To clarify last Friday's post regarding the cancellation of the 2020 Southern California State Tournament, we will not be looking for an alternative to host the 2020 Southern California State Tournament. Since there would not be a fair way to select teams to represent Southern California at the National Tournament, Southern California will not be sending any teams to the 2020 National Tournament.
We have been working closely with the Caltech administration and with the current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Caltech has advised us to cancel this year’s SoCal State Science Olympiad Tournament. We respect Caltech’s judgment and support the decision to cancel the tournament. While we know there will be disappointment among students, coaches, supervisors and parents after all the hard work that has been put into their season, we need to put health and safety first. We encourage teams to prepare for next year; our state and regional planning teams will focus on planning events and generating excitement for the upcoming season. Due to the nature of coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions on social distancing and community spread, rescheduling is an unlikely option. Any additional updates will be posted here.
It is with great sorrow that we share that Dr. Gerard Putz, the President and Co-Founder of the national Science Olympiad organization, passed away last night. Our thoughts are with the whole Science Olympiad family. His obituary can be found on the National Science Olympiad website here.
Team Registration is now open for the 2019-2020 season! Click here to register. The 2020 Preliminary State Schedule is posted here. The rules are available online for free at store.soinc.org.
Game On BFor the 2019-2020 season, Southern California will be running Codebusters B in place of Game On B. This change only applies to Regional and State tournaments in Southern California. The rules for Codebusters can be found here.
Rules ClarificationsSouthern California Science Olympiad Rules Clarifications will open on October 3, 2019. To submit questions, view posted clarifications, or subscribe to the Rules Updates mailing list, please go here.
Congratulations to Kraemer Middle School for their 6th place finish and Troy High School for their 1st place finish at the 2019 National Science Olympiad Tournament at Cornell University! We're proud of their amazing performance and for representing Southern California.
We'd also like to congratulate from Northern California Kennedy Middle School for their 1st place finish and Mira Loma for their 15th place finish at the 2019 National Science Olympiad Tournament.
Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization 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. Southern California Science Olympiad - a chapter of Science Olympiad - hosts, manages, or supports over 8 Invitational, 9 Regional, and 1 State Tournaments in Southern California.
At a Science Olympiad Tournament, students work together in teams of up to 15 to compete in 23 events. The events change from year to year, covering fields and topics including: anatomy and biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, geology, mechanical and structural engineering, and technology. Some events entail taking a test, while others involve doing hands-on labs, or even building and bringing a device to the tournament. The list of 2019-2020 Events and their descriptions can be found here.
Each Science Olympiad season begins in September, when the Event Rules are released and Registration opens. Teams then spend several months preparing for their Regional Tournament in winter or spring of the next year (dates vary depending on the exact Regional). The top teams from each Regional go on to compete at the Southern California State Tournament in April, vying for the title of State Champion and the opportunity to represent Southern California at the National Tournament in May.
Teams and Events are split into three "Divisions". Teams in Divisions B or C only compete against other teams in the same Division.
Division A is the elementary school Division. Division A events are specific to the tournament. Division A teams do not compete against each other, but rather strive to meet pre-defined levels of requirements in each event.
Division B is the middle school Division. Division B events are usually easier and feature less advanced topics than Division C events.
Division C is the high school Division. Division C events are usually harder and feature more advanced topics than Division B events.
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Learn how to take part in one of the premier science competitions in the nation involving over 7,000 teams in all 50 states.
