful discussion document covering the rules and some really good tips for the students.

Food Science (C)
Added: 11/26/07 - Handout from workshop on November 17.

Forensics (C)
Added: 01/12/08 -Notes from Event Captain January 10 Coaches Meeting--
No blood typing lab stuff.

Added: 11/19/07
-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.

Herpetology (C)
Added: 11/19/07 - Handout from Workshop on Nov 17.

Remote Sensing (C)
Added: 12/1/07 -Click here for a Remote Sensing powerpoint and Mars feature table pdf.

Robot Ramble (C)
Added: 01/12/08 -Notes from Event Captain January 10 Coaches Meeting--
Practice blowing up balloons. The students are supposed to blow up their own balloons, and those balloons have to fit into the goal box. The two blue balloons must be inflated; the two red balloons must be inflated or deflated.

Added: 12/30/07 Batteries: At the Regional Competition, we will accept the manufacturer's voltage or measure it unloaded. But if we measure it, and it reads 12 V, we will see what it measures loaded. It will be up to the event captain's final discretion.

Added: 11/26/07 - Great resource on Robotics from Standard University.

Rocks & Minerals (C)
Added: 1/5/08 - Handout from the Workshop on Nov 17.

Added: 10/11/07 -Get the Official List of Rocks & Minerals from the National Science Olympiad website.

Added: 10/03/07 - Recommended guide and rock kit
1. Simon & Shuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals (Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones)available at Amazon.com.

2. The Washington School Collection #45V0322 from Ward's, click here to order

Sounds of Music (C)
Added: 01/21/08 -Notes from Liz Jablecki January 10 Coaches Meeting--
If you would like to sign up for a performance time, call or email Liz Jablecki.

Wright Stuff (C)
Added: 12/1/07 - Score sheet for 2008.
Please note: there may be changes to these score sheets. Please contact Liz if you discover any mistakes. The score sheets for construction events are intended to help students and coaches check their devices. Also, the event captains use them at the Competition to make sure that they have checked all of the necessary criteria.

Added: 11/08/07 -All replacement motor elastic were sent to head coaches on November 2. If you have not yet received these parts. Please contact Liz Jablecki.

Added: 10/26/07 -Important note from Ray Harlan:
"The Cruiser rubber was from stock I had, but is a bit thinner than the ideal, since the prop is larger this year. I now have plenty of the right-size rubber." The plan is that Ray Harlan will replace the Cruiser rubber. He will mail the correct materials to Liz Jablecki, who will in turn mail it to you.

Added: 10/08/07 -Each school that registered for San Diego SO this year (2007/2008) received one kit to construct a Cruiser 67. Some additional kits will be available to purchase at the November 17 workshops.

Cruiser 67 Kits can also be ordered directly from Ray Harlan. Note that the web page says the models are for SO 2006-2007. He has made our kits for 2007-2008, but it is strongly recommended that you check all the criteria in the event description against the model.

Science Olympiad -San Diego

Event Resources -Division C