This article is about the Science Olympiad competition for secondary schools in the United States. For information on the science olympiads such as the International Physics Olympiad or the International Chemistry Olympiad, see International science olympiad.

Science Olympiad is a primarily American elementary, middle school, or high school team competition that requires knowledge of various science subjects and topics, and occasionally the ability to build things. Over 14,000 teams from the 50 U.S. states and Canada compete each year.

History

"The Science Olympiad began when Dr. Gerard J. Putz, Regional Science Consultant for Macomb County Intermediate School District in Michigan, invited John C. Cairns, State Science Supervisor for Delaware Department of Instruction, to share the Science Olympiad program with Macomb County educators on March 29, 1982. The invitation was prompted by an article on the Delaware Science Olympiad (The Science Teacher, December, 1977) written by Douglas Macbeth, past Delaware State Science Supervisor that was brought to Gerard's attention by Michigan Science Teachers Association President David Larwa. The Delaware Science Olympiad was patterned after similar events in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. After two successful workshops at the Macomb Intermediate School District (March, 82) and the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Estate (January, 83), science education leaders in Southeastern Michigan planned two very successful tournaments at Lawrence Institute of Technology (April, 83) and Oakland University (May, 84)." -soinc.org

Divisions

There are four divisions in the hierarchy of Science Olympiad:

Division A1 for elementary school (grades K-3)
Division A2 for elementary school (grades 3-6)
Division B for middle school (grades 6-9)
Division C for high school (grades 9-12)
Note: 3rd, 6th, and 9th graders have the option of competing in either of the two divisions in which they meet the grade requirements.

Events

There are approximately twenty events in which competitors face off on a single day. Events fall under three main categories: Science Concepts and Knowledge, Science Processes and Thinking Skills, and Science Application and Technology. They are either knowledge-based (i.e. tests or laboratory tasks in earth science, physics, biology, and chemistry)or engineering-based (i.e. participants construct a device to do specified tasks).

Knowledge-based events generally have two participants either taking a test, performing experiments, and mathematically analyzing data.

Engineering-based events have a team of two to three participants. They are to construct a device following a specific event's parameters and test the device against others.

The majority of events require two team members, though some require more. If one member is unable to attend an event, the other is able to continue, depending on the event, with the competition, though at an obvious disadvantage.

Team Structure

Teams are hosted by the school from which the participants attend. A volunteer teacher coordinates the team in practice and preparation for the competition. A team consists of 15 students and 2 alternates. Home school groups may also form teams to compete, and are at no inherent disadvantage.

Scoring

The winner of the competition is determined by each teams overall score. Each school is ranked in every event, based on that event's rules. The teams overall score is then calculated by summing the rank of the school in all events (1st place receives 1 point, 2nd place 2 points, etc.), with the team with the lowest score winning.

Competition levels

Science Olympiad competitions occur at a regional, state and national level. Normally, the top four teams advance from regional competition to state. In most states, the top team advances from state to the national competition. Some larger states are able to send multiple teams to the national competition to represent their larger presence. About 60 teams compete at the national level each year.

Official Website of Science Olympiad: www.soinc.org