2008 Science Olympiad Event Descriptions

Ø      Astronomy- Teams identify deep sky objects and solve astronomy problems.

Ø      Boomilever*- Teams will design, build & test the lightest boomilever to carry a maximum load.

Ø      Cell Biology- Students will demonstrate their understanding of cell biology and biochemistry.

Ø      Chemistry Lab- Teams will demonstrate chemistry laboratory skills related to selected topics.

Ø      Circuit Lab- Students will compete in activities involving knowledge of direct current electrical circuits.

Ø      Disease Detectives- This event requires students to apply principles of epidemiology to a published report of a real-life health situation or problem.

Ø      Ecology- Students will answer questions involving content knowledge and process skills in the area of ecology and adaptation by examining different ecosystems.

Ø      Electric Vehicle*- Students will construct a vehicle that uses electrical energy as its sole mean of propulsion.

Ø      Experimental Design- Given a set of unknown objects, teams will design, conduct, analyze and write-up an experiment.

Ø      Fermi Questions- Teams seek a fast, rough estimate of quantity in power(s) of ten.

Ø      Five Star Science- Teams will compete in an academic pentathlon to demonstrate their overall understanding of five major science content areas.

Ø      Food Chemistry- Teams will be asked questions pertaining to food chemistry, which may include chemical reactions, characterization, and quantification.

Ø      Forensics- Students will identify polymers, solids, fibers, and other materials in a crime scenario.

Ø      Health Science-Teams will be tested on their knowledge of health concepts.

Ø      Herpetology- This event will test knowledge of amphibians, turtles, crocodiles, and reptiles.

Ø      Oceanography- Teams will work at stations that display a variety of earth science materials and related earth science questions.

Ø      Physics Lab- Teams will demonstrate physics laboratory skills related to selected topics.

Ø      Remote Sensing- Teams use maps and remote sensing technology to explain human land use patterns and the relationship of a region’s physical environment to the cultural landscape.

Ø      Robot Ramble*- Students will design and build a robot capable of performing certain tasks.

Ø      Rocks and Minerals- Students will identify, describe, and classify various specimens.

Ø      Sounds of Music*- Teams will build musical instruments, describe the scientific principles behind their operation and perform a musical selection on them.

Ø      Wright Stuff*- Teams will design and build a propeller propelled aerodynamic device for greatest time aloft.

Ø      Write It, Do It- 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.

* Build-it Events

More information on events may be found at: www.soinc.org