SHARE:  

Dec. 2, 2022

This newsletter contains news and information of interest to Montana Science Olympiad coaches - current, past and future. For questions, please contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.

Coach support opportunities

Coach open office hours are Dec. 6 at 4pm; also in January

Join our Science Math Resource Center staff members online on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 4pm to ask questions and share ideas about the upcoming season. You will be led by Dr. Jeannie Chipps, a former Science Olympiad coach, and Addie Rohlman, currently an MSU student and a former Montana Science Olympiad competitor.


No registration is required -- visit our Teams and Coaches page for info and future dates. The WebEx link is the same for all upcoming office hours and is listed below the dates.

Recording of Nov. 29 coach presentation is available


Check out our School Teams and Coaches page for a recording of the Nov. 29 session for coaches. If you are new to Science Olympiad, you may also want to watch the video called How (and Why) to Start a Science Olympiad team at your school (Fall 2022) which is on that same page under Tips for New Coaches.

Hotel blocks coming soon


We are working on securing hotel blocks in Bozeman and will post the information on our Science Olympiad website. If you'd like to be notified when info is posted, please email us at mtscioly@montana.edu. Please also let us know if you have any particular needs or requests we should investigate. Thanks!

Please register your team ASAP

Registration is now open for the 2023 season, with the state tournament to be held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at MSU-Bozeman. Please register your team as soon as you know you will be competing. Payment is not due until February 2023, and when you register your team, you will be asked whether you would like us to send you an invoice (which we can do now) or pay by a credit card (payment platform will open soon).


Team fees remain the same is in years past with separate prices for small teams of less than 10 members. Schools that bring two teams receive a discount on their second team (the junior varsity team). You MUST first register a varsity team in order to register a JV team.


All teams that attend the state tournament are also invited to STEM Night at the Museum of the Rockies as well as MSU Talks & Tours on tournament day.


Division B (middle school) team registration

Division C (high school) team registration


Remember to download the rule books and (continuously) look for event clarifications


The rule book is your friend! Download the rules manuals for the 2022-23 season from the National Science Olympiad website. Encourage your students to study every aspect of the rules - especially what safety equipment is required and what they are allowed to bring with them into the contest.


Never use a previous year's rule book, even if the event has the same title. There may be subtle and not-so-subtle changes in rules and themes from year to year.


The rules clarifications page is also your friend! As questions arise, clarifications to the rules are posted here on the national website.

More STEM opportunities.....Free workshop Dec. 7. Earn renewal units

Montana middle and high school science teachers are invited to attend a free workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 from 4pm to 5pm called MSU Research in Action.

 

The workshop is part of a monthly series hosted by the MSU Science Math Resource Center. The December workshop features MSU’s Esther Stopps, an engineering doctoral student who is working with Dr. Stephanie McCalla to create simple, reliable and cost-effective diagnostic tests for diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and viral infections. Now, particularly in rural settings, patients must often wait while tests are sent away to larger laboratories for diagnoses. The dream of Stopps’ and her colleagues is that someday technicians in even the most remote setting could reliably diagnose breast cancer or a traumatic brain injury using simple, inexpensive tests that deliver fast, conclusive results. 

 

Teachers can earn 1 OPI renewal unit for participating. Registration is limited to 30 participants. 

 

Each monthly Research in Action workshop features a Montana State University STEM researcher. You will not only hear about the work they do, but you will hear about their own STEM pathway. We will then have facilitated discussion to think about how you can bring the information into the classroom. Recordings of past workshops are on the SMRC Professional Development web page.

 

Do you know an aspiring Science Olympiad coach or STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can join in. Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/mtso-newsletter

Facebook