About

Types of Events:

Unlike some science competitions, Science Olympiad requires that students DO science during the competition rather than just report about a science project.  

How to get involved:

It is simple to enter: A coach registers a team for the competition.  Teams will first attend a regional competition.  Florida Science Olympiad has an open regional policy, meaning that teams are permitted to register for a regional competition in the Florida district of their choosing.  Then, based on performance at the regional, the team may progress onto the state and finally the national competition.  

When a coach registers for the competition you will also be able to download a free set of the rules from the national website. The rules manual contains the guidelines for each of the 23 events in which the students will compete.   For example, the rules for Forensics will guide the students to prepare to identify various substances, but does not give the specific lab the students will be required to perform at the competition. They must have a broad understanding of the concepts, as well as the skills to perform an experiment quickly and accurately.

While you can begin to prepare, you will need a team number to schedule events precisely for your team. This is because several events, designated as “Self Schedule” events, allow each team to choose an available time to compete. The majority of events are scheduled based on team number, such that each competing team will have the same event conflicts, though the order of the events may vary. After we receive payment, your regional site will provide a team number.

During the course of the competition, students are required to complete the lab, written test, or compete with their engineered device within a 50 minute period.  Students will typically compete in 3-4 events during the day.   

In each of the 23 events, teams are evaluated by judges who determine how well students completed the task or test based on the rules described for each event and standardized judgement criteria.  For example, in the engineering events, students’ devices are evaluated by a performance test and an inspection to ensure that they were constructed within all of the rules’  constraints.

All of the events are team based.  At least two students work together on each event, whether it is lab based, research based, or a prebuilt event.

Science Olympiad is the only competition highlighted in the National Science Education Standards (1996) as an excellent example of linking inquiry and assessment.  In addition, Science Olympiad has been highlighted in the 2007 National Governors Report as a national model to learning science and mathematics. Each year, we correlate the events to the Sunshine State Standards.  Starting in 2008, they are correlated to the New Sunshine State Standards.  

In the tradition of sporting events, Science Olympiad awards medals or ribbons to the top performing students in each event and trophies to the top performing teams.  Students take pride not only in their performance, but also to their contribution to the team’s collective performance. Science Olympiad builds a love of science and learning that goes beyond all other academic programs.

This rich experience provides students with something that no other competition does:  It encourages teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking.  

HISTORY

Science Olympiad was created in 1983 by Dr. Gerard J. Putz and Jack Cairns to increase interest in science and as an alternative to traditional science fairs and single-discipline tournaments. After successful trial Science Olympiads were held in their respective states of Michigan and Delaware, Science Olympiad began to grow. Now, Science Olympiad has members in all 50 states, totaling more than 12,000 actively participating K-12 schools.

THE TOURNAMENT

Each secondary team of 15 will prepare throughout the school year to compete in Science Olympiad tournaments held on local, state, and national levels. These inter-scholastic competitions consist of a series of 23 team events that encourage learning in biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, problem solving, and technology.

Events in Science Olympiad have been designed to recognize the wide variety of skills that students possess. While some events require knowledge of scientific facts and concepts, others rely on science processes, skills, or applications. This ensures that everyone can participate, including students from technology classes or advanced science classes.

TEAM SPIRIT

Although some events in the Science Olympiad are based on individual achievement, all events involve teamwork, group planning, and cooperation. Our emphasis is on advanced learning in science through active, hands-on, group participation that allows students, teachers, coaches, principals, business leaders, and parents to bond together as a team working toward a goal.

We would like to provide an alternative to the “isolated scientist” stereotype and remind students that science can be fun, exciting, and challenging all at the same time. In college and beyond, students will find that the team spirit and good sportsmanship they develop during Science Olympiad will be cornerstone in their success.

OUR GOALS

The Science Olympiad is devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. We hope to achieve these goals through participation in Science Olympiad tournaments, classroom activities, and summer training institutes for teachers. We also hope that our efforts can bring academic competition to the same level of recognition and praise normally reserved for athletic competitions in this country.