Tournament Information
2008 Competition List & Resources
Coaching resources can be found for each event by clicking on the name of the event. Trial Event official rules are posted here as well.
Amphibians and Reptiles (B) – This event will test knowledge of amphibians, turtles, crocodiles & reptiles.
Anatomy (B) – This event encompasses the anatomy of the nervous and circulatory system and the effects of drugs and diseases on their health.
Astronomy (C) – Teams will demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts relating to variable star astronomy.
Balloon Launch Glider (B) – Teams will construct and fly monoplane gliders that will be launched from a balloon to achieve a maximum flight time.
Bio-Process Lab (B) – This event is a lab-oriented competition involving the fundamental science processes of a middle school life science/biology lab program.
Boomilever (C) – The objective of this event is to design and build the lightest cantilevered wooden structure which, when attached to a vertical testing wall at one end, will support a load up to 15 Kg at the distal end.
Break it Down (B-Trial event) – Teams will be given a simple device such as a stapler. Their task is to make a list of all simple machines and energy transfers involved in the device accomplishing its purpose.
Cell Biology (C) – This event is a lab-oriented competition integrating content knowledge and process skills in the areas of cell biology and biochemistry.
Chemistry Lab (C) – Teams will answer a series of questions or complete a task involving the science processes of chemistry focused in the areas of chemical reactions and energy.
Circuit Lab (C) – Students will compete in activities involving knowledge of direct current (DC) Electrical Circuits.
Crave the Wave (B) – In this event students will demonstrate knowledge and process skills needed to solve problems and answer questions regarding all types and areas of waves and wave motion.
Disease Detective (B/C) – Students will use their investigative skills in the scientific study of disease, injury, health, and disability in populations or groups of people. There will be a focus on environmental causes of public health problems.
Ecology (B/C) - Students will answer questions involving content knowledge and process skills in the area of ecology and adaptation in featured biomes.
Egg-O-Naut (B-Trial event) – Teams will design, construct onsite, and launch a rocket to stay aloft the greatest amount of time, which will carry an Egg-O-Naut (a raw Grade A large chicken egg).
Electric Vehicle (C) – Contestants will construct a “vehicle” which uses electrical energy as its sole means of propulsion. They should be able to adjust the vehicle to travel a distance specified by the judges and to predict the time it will take to travel that distance.
Experimental Design (C) – This event will determine a team’s ability to design, conduct, and report the findings of an experiment actually conducted on site.
Fermi Questions (C) – A “Fermi Question” is a science related question that seeks a fast, rough estimate of a quantity, which is either difficult or impossible to measure directly.
Five Star Science (C) – Teams will compete in an academic pentathlon to demonstrate their overall understanding of five major science areas.
Food Science (B/C) – Teams will answer questions and perform experiments pertaining to food chemistry.
Forensics (C) – Given a scenario and some possible suspects, students will perform a series of tests. These tests, along with other evidence or test results will be used to solve a crime.
Health Science (C) –This event encompasses the anatomy and physiology of the nervous and circulatory system and the effects of drugs and diseases on their health.
Herpetology (C) – This event will test knowledge of amphibians, turtles, crocodiles & reptiles.
Horizontal Bottle Rocket (C-Trial event) – Teams will design, construct, and launch two rockets to hit nearest a given target.
Meteorology (B) – This event emphasizes the use of process skills within designated meteorological topics. Skills to be addressed and evaluated may include observing, classifying, measuring, inferring, predicting, communicating, and using number relationships (source: AAAS).
Metric Mastery (B) – Students will estimate and then measure identical objects in metric units. The properties to be measured may include mass, volume, density, area, force, distance, time, and temperature.
Microbe Mission (C-Trial event) – Students will answer questions, solve problems, and analyze data pertaining to viruses and single celled organisms.
Mystery Architecture (B) – At the beginning of the event, teams will be given a bag of building materials and instructions for designing and building a device that can be tested.
Nuclear Science Lab (C-Trial event) – The purpose of this event is to develop an awareness of nuclear science and technology. Students will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in using radiation detection equipment.
Oceanography (B/C) – Students will process skills to complete tasks related to physical and geological oceanography.
Pentathlon 4 (B/C-Trial event) – Teams consisting of four members will compete in the Penthathlon which will consist of five obstacles patterened after a penthalon: e.g., long jump, short distance run, Frisbee throw, or any other series of obstacles or activities. The last obstacle will require all four team members to cooperate. Upon completion of each athletic obstacle contestants will stop at a table to complete an academic obstacle or activity.
Physics Lab (C) – Students will compete in lab activities in the areas of work, energy, and power.
Protein Modeling (C-Trial event) – Students will use computer visualization and on-line resources to guide them in constructing a physical model of a protein using Mini-Toober® materials.
Reach for the Stars (B) – Students will demonstrate an understanding and basic knowledge of the properties and evolution of sun-sized and massive stars, open clusters and globular clusters, and normal and star-forming galaxies.
Remote Sensing (C) – Participants will use satellite imagery of Mars and other resources to identify and interpret geological features, answer questions, or solve problems.
Road Scholar (B) – Participants will respond to interpretative map questions based on one or more state highway maps, internet-generated maps, or a road atlas, and one or more USGS topographic maps.
Robo-Cross (B) – The object of this event is to design and build a robot capable of performing certain tasks on a prescribed playing field.
Robot Ramble (C) – The object of this event is to design and build a robot capable of performing certain tasks on a prescribed playing field.
Rocks and Minerals (B/C) – Teams will demonstrate their knowledge of rocks and minerals.
Science Crime Busters (B) – The object is to correctly identify the perpetrators of a crime or crimes by using paper chromatography and analysis of unknown solids, liquids, and plastics found at the scene of a crime. Students may also be asked to interpret the results of DNA evidence, identify hair, fibers, shoe prints, tire treads and fingerprints.
Science Word (B) – Team members will take turns giving verbal clues that are related to the selected scientific term from across all science disciplines while the other team member attempts to identify the term.
Scrambler (B) – Prior to the competition the participants will design and build a mechanical device, which uses only the energy from a falling mass to transport an egg along a straight track, stopping as close to a terminal barrier as possible without breaking the egg.
Shock Value (B-Trial event) – Students will compete in activities involving basic knowledge of electricity, magnetism and electrical devices.
Simple Machines (B) – Teams will be expected to determine the IMA, AMA and/or Efficiency of simple machines.
Sounds of Music (C) – Prior to the competition each team will build two types of musical instruments [aerophone, chordophone, ideophone, or membranophone (see soinc.org for descriptions)] based on a 12 tone tempered scale, prepare to describe the principles behind their operation and be able to perform a major scale, a required melody and a chosen melody.
Tower Building (B) – The objective of this event is to design and build the lightest tower, with the highest structural efficiency, capable of supporting a load of up to 15 kg.
Trajectory (B) – Teams will design, construct, calibrate, and shoot a device capable of launching a ball into a target area and collect data to develop a series of graphs relating launch configuration to target distance and height.
Wright Stuff (C) - Teams will construct and test up to two rubber-powered model monoplanes to achieve maximum flight times.
Write It/Do It (B/C) - Technical writing skills are an important part of an engineer’s or a scientist’s ability to communicate precisely and clearly. This event will test a competitor’s ability to effectively communicate with a colleague in writing by having his or her partner construct a device from this written description.
