2002 National Science Olympiad
Event Categories and Descriptions
23 Division B (Middle School)
and 23 Division C (High School) Events

1. Physical Science Lab (B) – This competition is to create a helium filled balloon/weight that floats slowest to the ceiling.
2. Battery Buggy (B) – Teams are to design, build, and bring to the event a battery powered vehicle to traverse a specified course. The only power source is a battery.
3. Boomilever (C) – The objective of this event is to design and build the lightest boomilever capable of supporting a given load using a given material. The boomilever is a wooden beam capable of holding a load at the distal end and attached to a vertical wall.
4. Bottle Rocket (B) – Participants will design and construct two rockets. The first rocket must be constructed using a one liter plastic bottle and the second from a two liter plastic bottle.
5. Bridge Building – The objective of this event is to design and build the lightest bridge capable of supporting a given load over a given span using a given material.
6. Can’t Judge a Powder by Its Color (B) – Students will test and characterize a pure white substance and then, based on data they collect, answer a series of questions about that substance.
7. Cell Biology (C) – Contestants will be asked questions on the following areas of cell biology and biochemistry: cell structure, function and classification, cell respiration, protein synthesis, photosynthesis, DNA replication, RNA synthesis, viral structure and function, molecular genetics, DNA sequencing and analysis, DNA fingerprinting, and immunology.
8. Chemistry Lab (C) – Students will work cooperatively to answer a series of questions or complete a task involving the science processes of chemistry focused in the areas of kinetics and aqueous solutions.
9. Cow-A-Bungee (C) – A team will drop a mass attached to an "elastic" cord. The mass must come as close as possible to, but without touching, the landing surface.
10. Disease Detectives (C) – This event requires students to apply scientific principles of epidemiology using a systematic approach to a published report of a real life health situation or problem.
11. Dynamic Planet (B/C) – Students will demonstrate the use of science process skills within these earth science topics: plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes. These skills may include but are not limited to making predictions and interpreting data.
12. Egg Drop (B) – Students are to design, build, and bring a cargo crate to safely protect an egg dropped from a high place.
13. Experimental Design (B/C) – This event will determine a team’s ability to design, conduct, and report findings of an experiment.
14. Feathered Frenzy (B/C) – The focus of this event is avian ecology. Students will be expected to understand how birds interact within their populations and how they react to their environment.
15. From a Distance (C) – In this event, students will identify and analyze physical and cultural features of human affect on the environment. Students will also evaluate the relationship of a local area or regional physical environment to its cultural landscape. To accomplish these tasks students may use any combination of the following resource documents: aerial photographs, planimetric maps, public records, radar imagery, satellite imagery, and topographic maps.
16. Life Science Process Lab (B) – This event is a lab-oriented competition involving the fundamental science processes of a middle school life science program.
17. Metric Estimation (B) – Students will demonstrate an intuitive feeling for estimating and later for measuring different events/objects using S.I. metric units for mass, volume, area, force, distance, time, and temperature.
18. Mission Possible (B/C) – Prior to the competition the participants will design, build, test, and document a "Rube Goldberg" like device. For Division B the device will incorporate up to thirty simple machines connected in a series that completes the required task. For Division C the device will incorporate many energy transfers using up to five allowable energy forms to accomplish a specific task.
19. Mystery Architecture (B) – This event is designed to test the students’ ability to think on their feet. At the competition they will be given a bag of building materials and asked to build some sort of device that can be tested.
20. Pentathlon (B) – Four team members each overcome a course obstacle and then answer questions or complete an activity. The four team members then complete a task together.
21. Physics Lab (C) – This event involves students participating in laboratory tasks and questions related to compound simple machines.
22. Polymer Detectives (C) – The purpose of this event is to develop an awareness of polymers and plastics and how they affect daily living in a modern society. Students will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of common plastics such as properties and uses, key terms, chemical formulas and structure, and scientists known for their work on these materials.
23. Practical Data Gathering (C) – Students will gather and process data, then use the data to solve a problem.
24. Qualitative Analysis (C) – This event consists of two parts. Part one is designed to use simple chemical and physical tests to identify thirteen solids and a mixture of two or more of these solids. Part two consists of a written test on the reactions of the thirteen powdered solids.
25. Reach for the Stars (B/C) – Division B students will demonstrate an understanding and basic knowledge of all objects located within our solar system: sun-earth-moon relationships; the earth as a planet; stars, galaxies, and clusters. Division C students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts of mathematics and astrophysics relating to stellar evolution.
26. Road Scholar (B) – This event requires the accurate interpretation and understanding of various map features using a variety of road and topographic maps.
27. Robot Ramble (C) – The objective of this event is to design and build a robot capable of performing certain tasks on a prescribed playing field.
28. Rocks and Minerals (B/C) – Students will use process skills, knowledge of rock and mineral formation, and identification of specimens at various stations.
29. Science Crime Busters (B) – Students will correctly identify liquid and solid materials in a crime scenario.
30. Science of Fitness (B/C) – This event encompasses mastery of physical activity and fitness knowledge, exercise physiology problems, and measurement skills. Emphasis is upon individual and public health effects of balanced exercise and nutrition.
31. Scrambler (C) – Students will design and build a device that will transport an egg a given distance as fast as possible in a straight line and have the device stop closest to the finish line.
32. Sounds of Music (C) – A two person team will build two or three musical instruments, describe the principles behind their operation, and perform a given melody and a major scale or minor scale.
33. Water Quality (B/C) – Students will demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of aquatic ecology, water resource management, water treatment practices, and aquatic chemical processes.
34. Weather or Not (B) – This event involves the use of process skills as applied to the science of meteorology. Emphasis will be upon the formation, structure, prediction, and analysis of severe storms (hurricanes, tornadoes, and meso-scale cyclones), their effects upon the environment and inhabitants, safety considerations, and how these storms evolve over time.
35. Wright Stuff (B/C) – Participants will construct and test up to two rubber motor powered, propeller driven airplanes in advance of the tournament. The flight time of each airplane will be measured and recorded. For Division C only these monoplanes must take off from the floor under its own power.
36. Write It/Do It (B/C) – A technical writing exercise where one student prepares a written description of a contraption and a second student in a separate room will attempt to recreate the contraption using only the written description from his/her team member.

Disease Dectives

Feathered Frenzy

Life Science Process Lab

Science of Fitness

Water Quality

Balloon Race

Can't Judge a Powder

Chem Lab

Polymer Detectives

Qualitative Analysis

Science Crime Busters

Dynamic Planet

From a Distance

Reach for the Stars

Road Scholar

Rocks and Minerals

Wether or Not

Physics

Mission Possible

Physics Lab

Sounds of Music

Wright Stuff

Problem-Solving

Cow-A-Bungee

Experimental Design

Metric Estimation

Pentathlon

Practical Data Gathering

Write it/Do It

Technology

Battery Buggy

Boomilever

Bottle Rocket

Egg Drop

Mystery Architecture

Robot Ramble

Scrambler

Knowledge/Concepts

Cell Biology
Disease Detectives
Feathered Frenzy
Metric Estimation
Pentathlon
Polymer Detectives
Qualitative Analysis
Road Scholar
Rocks and Minerals
Science of Fitness
Weather or Not

Process/Thinking Skills

Balloon Race
Chemistry Lab
Cow-A-Bungee
Dynamic Planet
Experimental Design
Life Science Process Lab
Mystery Architecture
Physics Lab
Practical Data Gathering
Science Crime Busters
Water Quality
Write It/Do It

Application/Technology

Battery Buggy
Boomilever
Bottle Rocket
Bridge Building
Egg Drop
From a Distance
Mission Possible
Reach for the Stars
Robot Ramble
Scrambler
Sounds of Music
Wright Stuff