Supervising a Science Olympiad Event


This is a guide for event supervisors participating (or considering participation) in the Central New Mexico Regional Science Olympiad. This page was developed to help you understand what it means to be an Event Supervisor, what is expected, and other information as needed.

Last updated 2/7/2011 @ 4:42 PM   Reload all pages to be sure you get the latest updates!

Competition Info

URGENT!

Please refer to the general competition page for the latest updates. It has gotten unruly to maintain two separate information sources. Thank you.

We are working on a combination of solutions as a substitute for the traditional SO competition format. It is likely that we will hold some of the test/lab events in electronic form. We will specify testing procedures to ensure that all teams have equivalent experiences. This will likely take place the week of Feb 14th. For events that involve pre-built devices, we are working on a gathering place and time to hold only those few events (hoping for Feb 19th but not guaranteeing anything at this point). Events that require on-site construction or experimentation will probably not be held. This is all the information we have at this time. Please rest assured we are looking at every possible angle and hope to announce official plans very soon. As you might expect, arrangements like this are extremely difficult to make on short notice so please be patient. Thank you.

Central NM Science Olympiad Competition WILL NOT BE HELD on Feb 5 2011. UNM has closed all facilities extending through the weekend. Additionally, APS and a number of surrounding school districts have cancelled all extra-curricular activities. As a result, we will not be able to hold the competition this weekend. State and regional olympiad officials will meet on friday to determine what alternate plans can be considered. We understand that this complicates matters for many of you, and we do not take this lightly. Rest assured we are working diligently to find an adequate solution. No other details are available at this time. Please stay tuned to this page for updates. We will announce alternate plans, whatever they may be, as soon as they are arranged. Thank you for your patience.

The 2011 competition will be held on February 5 2011 on the UNM campus in Albuquerque. Events will be held in Dane Smith hall and other locations.

Essential Documents:

 

What is Science Olympiad?

SO is a national competition that brings together middle school (B division) and high school (C division) students to compete in science-oriented events. Some events are written tests, some are lab practicals, some involve pre-construction of devices prior to competition and some involve construction of devices during the event. The result is a variety of challenging and fun activities for all involved. The competition is broken into individual events, each of which last anywhere from one hour to several hours in duration. Teams consist of a school group of up to 15 students (per school). The team is broken into smaller groups for team and individual events. Placing in events scores points for the team. In the end schools are ranked by the number of points accumulated by participating and placing well in events.

The competition takes place between 8 AM and 3 PM on a single Saturday, and an awards ceremony typically follows at around 4pm. The Central New Mexico regional competition takes place at UNM. The top few teams at the regional competition qualify to compete at the state competition held a few weeks later at New Mexico Tech. The top team from state carries on to the national competition held in a different location each year.

Being an Event Supervisor

 
What does it mean to be an event supervisor (ES)?

  • This document is a basic outline of the event supervisors' roles and responsibilities. Please read it over after familiarizing yourself with the basic info below.

  • An event supervisor is a volunteer with relevant expertise who manages an individual event of the competition. It can be a teacher, student (college or above), industry professional, past or present. Nearly anyone with a background in the event's topic is welcome!

  • Each event has its own rule sheet by which the event is run. These are published ahead of time to the teams and supervisors so that everyone can enter the competition with equal expectations. Rules for all events can be found here, separated by division into two folders, B (middle school) and C (high school). The latest list of confirmed and pending events indicates which events are staffed and those that still need event supervisors.

  • The event supervisor is responsible for understanding the rules and creating an event based on the rules. The ES provides everything necessary to run the event. This includes any paper tests, construction materials or supplies, equipment, test apparatus, measurement devices, etc. The rules for each event specify what materials must be provided by the ES, and/or outline the kinds of things the ES would need to bring, create, develop, etc. Basically, the competition host provides an appropriate space to hold the event and the students to compete in it. The ES provides everything else. Many event supervisors work in a facility that can help them provide necessary supplies and/or equipment. Others know someone in a position to help them acquire what they need.

  • There are typically approximately 20 teams per division, so each event supervisor should be prepared for 20 students (or 20 small-groups if it is not an individual event).

  • This requires preparation and foresight. It requires some logistical planning and organization. Most of all, it requires excitement and interest in sharing the subject matter with young budding scientists and engineers. It is in that spirit that event supervisors provide great service to the SO mission, and to the young people in their community. It is a highly rewarding way to contribute your time and energy.

 
What support is available to me if I decide to be an Event Supervisor?

  • Advice, insight, and other support are available from the competition coordinator. Please get in touch if you have any questions or need any help. tubesing@ee.nmt.edu

  • Reimbursement for event-related expenses is available on a limited basis. Contact the competition coordinator if you need to purchase supplies.

  • Copying of paper tests and other documents can be done by the competition office if provided a minimum of two weeks prior to the event. Email your document to us with instructions of how many copies you need by Jan 21. Many event supervisors find that their employer is willing to provide this as a service to the competition, but we are happy to copy whatever you need with advance notice.

  • A Scan-tron test scorer will be available, as well as the bubble sheet forms if you need them. Please contact us ahead of time (by Jan 28) so we know how many forms you will need. This can save a lot of time in scoring your event, but typically is is good to have some other kinds of assessments. Science Olympiad tries to make this an interactive event as much as possible so multiple choice tests are allowed but using it as the sole content of an event is generally discouraged.

  • Volunteer help is available from the competition office on a limited basis. You are encouraged to use assistants and/or co-supervisors. It is ideal if the ES can recruit them from their own pool of friends/colleagues/associates, but if you need someone assigned to help you please let us know and we will try to find someone.

  • Light breakfast, lunch, and bottled water are provided for Event Supervisors at the event site in the Scoring/Administration room. Other beverages and snacks are available from vending machines in campus buildings.

 
What should I do if I want to be an event supervisor?

  1. Check the latest list of confirmed and pending events to see what events are interesting to you. The names can be a bit cryptic so consult the rule sheets for more detail.

  2. Choose an event (or preferably a prioritized list of events) that you would like to supervise.

  3. Contact the competition coordinator to make the commitment and share your event preferences. Please also provide your full contact information (including name, address, phone numbers, email, etc) for our records and to be sure we can reach you. Mobile phone number is critical so we can reach you on event day.

  4. We will schedule you for an event and get back to you with a confirmation. Please read all follow-up emails as the competition approaches and be sure to reply promptly with any requested responses.

 
How should I prepare for the event?

  1. Read the rules thoroughly for your assigned event and understand it completely. It is easy to underestimate the degree to which the rules are bent and stretched to every possible extreme by the competitors, so it is essential that you know them absolutely. Interpret rules from a competitor's perspective, one who tries to exploit every possible liberty the rules could offer.

  2. Find your event's pages on the National Science Olympiad home page. Here you will find essential information that you need to be familiar with, including FAQ guides to the event, advice on preparing the necessary apparatus and supplies, rule clarifications (and you can request clarifications of your own there too), etc.

  3. Prepare your event with plenty of lead time to be sure you put together all necessary supplies and equipment. Be sure you don't leave this to the night (or even week) before!

    • Some events require that the ES build something prior to competition (such as a test jig, measuring device, etc)

    • Many events require gathering supplies that are not necessarily found at home or around the office, or at the kind of stores that are open on friday nights (scales, stopwatches, lab supplies, craft materials, etc.)

    • Unless it has special space requirements (usually this is obvious), your event will likely take place in a classroom with a blackboard or whiteboard and table up front, and a number of one-piece student desks. Plan accordingly, you'll need to bring everything else needed for the event.

    • It is a good idea to have someone else take your test and/or do a dry-run through the event to identify potential problems or reveal things you might not have considered in your preparations. You may need time to work on adaptations afterward.

    • Make plenty of copies of your tests/documents (bring twice as many as you think you need) and bring extra supplies (including any craft/construction materials if needed, and batteries/refills/etc for any necessary equipment)

    • Check and double check your event's requirements and be sure you have everything ready.

  4. Come to the competition and have a great time! You'll be provided with the time and location of your event ahead of time. Arrive early enough to check in with event heasdquarters and get set up. After the event you will need to score the entries and report the event results to the competition headquarters. You will be asked to provide a contact number for the following few hours in case any questions arise. You may stay for the award ceremony if you wish, it tends to be highly spirited.

 
What are the most common problems with events that the ES can prevent?

Generally the events go quite smoothly, but there are sometimes problems that can be prevented, and these are the most common among them:

  • Lacking the proper preparations and/or equipment.
  • Inadequate supply of tests and/or materials.
  • Assuming that anything needed will already be there (aside from the space, contestants, and anything specified in the rules that the contestants must provide themselves).
  • Events that are not properly based on the published rules--they are typically quite specific and contestants expect that the event will be presented as described.
  • Insufficient attention to detail during the judging/evaluation of the competition

 
Thank you for your time and consideration. We know that being an ES is not a trivial contribution and we appreicate your hard work and energy... And the kids appreciate it too!

 

Other Essential Resources

Be sure to look over this pdf for info about supervising events: Event Supervisor Roles.

National Science Olympiad home page This is the official site of the National Science Olympiad organization. Each event has its own set of resources on this site aimed both at participants and event supervisors. It is highly recommended to parouse all info related to your event to be sure you understand it as well as possible, and to ensure that you are familiar with the latest clarifications, FAQ info, and other details provided by the National SO organization.

The UNM STEM office has a News & Resources page and a Team Information page for this competition. Those pages are for general information and are updated infrequently. More frequent updates will be made to this page you are now reading, so please check back often for updates.

The New Mexico state SO competition page also has some regional competition info.

Contact

Stay tuned to this page for future updates and new material.


tubesing@ee.nmt.edu