Event #1 – Star Wars

Teams position mirrors to use a low-powered laser to illuminate a hidden target, which is behind a barrier. Teams have 2 minutes to set up their mirrors before the laser is turned on. Teams make 2 attempts, one to the left of barrier, one to the right. The team with the best two attempts gains the highest score.

Event #2 – Organizing Elements

This chemistry crossword puzzle race will test what you know about the periodic table. Complete as much of it as possible in 45 minutes. The team with the most correct responses gains the highest score.

Event #3 – Needling (Fruit and Vegetables)

We shall provide you with a selection of fruit and vegetables (fresh or dried) in sealed boxes. Each box will have a series of pre-drilled holes through which you will put a knitting needle. Probe using the knitting needle to explore and describe the structure of the fruit or vegetable with the greatest possible detail, and identify of the contents of the box.

Common Event #4 Engineering Challenge

This culminating challenge sees teams building a device to perform a specific task using only the materials provided in exactly 50 minutes.

Senior Grades (11 & 12)

Event #1 – Dante’s Peek

Your research team has been conducting an aerial survey of an active volcano and has crashed into the side of
the mountain. You must reconstruct your aircraft from the parts in the crash (which, although completely dismantled, have miraculously not broken). The mountain is expected to erupt in 40 minutes.

Event #2 – Cell Multiplication

We shall provide you with a series of photographs or slides of cells. You will make calculations of growth based on mitotic or meiotic division. This will be done without the aid of any calculating devices.

Event #3 – Chemistry Compound Boggle

Teams receive randomly created 4 x 4 arrays of element symbols. They have 10 minutes to locate and write the formulae of as many compounds as they can, supplying brackets and subscripts where appropriate, using any sequence of horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent elements. A chemical name must be given to each compound using the I.U.P.A.C. system for inorganic nomenclature. We use three different arrays, with the highest scoring group gaining the most points for the event.

Source: http://www.physics.uwo.ca/science_olympics/events/grades_11_to_12/compound_boggle.html

Common Event #4 Engineering Challenge

This culminating challenge sees teams building a device to perform a specific task using only the materials provided in exactly 50 minutes.