The Norman Invitational Science Olympiad Tournament will be held Saturday, February 7th at Washington Irving Middle School, 124 Vicksburg Avenue, in Norman. A Google map is here.

Events begin at 9 AM and the Awards presentation is scheduled for 3 PM.

Hello Science Olympiad Friends!

From Jenny Kopach
Science Olympiad
VP Marketing Communications
National Executive Board Member .

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I was state champion in Anatomy & Physiology in 2012, the team was 3rd place for three years in a row and just a few points away from going to the national competition. I won over 70 medals over the four years I participated in Science Olympiad, and it was the most important academic competition in my life. Visiting Indiana University Bloomington’s campus for state Science Olympiad competitions helped me make the decision that I would go to  IU. Science Olympiad instilled a love for science and learning in me that will last me the rest of my life.

— Mason Markovich, Valedictorian, Whiting HS, Student at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

After spending three years studying protein biochemistry as part of Protein Modeling, I decided to study bioengineering as an undergrad. Honestly, without my involvement in Science Olympiad I would not have decided on this field of study, or even been accepted into my undergraduate school (CalTech). The opportunity to study interesting fields at levels beyond what was available to me in high school allowed me to explore so many fields of science I would never have touched upon otherwise. I’m incredibly grateful for the direction and opportunity that Science Olympiad gave me, as well as for the leadership experience and incredible memories that came with being a member of my high school team.

— Emily Mazo, Bioengineering/Computer Science Student at CalTech, CA (participated in PA Science Olympiad)

I received 30 medals overall through all six years I competed. My team did very well at the regional level, placing in the top five every year.  We did well at the State level as well, placing in the top eight every year. Science Olympiad has been part of my family for many years and it was literally a dream come true for me to be able to compete at the competitions and receive medals at the regional and state levels. I loved Science Olympiad and it became my passion. After competing in Anatomy and Designer Genes, my desire to be a nurse was confirmed. Another huge benefit of Science Olympiad was that I got familiar with the college campus. The university where the Science Olympiad competition was held is where I attend college now.  Because of the Science Olympiad competitions, I was familiar with the college campus. I knew where my classes were without even looking at a map and that knowledge calmed my nerves on the first day of classes. I LOVE Science Olympiad and I am so excited that I get to coach the students now and motivate them to do their best. It is such a joy to be part of their success at competition. Now, I coach four different events for the high school that I graduated from. I also assist in head coaching the whole team.

— Katelyn Kamp, Student at Grand Valley State University, MI

I didn’t know this as a sixth grader in the fall of 2002, but my participation in Science Olympiad would end up having a profound impact on my life. Because of my exposure to science and engineering in my Science Olympiad events, I ended up taking a number of advanced science courses in high school, which (not surprisingly) led to majoring in chemical engineering in college. Today, I’m a materials and process engineer at Boeing and use many of the same principles in my job that I learned while working on events like Experimental Design, Water Quality, Can’t Judge A Powder and so many more. STEM outreach is now one of my biggest passions, and organizations such as Science Olympiad are paramount in getting kids interested in STEM careers. I still stay involved with Science Olympiad serving at regional and state competitions; it’s truly a joy to see the minds of future scientists and engineers at work.

— Kate Nolan, Engineer at The Boeing Company, St. Louis, MO

The Broken Arrow Invitational Tournament at Oneta Ridge Middle School will take place November 22nd.  Oneta Ridge is located at 6800 East Quincy Place, Broken Arrow, OK.

Casady School is hosting a Science Olympiad “Mentoring Workshop” on Saturday, October 25, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM on the campus of Casady School in OKC. The goal of this workshop is to bring together experienced mentors and Science Olympians from across Oklahoma as a means of encouraging growth in the students and their events. For example, a medical doctor might meet with students preparing for the “Anatomy and Physiology” event, or a geography teacher might mentor students in the “Road Scholar” event.

We need mentors! We are looking for teachers, coaches, parents, meteorologists, paleontologists, geologists, physicists, petroleum engineers, etc., who are willing to volunteer their time. On the morning of Saturday, October 25, mentors will host one or two 75-minute sessions wherein they will work with groups of students to help them prepare for specific events.

There will be two sessions: Session 1 will run from 8:30-9:45 AM, followed by a 30-minute break, and Session 2 will follow from 10:15-11:30 AM.

Mentor’s Workshop Information sheet

Please sign up at the link below if you are able to mentor for one or both sessions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11jEwRMCkCBmsMedt4aJnyN9tzzdEYd6V66DtzgIwiEA/viewform?usp=send_form

Additionally, please share this link and information with anyone you think might have the time and expertise to mentor the Science Olympiad students. The “Mentoring Workshop” will only be as good as we make it; the more mentors we have, the more beneficial it will be for everyone involved. The workshop is new to the Oklahoma Science Olympiad program, and we are looking forward to the unique learning opportunity it provides the students.

For more information, please contact Shannon Semet or Bob Melton.

The Science Olympiad Rules Manuals have arrived, the Coaches and Event Supervisor Training is just around the corner, and the first SO Invitational Tournament is in November. Are you ready?

1. If you have yet to do so, sign up for the Coaches and Event Supervisor Training September 20th at UCO.  Details are in an earlier post.  Know a STEM professional who would be a good Event Supervisor?  Have them sign up.  They can attend all or part of the training.  Lunch will be provided.  Have parents or colleagues who will serve as mentors or who will serve in a support role for a team?  Have them sign up!  go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q6SKSG8 to register.

2. Formalize your membership in the Oklahoma Science Olympiad.  If you join before September 20th, you will receive your 2015 Science Olympiad Rules manual at the Training. That’s a lot less difficult than waiting for the the manual to arrive in the mail.  Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5CPPJMM to register your team.

Checks or  Purchase Orders should be made to the Putnam City Administrative Activity Fund, 5401 NW 40th, Oklahoma  City, OK  73122  The memo should read “Science Olympiad”.  Only Science Olympiad member teams can receive rule books or participate in tournaments.

Membership in the Science Olympiad is $100 per team.  $60 of that fee is for national membership, the remaining $40 stays in Oklahoma and helps fund the Oklahoma Science Olympiad.

This year, schools may enter as many teams in Division B or Division C as they wish to compete in invitational tournaments as well as the State Tournament.  However, EACH team must have a separate national/state membership.  If, for example, your school has 50 students who want to compete in the tournaments,  you can establish 3 separate teams and bring them to the competitions.  However, each team will have to have a separate paid National and State Science Olympiad membership ($100 X 3 = $300 total). Only teams with fully paid memberships will be allowed to participate in invitational tournaments or the state tournament. This is a requirement of the National Science Oympiad.

3.  The first Invitation Tournament will be held November 22 and will be hosted by Broken Arrow.  Invitational Tournaments, especially those held early in the year, usually have a reduced set of events.  Instead of the full complement of 23 events in each Division, it is more likely to be 12-13.  In addition, Invitational tournaments usually require teams to BYOES (Bring Your Own Event Supervisor)  We have a number of events, especially those requiring construction and timed courses, that require specialized equipment and timers.  But even those events will need supervisors and helpers and many other events will not be offered if each team cannot provide a supervisor.  The tournament directors will coordinate events and assign supervisors with participating teams as tournament registration takes place.

The complete schedule is this:

November 22 – Broken Arrow (location TBD)

January 10 – Putnam City West HS

February 7 – Norman Public Schools (location TBD)

March 7 – State Tournament, University of Central Oklahoma

Saturday, September 20th in Howell Hall at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q6SKSG8 to reserve your place in this training!

Trainers for this conference have set up a full schedule designed to get you set up and ready for the 2014-15 tournament season.

Each division will follow a separate strand which will review each of the 23 events in this year’s tournament catalog (see the attached schedule).  Each review will include an overview of the event rules and scoring procedures and a review of changes in the event from last year (when applicable).  During lunch (provided) we will conduct two panel discussions, one for event supervisors and another for coaches. The schedule has been arranged so that participants, particularly event supervisors, can follow a morning-only or afternoon-only schedule and still participate in the lunch and panel discussions.

THIS TRAINING IS FOR ALL VETERAN AND WELL AS NEW AND PROSPECTIVE EVENT SUPERVISORS AND COACHES.

The official 2015 Science Olympiad rule books for teams should be available when this training occurs.  Your check or Purchase Order for 2015 membership will reserve your copy for delivery at the training.

Enroll your team in the Oklahoma Science Olympiad at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5CPPJMM

Learn more about the Science Olympiad at https://www.oksciolympiad.org

Don’t miss this opportunity to bring one of the nation’s most exciting STEM programs to your students!  Join the nearly 7,000 teams in all 50 states that participate in Science Olympiad!

Contact Bob Melton for more information about the training conference and Science Olympiad