** The Tournament for 2009 is April 18, 2009. ** Ohio State Campus Map Final Scores - Division B Final Scores - Division C It’s time to get ready for science that’s exciting! The Science Olympiad is North America’s most prestigious team science and technology competition. The Ohio State Tournament will happen on the campus of The Ohio State University on April 18, 2009. This is the place for those beguiled by wizardry. Dozens of events invite great ideas. Students might create their own musical instruments in “Sounds of Music.” Or they might test their aeronautical skills in “The Wright Stuff.” Perhaps they’ll take something simple and make it complicated in “Mission Possible.” You’ll be in good company. Last year over 260 teams representing more than 4,000 Ohio students and teachers participated in the fun and learning that are inherent in the competition. Ohio has been part of the National Science Olympiad program for 20 years and state participation ranks in the top five out of 46 states currently involved in this program. Register early. A 15-person team registration is $173.00. Teams must compete in a regional tournament in order to qualify for the state competition. Regional tournaments will be held in at least eight locations throughout the state. Once we receive your registration, we’ll send you this year’s Science Olympiad manual, which includes everything you need to know about the Olympiad, including tips on how to organize your team. Manuals are being printed and will be sent as soon as the ink is dry (about the end of September). Please read this material carefully and send in the required forms as promptly as possible. Manuals will not be mailed until we receive your registration. We encourage your participation in this year’s Ohio Science Olympiad activities. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact The Ohio State University Office of Continuing Education at (614) 292-8571 or via e-mail at askced2@ced.osu.edu. We ask that only coaches/teachers (adults) contact Ohio State and not students/parents. CANCELLATION POLICY A $30.00 processing and manual fee will be charged for any team cancellation prior to January 1, 2009. Teams cancelling on or after January 1, 2009 will not receive a refund of the registration fee. MULTI-TEAM MEMBERSHIPS A school team membership fee must accompany the completed membership application form. Each team membership fee entitles one team to participate in the Science Olympiad and includes the state tournament. No more than two teams from an individual school may register, space permitting at the regional tournament, and each team must pay the full membership fee. Only one team per school may advance from the regional level to the state level. WHAT IS THE SCIENCE OLYMPIAD? The Science Olympiad is a national nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition of outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. These goals are accomplished through classroom activities, research, training workshops and the encouragement of intramural, district, regional, state and national tournaments. The Science Olympiad Tournaments are academic interscholastic competitions, which consist of a series of twenty-three individual and team events students prepare for during the year. These challenging and motivational events are well balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers, and technology. There is also a balance between events requiring knowledge of science facts, concepts, processes, skills and application. Although Science Olympiad is a competitive event, most events are team competitions requiring teamwork, group planning, and cooperation. The emphasis is on learning, participation, interaction, having fun, and developing team spirit. Coaches and students are reminded of the words of Bill Koch (Olympiad cross-country ski medal winner) who said “Winning isn’t everything. The striving for excellence is - it’s the trying and caring that is important - winning is a bonus.” DIVISION/GRADE LEVELS/TEAM COMPOSITION Currently, there are four Science Olympiad Divisions: Division A1 - grades K-3; Division A2 - grades 3-6; Division B - grades 6-9, and Division C - grades 9-12. For information on Division A1, please contact Sharon Putz at (630) 792-1251. Division C - grades 9-12. A maximum of five ninth grade and seven twelfth grade students on a team is permitted. Middle schools may invite five of their last year’s eighth grade students to be part of the team. There will be no national or state tournaments for Division A - schools may wish to initiate local, school district, or regional competitions. For more information on A1 and A2 divisions, contact (630) 792-1251. A team consists of a maximum of 15 students. A maximum of two teams per division per school may compete. Schools with less than 200 students may combine with another small school (total attendance of both schools not to exceed 500 students) in order to create one team of 15 students. OHIO SCIENCE OLYMPIAD: HOME SCHOOLERS Ohio extends an invitation to the home school community to participate in the Ohio Science Olympiad. The following guidelines apply to home schooled students: 1. All students must participate on a team since Science Olympiad is based on team activities. Ohio students may participate in either B Division (grades 6-9) or C Division (grades 9-12). All students on a team must be children who work together on a regular basis prior to and independent of Science Olympiad. 2. If a home schooled student is also affiliated with any public or nonpublic school, the student may ONLY participate on one team and must choose between the home schooled team and the public or nonpublic team. Public or nonpublic schools may have rules eliminating the participation of part time students. 3. A child’s grade level equivalency will be determined by birth date. The child’s grade level will be considered the same as the majority of other children of the same age level. The child’s age will determine whether the child is eligible for either B or C Division. A middle school (grades 6-9) aged child may compete on a C Division team but a C Division (grades 9-12) aged child may not compete on a B Division team. 4. If questions arise that are not covered here, please submit them in writing to askced2@ced.osu.edu by November 30 of each school year. AWARDS First, second, and third place Olympic style medals will be given for each event at the state and national tournaments. The Science Education Council of Ohio will again award places 4-6 medals. In addition, championship trophies will be awarded to the Division B and C school teams compiling the most total points during the state Olympiad tournaments. A team may participate in one or all of the events within its division. REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY) State Competition Registration Fee: $173.00 per team. Due: November 14, 2008 $188 per team if registration and purchase order are postmarked between November 15, 2008 and December 30, 2008. No registrations will be accepted after January 1, 2009. The fee includes: Eligibility to participate in the 2009 Science Olympiad Program. One copy of either the Division B or Division C Science Olympiad Manual. Extra manuals are available for registered teams for $10 each. (Note: Your team must participate in a regional tournament in order to qualify for state or national competition.) What does the registration fee pay for? $65.00 goes to the National office to cover costs of administering the overall program. These costs include training, the development of new programs, fund raising, printing of the manual, and organizing the national tournament. $105.00 goes to the State office to cover expenses of developing regional sites, administering registration of teams, communicating with coaches and directors, organizing the regional and state tournaments. Receipt of Manuals The manuals are printed by the National Science Olympiad office and don’t usually go to their printers until mid-September. After they are printed they are forwarded to the state directors for distribution. If you believe that a reasonable length of time has passed since your registration was sent to your school district treasurer and you have still not received your manual, please call them first before calling OSU. In most cases, the registration form is still at the school treasurer’s office. We will not mail the manual until the registration is received along with payment or a purchase order. Regional Tournaments Each county has been assigned to a specific tournament. Registrations will be dated as they arrive. Assignment to each regional tournament will be determined on a first come basis. No phone registrations will be accepted. If your regional site is filled, your team will be placed on a waiting list. If there are openings in any other regional tournament after the closing date, you will be notified and given the opportunity to participate at a different site. Position on the waiting list will be determined by the date on which the registration is received. If you have a problem concerning your assigned regional date and need to be placed in another regional, you will be placed on the waiting list. Your regional participation will be determined after the closing date. You will be notified by your regional tournament director if an additional regional fee will be charged. Regional Registration Fees Each regional tournament is funded through different local sources. Depending on the funding available in your region, it may be necessary for your team to pay an additional regional tournament fee. You will receive information about your specific regional tournament and any proposed fees after we have received your registration. It costs approximately $15,000 or more to organize and conduct a regional tournament. The Science Olympiad at all levels relies on donations, grants, “in-kind” donations, and volunteer efforts. Costs not covered by donations or grants must be provided “in-kind” or passed back to the teams. You will be notified by your regional tournament director if an additional regional fee will be charged.