Science Olympiad Basics Dr. Sheila Hendry Director, Mississippi Science Olympiad The University of Southern Mississippi Center for Science & Mathematics Education If you have any questions about the MSO, please feel free to call or email. (601) 266-6367 sheila.hendry@usm.edu 1

Division B (Grades 6-9) Division C (Grades 9-12) Students compete as 2 person teams in 23 events (in each division) from 5 categories: Life, Personal & Social Science, Physical Science & Chemistry, Earth & Space Science, Technology & Engineering, and Inquiry & Nature of Science. 3

MS Science Olympiad Currently, for the MSO, each school is allowed up to four teams per division. A reduced fee will be charged for the third and fourth teams. See the website for current fees. A school will receive a fee discount for their first year team(s). The discounts for first-year teams and 3rd/4th teams can not be combined. 4

MS Science Olympiad A school is considered to be a separate school if it has a separate administrator. However, the team DOES NOT have to be run through the school. Each team must have a separate coach and a separate paid membership. Coaches DO NOT have to be teachers.

Ninth-grade students can compete at only one level. Team Make-up Each team can include up to 15 students from the same school. For Division B, only five (5) ninth-graders and for Division C, only seven (7) twelfth-graders are allowed. Students must be from the membership school (recruiting from neighboring schools is not permitted). However, middle schools may invite five of their last year's eighth grade students to be part of the team. Ninth-grade students can compete at only one level. 6

Team Make-up Alternates Two alternates may accompany the team, but will not compete unless one of the 15 regular team members can't make it the day of the competition or if a team member becomes ill or injured. Substitution must be approved by the director if a team member becomes ill or injured during the day of competition. Alternates may not fill in if there is a schedule conflict or if the schedule changes on the day of the competition. Alternates will be allowed to participate in trial events. 8

Regionals Each team must participate in a regional competition. See the MSO website for details about dates, locations, and tentative events. The top 20 teams from each division will be invited to compete in the state tournament, based on placement at regional competitions. No more than 2 teams from each school will be allowed to participate at the state level. However, those 2 teams can be made up of any combination of students from all teams. Notice: beginning in the 2015-16 school year, only one team per school will be allowed to advance to the state tournament. 9

Mississippi Science Olympiad State Tournament Events A list of this year’s events and their brief descriptions are listed on the MS Science Olympiad website: www.usm.edu/science-math-education Additional information, including resources and frequently asked questions, can be found at the National Science Olympiad website: www.soinc.org 10

Only certain events are open to spectators. Mississippi Science Olympiad State Tournament Events Scheduling of events: Each event is scheduled for a specific time. Teams must report to the assigned room/area on time in order to participate. Building events will be self-scheduled via online sign-up. (Ex. Boomilever, Gravity Vehicle) Only certain events are open to spectators. 11

Registration Information for the Mississippi Science Olympiad The state competition is usually scheduled for the last Friday of March at the University of Southern Mississippi. Check the website announcements page for the exact date. On-time registration is due by December 15. The late registration deadline is December 31. However, you should register in mid-September… Upon receipt of registration form, each team will receive a copy of the Rules Manual for their division. We hope to see you and your team at the tournament! 12