Event InformationBelow you will find a list of the 23 events scheduled for the 2018 NC Regional Science Olympiad Competition. Please click on an event to get a more detailed description of each event. All information is taken from thewww.sciencenc.com NC Science Olympiad website.
The rules for each event are located in the document below. |
- Amazing Mechatronics - This will be a trial event for our regional tournament. This event will either be stations or a sit down test involving the Scratch program and Raspberry Pi microcomputers. Students will have to troubleshoot code and components of the Raspberry Pi and recommend how to make it work as intended.
- Anatomy and Physiology - This event is usually done as stations that teams rotate through. It can also be done as an individual test taking event, where each station has been copied into a test booklet for the team. Teams may be viewing any combination of models, pictures, diagrams/charts, or recorded/written descriptions. They will then be asked to answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, etc) related to the samples including but not limited to: basic anatomy identification, related diseases and conditions, making observations, inferences, predictions, calculations, analyses and conclusions. The topic for the 2018 tournament season is the structure and function of the respiratory, digestive, & immune systems.
- Battery Buggy - Design and build a moving, battery-powered vehicle capable of traveling a certain distance and stopping as close as possible to the ending dot at that distance. Updated 2018 info coming soon!
- Crimebusters - This is a Lab based event. Teams will be given a crime scenario which they will be asked to solve based on evidence they gather and test. The evidence topic for 2018 in NC is Powders, Recyclable Plastics, and Shoeprints, tire treads, and soil. Teams will then be asked to analyze the information they have gathered to identify a suspect and solve the crime.
- Disease Detectives - This event is typically done as a sit-down test. It is also possible to be done in stations, though this is not likely. Teams will be presented with articles, reports, data, charts/graphs, pictures or diagrams and/or written descriptions of public health problems. Teams will then be asked to answer questions, define or compare terms, and otherwise interpret the information they are given. Teams may also be asked to draw conclusions and propose preventive measures. The topic for 2018 is Food Borne Illness.
- Duct Tape Challenge - This event is a build-on-site event. Teams will arrive at the competition and be given a set of materials, primarily Duck Tape, and a task. They will then have a given amount of time to complete whatever task they are assigned, such as building the tallest tower, widest bridge, most bouyant boat, etc. The task parameters will be clearly outlined for the teams. At the end of the build time, teams will test their structures to determine the winner.
- Dynamic Planet - This event is typically run as either a station event or a sit down test. Teams will be presented with data, charts/graphs, pictures or diagrams and/or written descriptions. Teams will then be asked to answer questions, perform calculations, and otherwise solve the tasks they are given. Teams may also be asked to draw conclusions and predict likely future occurrences based on historic information. The topic for the 2018 tournament is Tectonics.
- Ecology - This event is typically done as either stations or as a sit down test, where all the stations have been copied into a test book. Teams will answer questions and be presented with information in the form of pictures, graphs, charts, written descriptions, etc. which they will the be asked to use science process skills to analyze (make calcuations, make hypotheses and predictions, create graphs or charts, etc). The topic for the 2018 tournament season is the ecology and biomes of North American deserts and grasslands.
- Fast Facts - Teams will fill in grids of terms that begin with a given letter to match scientific categories. This is very much like the game Scattergories.
- Herpetology - This event is usually done as stations that teams rotate through. It can also be done as an individual test taking event, where each station has been copied into a test for the team. Teams may be viewing any combination of live or preserved specimens, pictures, or recorded/written descriptions. They will then be asked to answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, etc) about the specimen, including but not limited to identification (no more than 50%), anatomy, habitat, life cycle, diet, history, etc. Teams may be asked multiple questions at each station.
- Hovercraft - Competitors may construct up to two self-propelled air-levitated vehicles each with up to two battery-powered motors that turns one propeller each to levitate and move the vehicle(s) down a track. Competitors must also be tested on their knowledge of classic mechanics and related topics. Updated 2018 information coming soon!
- Meteorology - This event is usually done as stations that teams rotate through, or it can be done as a sit-down test taking event, or a combination of the two types. Teams may be viewing any combination of models, pictures, diagrams/charts, or recorded/written descriptions. They will then be asked to answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, etc) related to the materials. Updated 2018 information coming soon.
- Microbe Mission - This event is usually run as stations. It can also be run as a sit down test. Teams will be asked to answer questions and perform tasks related to microbes. Updated 2018 information coming soon.
- Optics - There are 2 major components to this event, a series of tasks and questions regarding geometric and physical optics, and a laser shoot. For the question/task portion, teams may be presented with charts/diagrams, materials and testing equipment, models, written descriptions, etc. at stations or as a sit down test. They will then be asked to answer questions, perform tasks, draw diagrams, demonstrate a concept, and otherwise interpret the information they are given. For the laser shoot, teams will have 5 minutes to view and measure a laser field (provided by event leader) and reflect a laser beam with a mirror to hit a side target. Updated 2018 information coming soon.
- Ping Pong Parachute - Prior to the tournament, teams will design, build, and bring up to two bottle rockets to the tournament to launch a ping pong ball to stay aloft for the greatest amount of time.
- Potions and Poisons - Information Coming Soon!
- Road Scholar - Requires the accurate interpretation and understanding of various map features using a variety of road and topographic maps. Sit down test. Updated 2018 information coming soon.
- Rocks and Minerals - This event is usually done as stations that teams rotate through. It can also be done as an individual test taking event, where each station has been copied into a test for the team. Teams may be viewing any combination of samples, pictures, or recorded/written descriptions. They will then be asked to answer questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, generating graphs or charts, etc) about the sample, including identification, classification by properties, origin, uses and importance. Teams may be asked multiple questions at each station. Updated 2018 information coming soon.
- Roller Coaster - Design and build a roller coaster using a spherical vehicle to travel the track as close as possible to a target time. Updated 2018 information coming soon!
- Solar System - This event focuses on terrestrial planets and other rocky bodies in the solar system. Your knowledge of the geology of Earth's Moon, Io, Phobos, Deimos and several other rocky moons, Mercury, Venus, Mars, our main asteroid belt, the Kuiper belt, other asteroids, and comets will be tested. Updated 2018 information coming soon!
- Thermodynamics - Teams design and build a devise to insulate a beaker of hot water then take a test on the concepts of thermodynamics. Updated 2018 information coming soon!
- Towers - This is a building event. Teams will design and build ahead of time a tower constructed from wood and glue capable of bearing a load. The official rules clearly define the minimum/maximum dimensions that the tower must have. At the competition teams will place their tower on the testing platform, and load sand into a bucket suspended and supported by the tower. The tower will be loaded until either the tower breaks or 15 kg is held, whichever occurs first.
- Wright Stuff - This is a building event. Teams will build and test ahead of time up to 2 rubber powered single prop monoplane(s). A flight log containing at least 6 parameters for at least 10 test flights must be written and turned in at the competition. At the competition, teams will have 8 minutes to complete up to 2 official flights for the maximum time aloft. Updated 2018 information coming soon.
- 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. 2 team members are required. Updated 2018 information coming soon.