Additional Forms
Certificate of Insurance
Instructions and required language for the Certificate of Insurance.Last Updated Oct 18, 2024
Southern California Science Olympiad's Flagship Invitational Tournament
and the largest in-person Science Olympiad tournament in the nation.
Hello everyone and we hope you are all safe!
Linked below is the test set for the USC Invitational. Our team hopes you and your team will be able to use this as a resource to review tests, do practice problems, and improve before the upcoming regional tournaments! Good luck to everyone!
Best, Brian
Dear Coaches,
I'm excited to see you all tomorrow morning for the USC Invitational! We are and will continue to adhere to USC's guidelines and recommendations regarding the impact of the wild fire and our event will still take place as a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities. This email contains some important updates so please make sure to read through carefully. As always you can ask me any questions you have and I'll be happy to help.
[URGENT] Room Changes:
Please note the following changes to event rooms.
- Bungee Drop C is now in GFS Breezeway
- Helicopter B/C is now in PED North Gym
Team Roster: Please remember to complete the team roster and submit this document at Head Coach check-in (TCC 227) on Saturday morning.
Map & Homebase:
We have developed a new interactive map that includes event locations & home base areas which can be found here. Please save this map to use as you navigate on Saturday.
Please note that on some maps the DMC building appears as the Center of International and Public Affairs (CPA) which may appear on the map instead of DMC.
Awards Ceremony: If your team is located in Balconies 1 or 2 for the awards ceremony, please remain seated unless students are walking down to the stage to receive their awards. Please remind your team that there is absolutely no running in the balconies.
QR Code Check-In Clarification:
We've received some emails recently about scanning the QR codes. The QR code is intended for the front gate entrances to University campus.
USC requires all guests to be pre-approved. Please make sure that all attendees (including parents and support staff) from your school have a picture of the QR code which will be scanned when entering campus.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!
Best, Brian
Dear Coaches,
Happy one week before the tournament!
[IMPORTANT] Attendees List: Teams that do not submit their attendee list to this form by Wednesday noon will not be able to enter campus.
Fire Safety Update: We understand that many schools are closed due to the impact of the nearby wildfires and the air quality and we hope that everyone continues to stay safe. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and email the head coaches and post it on our web page shortly after. Please be sure to share this information with your team members and guests.
School Buses: There is no school bus parking at USC. If your team requires parking for school buses, one alternative is the California Science Center which charges a separate fee. Please visit their webpage for more information.
Research Workshop: A virtual research workshop will be hosted on Wednesday (1/15) at 7 pm. The workshop will address possible research opportunities students can get involved in during high school and college and an opportunity for students to ask questions about research. If your students are interested, please complete this form .
Best, Brian On behalf of Southern California Science Olympiad and the USC SciBAT Team
Dear Coaches,
We hope everyone is staying safe with the ongoing fires. We have several updates as well as what we typically send for final pre-tournament reminders below:
Fire: As the fire continues in LA County, we are working with USC for the latest guidance to ensure everyone’s safety. At this time, the USC Invitational is expected to continue to take place in-person on Saturday, Jan 18th with no changes. We will update everyone with any additional guidance. We understand that some teams have been impacted by the wildfires; please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.
General Reminders: As we approach the USC Invitational Tournament, please remind your team (students, parents, and guests) of the following: - Team members and guests should stay near the base camp. - Food and drinks are not allowed inside academic buildings. - Do not photograph or take videos of another team’s device without their permission. - Review the Code of Conduct and Media Recommendation .
Final Schedule: The final schedule has been posted on the USC Invitational web page here .
Team Numbers can be found at this spreadsheet , associated with the rotation. While we do not expect changes to the schedule at this point, we will let you know if there are any updates. As we update the schedule, the one posted on the web page and the digital map will also be updated.
Attendants List: As part of USC’s continued practice to ensure campus security, entering the campus requires a visitor’s pass (a QR code for us) for everyone. This is a reminder to use the following steps to obtain a QR code:
A. Make a copy of this google sheet and share it with everyone from your team who will be in attendance. This includes competitors, coaches, parents, and all guests of the team.
B. Have each member fill out their information (name, email, phone number). This is also the place to attach your verified parents/chaperones (if you are a parent and chaperone who will be verified by your school administrator, choose the verified chaperone option). Do not edit columns A-B, F, and I-L.
C. When the document is complete, please attach these as Excel files in the linked Google form.
[T] Protein Modeling C: Computers will be provided on-site for Protein Modeling C, and the test will be using the JUDE browser application.
Restrooms: Please note that restrooms are available in most buildings that we’re using for the tournament. From the home bases, the closest restrooms are in DMC, TCC, THH, and ZHS.
Team Home Bases and Maps: The home base locations will be set in accordance with these locations , particularly along Trousdale Parkway, Founders Park, and Alumni Park. Flags will be planted into the ground to indicate tent set-up locations. A digital, interactive campus map can be found at maps.usc.edu , and a printable version can be found here .
Parking: On tournament day, on-campus parking will be available at three USC parking garages:
Here is a map showing the recommended path to take to reach each parking structure, as well as recommended drop off spots for participants. Please be mindful of potential students and parents around. Each parking structure has a flat fee of $20.50. Information on paying that fee can be found here . Note that the fee attached to one structure does not apply to any other parking structure. Please follow all traffic signage posts. Tickets will be issued for any violators. To reduce the congestion we observed last year, we recommend carpooling to reduce traffic on campus. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Check-In: When the head coach arrives on the morning of the event, they should submit all the Team Roster with the official team of 15 participants from the school at TCC 227 (up the staircase over a fountain).
Once the head coach has turned in the roster, they will receive 15 participant wristbands for the members of each team and one coach wristband. Please make sure to print out enough copies of the map and schedule for the team's use as there will be a limited number of maps and schedules available on the day of the event.
Wristbands for Teams 01-77: - 15 wristbands for the 15 official team members (B: Blue | C: Yellow) - 1 wristband for the coach/attendees (B: Green | C: Red).
Wristbands for Teams 78-86: - 15 wristbands for the 15 official team members (B: Purple | C: Orange) - 1 wristband for the coach/attendees (B: Green | C: Red).
Emergencies: In case of a medical emergency, dial (213) 740-4321 (USC Security). Security can respond much quicker than Los Angeles emergency services and will make this notification as necessary.
Chemical Safety: USC has put together some safety guidelines for working in Lab Spaces. This should be shared with all competitors who will be entering the SGM or ZHS lab spaces.
Minor Procedural Issues: (408) 673-1206 On the day of the event, this is the number for quick procedural issues (Event Supervisor missing at an event, Event Supervisor asking for student ID to let students in, Event Supervisors not allowing certain items that should be allowed, etc.) In general, call this number to get something fixed quickly (not to appeal).
Arbitrations: If your team needs to file an appeal, the head coach must submit an online appeal form at https://tinyurl.com/USC-Arb and the team should not remove relevant devices from the event area.
Rules Clarifications: The USC Invitational will only be using the National Rules Corrections and Rules Clarifications , in addition to the rules found in the rules manual.
Keeping the Campus Clean: We will provide each team with a trash bag at check-in. Please be courteous and help pick up any trash in your area as a way of thanking the school for their hospitality and help in hosting this year's program. The goal is to keep the grounds free of any debris and trash and restore it to its pre-event condition before our arrival. Thanks for your help and support in making this possible.
USC Research Workshop: Leading up to the competition, we are inviting all competitors to an online workshop focusing on careers in research and academia taking place on Wednesday (1/15) 7 pm. The purpose of this enrichment opportunity is to discuss how students can explore research in high school and college and share our students’ thoughts on relevant careers. To help us organize this event, we are asking all interested students to fill out this Google Form . Students of all grade levels and career interests are welcome to join. Please share this opportunity with your students.
Lab Tours: Coaches will be notified if any of their teams were selected by lottery for a USC lab tour. Additional instructions will be emailed to the selected teams.
Awards Ceremony: The Awards Ceremony will be separated by division: Div B 5:45 PM - 6:30 PM, Div C 7:30 PM - 8:15 PM. Doors will open at 5:15 PM for Div B Awards and 7:00 PM for Div C Awards. All attendees of the awards ceremony will be required to show a corresponding color wristband (blue/green for Div B, yellow/red for Div C)
Seating will be arranged to help speed up entering the ceremony. The ground level will be Team 01-32, the 1st balcony will be Teams 33-55, and the 2nd balcony will be teams 56-77.
The 15 official team members and the head coach should line up in front of Bovard Auditorium. We will have photographers take pictures of the students with their medals on stage. Coaches and team members are not allowed to come to the front.
Awards Livestream: Due to the limited availability of seating in Bovard Auditorium, we will livestream the Awards Ceremony. A link to the live stream will be provided on the USC Invitational web page on tournament day. We will also be showing the livestream. The livestream will be linked on the SoCal State SciOly website or shown in the SGM Lecture Halls (SGM 123 and SGM 124).
Preliminary and Finalized Scores: Preliminary scores will be posted on Duosmium at the end of each Awards Ceremony and they are subject to review. Head coaches have 1 hour after the conclusion of their respective Awards Ceremony to submit any questions, concerns, or issues regarding the Preliminary Scores to brianlam@socalscioly.org. The scores will be considered finalized when they are posted following a review period.
We look forward to seeing you and your team on January 18th at USC. We wish you a very successful visit, filled with enthusiasm, praiseworthy conduct, personal integrity, and a wonderful learning experience. We exhort your team to once again utilize and uphold the rich traditions embodied by the Science Olympiad program.
Best wishes to you and all the members of your team and supporting community.
Best, Brian Lam On behalf of Southern California Science Olympiad and the USC SciBAT Team
Dear Coaches,
(1) Parking: On the day of the USC Invitational, on-campus parking will be available at three USC parking garages: Downey Way, Royal Street, and McCarthy Way structures.
Here is a map showing the recommended path to take to reach each parking structure, as well as recommended drop off spots for participants. Each parking structure has a flat fee of $20.50, information on paying that fee can be found here.
We recommend carpooling as much as possible to reduce traffic and cost for parking on the tournament day. To reduce the congestion we observed last year, we recommend carpooling to reduce traffic on campus. Please do not esitate to reach out with any questions!
(2) Team Locations: Please take a look at your team locations at this link. There will be flags planted into the ground to indicate spaces where you can set up tents.
(3) Attendees List: Please complete the attendance form following the instructions from Coaches Update #4.
(4) Research Workshop for Students: We are inviting all competitors to an online (and possibly in-person) workshop focusing on careers in research and academia taking place within the days leading up to the competition. The purpose of this enrichment opportunity is to discuss how students can explore research in high school and college and answer any questions that students might have about relevant careers. To help us organize this event, we are asking all interested students to fill out this Google Form. Students of all grade levels and career interests are welcome to join.
Best, Brian Lam On behalf of Southern California Science Olympiad and the USC SciBAT Team
Dear Coaches,
Hope you are enjoying your holidays! A quick reminder that we will be following the National-level rules for all events.
For information specific to events:
Best,
Brian
Dear Coaches,
(1) [Time-Sensitive] Self-Schedule Sign Up: We will use the Event Sign-Up System (ESUS), for the self-scheduled event sign-ups.
The link to access the self-schedule sign-up is https://esus.socalscioly.org/login.php?tid=304.
The Head Coach should have received login information by this time. If the head coach did not receive the username and password, please contact us at scibatsc@usc.edu immediately because the self-scheduled event online sign-up will open today, Tuesday, December 17th at 4:00 PM, and will close on Wed, January 8th at 4:00 PM. You will NOT be able to sign up for these events after it closes. For technical issues, please contact esus@socalscioly.org.
Update: For any given event, teams from the same school will not have to compete in the same time block.
(2) As part of USC’s continued practice to ensure campus security, entering the campus requires a visitor’s pass (a QR code for us) for everyone. Please use the following steps to obtain the QR code:
A. Make a copy of this google sheet and share it with everyone from your team who will be in attendance. This includes competitors, coaches, parents, and all guests of the team.
B. Have each member fill out their information (name, email, phone number). This is also the place to attach your verified parents/chaperones (if you are a parent and chaperone who will be verified by your school administrator, choose the verified chaperone option). Do not edit columns A-B, F, and I-L.
C. When the document is complete, please attach these as Excel files in the linked Google form.
(3) We have some clarifications regarding attestation forms for youth protection. If coaches/teachers/parents received an email in the past to fill these out please ignore the email. Emails from the YPP Office at USC were sent directly to your school’s administrator, prompting them to sign two different attestation forms. As we receive the google sheets above with the list of verified parents/chaperones, the USC planning team will add these names for each school.
(4) Please continue sending your COIs! Instructions for the COI can be found at the download section of the USC Invitational Page.
(5) Documents to Sign: Four consent forms are attached at this link. Please share this link with the parents/guardians of each competitor so that they will be able to compete.
(6) Accessibility: Please complete this form for accessibility and ADA Compliance. f your team does not have one who needs accommodations, there is the option to state this. We want to make sure everyone has seen this message and that we can help with additional accommodations if need be.
(7) Lab Tours: Several USC labs are opening up their spaces for 15 minute tours between 3:20 PM and 5:00 PM. Two labs are led by professors: the Opto-Spintronics Lab and the Quantum Computing Lab, while the other two are some of USC’s well known research clubs: the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (aka RPL, which launched Aftershock II!) and the Liquid Propulsion Laboratory (LPL). This is an opportunity for your students to see what they can get involved in college.
If your students are interested, please have your students fill out this form, with a short explanation of why they are interested in a lab tour. This is a limited, lottery based opportunity for each team of 15 students to attend.
Please check this document for a consolidated list of forms/documents for the USC Invitational.
Best,
Brian
On behalf of Southern California Science Olympiad and the SciBAT Planning Team
Dear Coaches,
Here are a few updates (some of this info has been since updated from the email):
(1) Lab Tours: We’re excited to share that several labs have volunteered to give Science Olympiad participants tours between the end of the rotations and awards. Please survey your students and fill out this Google form by Sun, Jan 5, if they’re interested in joining one of the lab tours between 3 research labs and 1 student lab. If more individuals sign up than we can accommodate, we will select the teams by lottery and announce the results on Thurs, Jan 9.
(2) Registration and Refund Deadline: All Division C slots for the USC Invitational have been filled now and there are 4 more Division B spots. The list of teams and their team numbers are available at this link. Please let us know if your team is no longer able to participate. The refund deadline is Wed, Dec 11.
(3) Documents to Sign: Four consent forms are attached at this link. Please share this link with your parents; if they do not complete this form, their children will not be allowed to compete.
(4) Helicopters time: Helicopters will start at 9:15 AM, 1 block later into the tournament because the venue is not available until 9:15 AM. Please be aware of this as you sign up for self-scheduled events.
(5) Self-Schedule Sign Up: We will use the Event Sign-Up System (ESUS), for the self-scheduled event sign-ups. The link to access the self-schedule sign-up is https://esus.socalscioly.org/login.php?tid=304.
Login information will be emailed to the head coaches of each team by 8 AM Monday, December 16th. If you do not receive the username and password by Monday, December 16th at noon, please contact us immediately because the self-scheduled event online sign-up will open on Tuesday, December 17th at 4:00 PM, and will close on Wed, January 8th at 4:00 PM. You will NOT be able to sign up for these events after it closes. For technical issues, please contact esus@socalscioly.org.
Best, Brian Lam On behalf of Southern California Science Olympiad and the SciBAT Planning Team
Dear Coaches,
Hope your week is going well! We have a few updates about lab coats, COIs, the awards/team cap, and registration fees.
(1) Lab Coats: We were able to work with USC’s safety department to remove the requirement for 100% cotton lab coats in the chemistry or biology lab spaces. Polyester-cotton blends can be used. However, please note that aprons will still not qualify for acceptable PPE to enter the lab spaces.
(2) Certificate of Insurance (COI): Thank you to everyone who has shared their COIs! As a quick reminder, we’re seeing some COI with the incorrect certificate holder and the additional insured. Please share the required COI wording with your risk management office.
(3) Awards: Thank you to those who have reached out and provided feedback on last year’s awards ceremony and the concern with the weather and potential rain. We have been able to secure USC’s Bovard Auditorium to host the awards ceremony this year. This is an indoor space located at the center of USC. Because this is a smaller venue, we will be hosting the Division B awards ceremony first, followed by the Division C awards ceremony in order to accommodate all the teams. We also have to reduce the number of teams from 90 to 77 teams per division and limit the attendees of the awards ceremony to the 15 students on the team and the coach. We understand the importance of the family and family being able to celebrate the achievements of the students, and we will provide a livestream of the awards in a lecture hall.
(4) Registration Fees: As a reminder, spots in the tournament are only secured after payment has been received. Currently, 56 Division B and 63 Division C teams have secured their spots. Please be sure to pay the registration fee as soon as possible to lock in your team’s spot in the competition!
Wishing everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving! As Science Olympiad alumni, we are thankful for everything that coaches like you do to enable our competitors to participate in so many tournaments. Please reach out if there’s anything we can help with.
Best, Brian Lam On behalf of Southern California Science Olympiad and the SciBAT Planning Team
Hello Coaches,
Thank you for registering for the USC Invitational! We are 2.5 months away, and I wanted to share a few announcements and reminders.
Announcements:
(1) The tournament is nearing its cap for Division B and has exceeded its cap for Division C. A team’s spot is secured when the registration fee (either by Paypal or a check to Southern California Science Olympiad at 4321 W 168th St, Lawndale, CA, 90260) has been received on a first come, first serve basis.
(2) The event slate will include all 23 National events as well as 1 trial event from each division: Remote Sensing B and Protein Modeling C! Medals will be awarded to the top 8 places for all events including trials. Only the 15 official registered students will be able to participate in the events, including the trial events.
Reminders:
1) Please submit the Certificate of Insurance in accordance with the instructions found on socalscioly.org at the bottom of the USC Invitational Page. The address has been changed from the previous year.
(2) In accordance with the USC Office of Youth Protection, we will be sending Background Screening and Training Attestation forms. Please have the school principal or similar admin sign these documents, and share with us a list of chaperones. USC wants to ensure a minimum of a 1:12 ratio is maintained during the duration of this event. Alternatively, each student can come with a parent or guardian, in which case no attestation form is required; please let us know if this is the case.
(3) If you are looking to travel by bus to USC, please inform us ahead of time. We will be sharing information about bus parking at the California Science Center just across the street, along with the closest entrances on campus.
(4) We are working with USC to provide an electronic form system for all teams. This will include liability, photo and media release and lab safety forms. We will update everyone as we receive more information.
(4.5) Please bring 100% cotton lab coats to the tournament. This is with regards to any flammable materials that may be used in events. The event supervisors and USC faculty present will not allow competitors without the proper safety coat to compete. If you need any assistance or questions about the lab coats and lab safety expectations, please let us know as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out at brianlam@socalscioly.org or scibatsc@usc.edu. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the USC Invitational!
Best,
Brian Lam
On behalf of SciBAT and Southern California Science Olympiad
Dear parents and coaches,
We hope you had a great start to your week! After hosting the in-person BirdSO Invitational Tournament last year, the USC team has taken the lessons learned to host an even better tournament this year!
The USC Science Olympiad Alumni chapter and Southern California Science Olympiad are thrilled to announce the first ever USC Invitational on Saturday, January 18th 2025. With this being the flagship tournament in Southern California, we expect this to continue to be the largest invitational in the country this year.
Date - Saturday, January 18th, 2025
Location - University of Southern California (USC)
Division - B / C
Teams - 90 maximum per division, 180 maximum total
Registration - $275
Registration is now open. To secure a spot, click on the “Register Now” button. Additional information for the tournament is available on the web page including payment link, schedule, map, etc. Any inquiries can be sent to our email, scibatsc@usc.edu .
We couldn’t be more excited for this tournament and hope you will be able to attend this event!
Sincerely, The SciBAT Planning Team