Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Science Olympiad?
Science Olympiad is a national program that promotes S.T.E.M. in elementary through high school. The mission of Science Olympiad is to host competitive tournaments showcasing innovative S.T.E.M. content to students. Science Olympiad functions as a team and requires preparation, commitment, coaching and practice throughout the year.
What do students do?
Students will decide which events they would like to compete in, typically 3-4. Most events allow students to pair up in team to work together and prepare for competition. This may include researching a topic, writing notes, practicing skills, and building devices.
What are the events?
There are 23 events each year. Some events are from the previous years, some are brand new. The events are on a 2-3 year rotation so that new and past events are being added, while older events are rotated out. The events cover many different disciplines of science, math, technology and engineering. Some events require students to build devices to test, some are arranged in a laboratory setting, and others are pen and paper tests of knowledge. Most events have students working in pairs, but a few events can be up to three students.
How do students prepare?
Students need to know their event rules. They need to work with their partner(s) to prepare to be tested in the event areas. Most of the practice time is spent looking up information and studying the information with their partner, or working on building their device to test. Coaches help students find information and help decipher rules. The actual work is all down to the students!
What is the time commitment?
Practice will be held one day a week after school ( Wednesdays 3:05-4:15). Students are expected to be at each practice so that they can help their partner. Allowances are made for those who are playing sports and are involved in other activities at MTMS, as long as students communicate conflicts in advance. Each student is expected to attend each of the invitational tournaments.
What are tournaments like?
Tournaments are like scientific track meets! All events run each hour for an hour for 5-6 hours. Students can test during any of those times, so it's very self-scheduled. Once the event times are over, the tests/labs/device score sheets are ranked. An awards ceremony is held at the end of the tournament and awards are given out to the top performing student teams. Parents are welcome to attend the awards ceremonies.
What is the different between Invitational tournaments and the Regional/State tournaments?
For invitational tournaments, we can bring an entire team to compete. Occasionally, some tournaments may limit the number of entries per event. However, all students are allowed to compete. In most seasons, we will have three invitational meets held on one Saturday in November, December and January.
The regional tournament is limited to a team of 15 students. Several factors will need to be analyzed to determine that final team including: practice/invitational tournament attendance, commitment to events and partners and event placings in the invitationals. If the regional team places well, the team will be invited to attend the state tournament in Wichita in April.
Is there a national tournament?
Generally, one middle school team from Kansas will represent the state in the national tournament. The 2024 tournament will be hosted by Michigan State University on May 24-25, 2024.
What is Science Olympiad?
Science Olympiad is a national program that promotes S.T.E.M. in elementary through high school. The mission of Science Olympiad is to host competitive tournaments showcasing innovative S.T.E.M. content to students. Science Olympiad functions as a team and requires preparation, commitment, coaching and practice throughout the year.
What do students do?
Students will decide which events they would like to compete in, typically 3-4. Most events allow students to pair up in team to work together and prepare for competition. This may include researching a topic, writing notes, practicing skills, and building devices.
What are the events?
There are 23 events each year. Some events are from the previous years, some are brand new. The events are on a 2-3 year rotation so that new and past events are being added, while older events are rotated out. The events cover many different disciplines of science, math, technology and engineering. Some events require students to build devices to test, some are arranged in a laboratory setting, and others are pen and paper tests of knowledge. Most events have students working in pairs, but a few events can be up to three students.
How do students prepare?
Students need to know their event rules. They need to work with their partner(s) to prepare to be tested in the event areas. Most of the practice time is spent looking up information and studying the information with their partner, or working on building their device to test. Coaches help students find information and help decipher rules. The actual work is all down to the students!
What is the time commitment?
Practice will be held one day a week after school ( Wednesdays 3:05-4:15). Students are expected to be at each practice so that they can help their partner. Allowances are made for those who are playing sports and are involved in other activities at MTMS, as long as students communicate conflicts in advance. Each student is expected to attend each of the invitational tournaments.
What are tournaments like?
Tournaments are like scientific track meets! All events run each hour for an hour for 5-6 hours. Students can test during any of those times, so it's very self-scheduled. Once the event times are over, the tests/labs/device score sheets are ranked. An awards ceremony is held at the end of the tournament and awards are given out to the top performing student teams. Parents are welcome to attend the awards ceremonies.
What is the different between Invitational tournaments and the Regional/State tournaments?
For invitational tournaments, we can bring an entire team to compete. Occasionally, some tournaments may limit the number of entries per event. However, all students are allowed to compete. In most seasons, we will have three invitational meets held on one Saturday in November, December and January.
The regional tournament is limited to a team of 15 students. Several factors will need to be analyzed to determine that final team including: practice/invitational tournament attendance, commitment to events and partners and event placings in the invitationals. If the regional team places well, the team will be invited to attend the state tournament in Wichita in April.
Is there a national tournament?
Generally, one middle school team from Kansas will represent the state in the national tournament. The 2024 tournament will be hosted by Michigan State University on May 24-25, 2024.