February 17, 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.
Registration deadline approaching soon!
The deadline to register your team for the state tournament is March 14, 2022 (the tournament is Friday, April 15).

We encourage you to register your team now even if you wait to pay until later. (Payments are due March 18)

Your team registration helps us with pre-planning so we can make the best possible Science Olympiad state tournament for you. Payment can be made online by credit card, or by check. We can also send you an invoice. Contact us with any questions about payment or registration. Thank you!
STEM Night at Museum of the Rockies is now open for registration
All teams who attend the Montana state tournament on Friday, April 15 are invited to attend STEM Night at Museum of the Rockies on the evening before the tournament: Thursday, April 14 from 6pm to 9pm. This event is FREE and features hands-on activities and demonstrations, plus the opportunity to see all the great exhibits at MOR! Visit our MTSO News page for the registration link.
Hotel blocks in Bozeman
No surprise - it's expensive and complicated to spend the night in Bozeman! Ehsan Salam in our office has been working to secure special rates for teams attending Science Olympiad. Please email Ehsan directly if you are interested. Ehsan.salam@montana.edu
Competition notes
The Division B Ornithology contest will use the Montana State Bird List created by the Montana Bird Records Committee (July 2021 version). Birds that are under review (indicated with an R on the web page and in red font on the downloadable spreadsheet) will NOT be included in the state tournament contest. Note that the national tournament will use the National Bird List included in the Division B Rules Manual, but the Montana state tournament will use this official Montana State Bird List.

Remember to keep checking the National Science Olympiad Website for Rules Clarifications that have come out AFTER the rules manuals were printed.
National SciOly tournament has something for everyone!
Montana's top Division B team and top Division C team will be invited to compete in the national Science Olympiad tournament hosted by CalTech on May 13-14, 2022.

The tournament organizers have assembled an awesome website that includes links and resources for ALL teams. Visit the national tournament web site and check out the sections called RESOURCES -- great stuff you can use now; and FOR EVERYONE -- ways that all teams can participate in the festivities in May.
Science Olympiad seniors: Check out this scholarship
The $50K Founders' Scholarship application is live! This scholarship will award five $10,000 scholarships to Science Olympiad seniors from across the country. You can learn more about the scholarship and apply here! 
More STEM opportunities
Free MSU workshop for teachers Feb. 26: Diving Into Data
Although this free online workshop is not specific to Science Olympiad, we hope lots of our coaches will be in attendance! Diving Into Data is an online workshop for K-12 educators that introduces participants to research projects happening at MSU and the stories behind the data they produce. Teachers will learn to incorporate authentic datasets into their classroom. Free. OPI renewal units are included. Door prizes, too!
NASA Virtual (Paid) Summer Internship for Earth Science Teachers
My NASA Data seeks an intern experienced in teaching Earth Science, environmental science, and/or Earth Systems Science at the middle or high school level to assist in the development of Earth science education resources. This includes but is not limited to reviewing, editing, and developing resources, making resources accessible on the internet, as well as training others in the implementation of My NASA Data resources. Formal education teachers who have experience teaching the topics of air quality and/or Earth’s energy budget using the Next Generation Science Standards are preferred. This intern will assist in developing resources for grades 3-12 that are NASA assets aligned with current research-based education theory and practice. 
 
Teaching experience at the middle or high school level is required, preference is given to those who have curriculum development experience. Specialized experience with energy budget and/or air quality is a plus. 

For more information, visit the NASA STEM Gateway and search for Earth Science Education or Internships or go directly to the internship entry.
Do you know an aspiring Science Olympiad coach or STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can follow along for next year! Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/mtso-news